Raspberry Pi 5: PoE HAT board provides one cable for network and power and offers 12 volts for attachments

The Raspberry Pi 5 is a versatile single-board computer that can be used as a more-or-less complete desktop system as well as a highly specialized system for in-house developments. Waveshare now has a new board on offer: the PoE HAT for the Raspberry Pi 5.

PoE means Power over Ethernet and enables the possibility of not only establishing a network connection via Ethernet, but also the supply of electrical energy over the same line. The big advantage here is that only a single cable is required. The Raspberry Pi 5 also supports the technology in principle, but not out of the box, so an expansion board is required.

The PoE HAT can be simply mounted on the Raspberry Pi 5 and supports the IEEE 802.3af/at PoE standard. According to the manufacturer, the header not only outputs a voltage of 5 volts, but also provides a 12 volt power supply. This means that not only the Raspberry Pi 5 itself can be adequately supplied with electrical energy, but also more powerful accessories.

The scope of delivery also includes a metal heat sink as well as thermal pads for optimal heat transfer. An active fan is installed. Although the PoE HAT takes up all of the GPIO pins, it also loops them through, meaning that corresponding sensors and actuators or entire additional expansion boards can still be connected.

Waveshare currently offers the board at a price of just under $22, plus shipping costs and possible import taxes.