Is it possible to send 5V from a raspberry pi over Cat 5e cable to some vibration sensors?

[G+_Brandon Ingli]

Is it possible to send 5V from a raspberry pi over Cat 5e cable to some vibration sensors? What are the voltage/current limits on each cable?

[G+_James Hughes]

Can you do POE? No Pi needed.

[G+_Ben Tyger]

I don't believe the Ethernet interface of any of the Pis supports PoE. Also considering the the Ethernet adapter is USB 2.0 based there problaby isn't much power there.

[G+_Joe Valasko]

It is possible to use Ethernet Cabling to transmit power but there are limitations such as voltage drop, current demand, and wire gauge that need to be considered. If your Ethernet is less than Gigabit then passive or active Power Over Ethernet (POE) is possible. If you are dealing with relatively short runs of Ethernet you could consider the following.

 

One example of such adapters is aliexpress.com - Hot POE Cable Passive Power Over Ethernet Adapter Cable POE Splitter Injector Power Supply Module 12-48v For IP Camera

 

You should know the AWG wire size of the Ethernet (which can vary by vendor and quality), length of Ethernet, Voltage, and Current demand for your devices.

 

You have to watch the voltage drop which is one of the reasons most POE is 48 volts. A simple Ohm's law calculation is necessary to ensure your device is able to receive the minimum voltage and current you require.