PowerDsine touts deployment, settles patent dispute

All major switch manufacturers support Power over Ethernet, but PowerDsine has carved out a niche by providing a bridge between the non-PoE world and emerging products that look for electrical power over Ethernet cables. Recently, the company touted a deployment of its technology and licensed it out as part of a patent settlement.

Sheridan House, described as a non-profit organization that provides homes for children with behavioral problems, recently installed PowerDsine’s PoE midspan products to connect new IP-based security cameras and wireless LAN access points to its existing Cisco switches.

The midspan products sit between the switches and the end devices. They take the Ethernet signal from the switch, add electrical power and deliver both to the security camera or access point. This saves the user from having to replace the switches with different switches that are enabled for PoE.

PowerDsine said it donated its 12-port 6012 PoE midspans to Sheridan House as part of its public grant program. For its part, Sheridan House, with a campus in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., said that as a non-profit organization it was looking for the most cost-effective approach.

In related news, PowerDsine recently settled its lawsuit against Phihong USA Corp. and its parent company, Phihong Technology Co. Ltd. In the settlement agreement, PowerDsine granted Phihong a license to use its patent related to PoE midspan products.

PowerDsine had sued Phihong for infringing on that patent in its products. The patent covers technology to detect “power-enabled” devices, so that power can be delivered to them without affecting legacy devices.