Powering a Calix 801G v2 GigaPoint via Power Over Ethernet (PoE)
Before I got my Calix GigaPoint fibre ONT installed, I wanted to know if it was possible to power it via Power Over Ethernet (PoE). Searching online for this didn’t yield any useful results.
Short version: yes you can power a Calix 801G v2 GigaPoint via PoE.
The Calix 801G v2 GigaPoint is an indoor small form-factor GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) ONT (Optical Network Terminator). It’s a powered service delivery terminal located at the customer’s premises which connects to the fibre cable that runs to the carrier’s network. It has one gigabit Ethernet interface. Mine is connected to CityFibre.
I wanted to power mine over PoE so I didn’t have to install a mains socket in the location where I wanted the fibre to come into the property. Also this makes it possible for me to power it via my UPS to avoid disruption in the event of a power failure.
The conditions of installation say that power must be available within 1.5 metres of the ONT:
Our engineer will install your service, which includes a small box on the outside of your home, drilling a small hole to route the fibre inside. They’ll also place a second small box, that requires power, within 10m on the internal wall (known as an ONT).This second box (the ONT) must be installed on the same floor level to entry point, so for example our engineer cannot install this in an upstairs office.Power must be available within 1.5 meters of this second box.
I put temporary mains power in place to keep the installation engineers happy, so that I could get the fibre duct from the street to follow the route I wanted, and the fibre entry into the house in an unobtrusive location (rather than the default hallway/living room).
The data sheet for the GigaPoint suggests it isn’t too fussy about power:
Input voltage: 12 VDC (nominal), 10 VDC (min.), 15 VDC (max)
External Power Adapter: 12 VDC, 1.5 A Typical
Power: 5 W, Peak Power: 7 WThe instructions also say it can be used with a battery back-up for lifeline services.
The power supply that comes with the GigaPoint has very tiny writing but is 12V DC 0.5A tip positive.
I figured this should be replaceable with a PoE splitter, and got a TP-Link TL-POE10R PoE Splitter. Get one here. It’s cheap, IEEE 802.3af compliant, has a selectable power output, supports gigabit Ethernet and requires no configuration.
The most important thing is to set the hardware selector switch to 12V.
The splitter comes with a 30cm power lead although unfortunately this can’t be used directly with the GigaPoint. Both devices use a 5.5mm power socket, but the GigaPoint has a 2.5mm centre pin which means that the lead supplied for the 2.1mm TP-Link won’t fit into its socket.
The quick and easy fix for this is a 5.5mm x 2.1mm female socket to 2.5mm male plug convertor, which is common in CCTV applications. Get one here.
It works perfectly.
