I set up my own home network with a Vertiv Liebert Li-ion UPS a few years ago and was thinking about how inefficient the whole process is regarding power. The current goes from AC to DC back to AC back to DC. Straight from the UPS as DC would work much better, and as I was teaching myself more about networking equipment, I was surprised to learn that most of it isn't DC input by default (i.e., each piece of equipment tends to come with built-in AC-DC conversion).
Then I started routing ethernet with PoE throughout my house and observed that other than a few large appliances, the majority of powered devices in a typical home in 2026 could be supplied via PoE DC current as well! Lighting, laptops, small/medium televisions. The current PoE spec allows up to 100 W, which covers like 80% of the powered devices in most homes. I think it would make more sense to have fewer AC outlets around the modern house and many more terminals for PoE instead (maybe with a more robust connector than RJ45). I wonder what sort of energy efficiency improvements this would yield. No more power bricks all over the place either.
Then I started routing ethernet with PoE throughout my house and observed that other than a few large appliances, the majority of powered devices in a typical home in 2026 could be supplied via PoE DC current as well! Lighting, laptops, small/medium televisions. The current PoE spec allows up to 100 W, which covers like 80% of the powered devices in most homes. I think it would make more sense to have fewer AC outlets around the modern house and many more terminals for PoE instead (maybe with a more robust connector than RJ45). I wonder what sort of energy efficiency improvements this would yield. No more power bricks all over the place either.