POE incident customer burns laptop SMOKE!

Hardware MikroTik hardware general
1

Hello Folks!

I have a growing problem with endusers connecting Mikrotik POE cables in wrong ports.

Resently we have 4 laptops that got burnt network card, also one fully died.
A couple of other incidents with TP cable problems has burned few RB411 as well.

All our RB411 goes on 24V POE.

I do not know howto prevent this, because TP connectors look the same in endusers eyes and mistakes happens all the time.

Can someone tell me what it is in Mikrotik POE design that causes things to burn.

Please assist howto prevent this, do you have some gear/plug that you can put on cables preventing this happens, short circuit protection or something ?

2

Since the first installation we did, we have explained to the customer to NEVER connect the POE side of the POE injector to ANYTHING except the antenna. We make sure to repeat it 2 or 3 times and tell them clearly that if they make this mistake, their equipment WILL go up in smoke.

So far, less than 1% of our customers, as far as we know, have damaged their equipment.

I suppose you could consider using glue/tape on the POE port or putting warning labels.

3

Not sure what type of POE you use but we use this one;
http://wirelessconnect.eu/product/mikrotik-gigabit-poe-injector-cable,

It overcomes the issue of plugging in a DC supply into a network card pc or laptop, in the installed configuration the CPE can only plug in one way, voltage cannot be applied to customers network card but however if they attach a additional link cat5 lead then it can happen but by then it’s at their expense the damage caused, as our installation did not include or supply a cat5 link lead?

We never use the supplied POE adapter which has two RJ45 sockets or POE power supply with two RJ45 sockets, the power supply by design of two pin AC is not suitable for our location and we have to replace with 3 pin type of AC adapter anyway.

These leads with additional power supplies have added extra cost to the install, but compared with the high cost of replacing any equipment damaged along with the negative press is money well spent in my opinion on these extra items.

4

Hello!

The situation is was the “half moone” with two rj45 sockets in.

We have started to use similar connector that are on picture, but they do not have any led on them neither do they manage to get GIGABIT ethernet.

We will use the other model from now on. :slight_smile:

5

We have started to use similar connector that are on picture, but they do not have any led on them neither do they manage to get GIGABIT ethernet.

We will use the other model from now on.

We use both the led and non led version, at least with the led if a customer rings and says they have no internet, we ask “can you see a illuminated green light on the grey lead”, if not plug the ac adapter in?

6

I haven’t made that mistake yet. Shouldn’t a power injector check that anything connected to it is really a POE device before providing power to it?

7

A smart standard one yes, 802.af would solve this but it would jack up the price!

8

Yes 802.af is more expensive, but burning things is also expensive.

The MT standards for POE is that not 802.af ?

9

Strange, I have plugged in POE to laptops and routers on accident with voltage as high as 48v and never had one single issue.

10

Here at IBM HQ in Stockholm all our RJ45 jacks in office landscape are PoE 48V, it have never happen here.

But at several of customers places as I wrote above, we have had burned ethernet ports and smoke.

11

Passive PoE goes over spare lines, this problem could happen if you plug into active PoE port and the Laptop has Gigabit port, which uses all lines.

12

Yes it was gigabit ports in laptops that burned :slight_smile: