Commercial PoE lighting
on one Cat6 cable.

How does PoE lighting work?

A PoE network switch sends low-voltage DC power and control data to each LED fixture over one twisted-pair cable, so there is no AC wiring at the fixture1. The switch sits in the IT closet on the same rack as the cameras and access points. A Cat6 run goes to each fixture location, the fixture receives power and commands through that cable, and the lighting joins the building's scenes and schedules.

Because the switch meters power per port, every fixture reports what it uses. Zoning, dimming, tunable white and occupancy response are data on the cable rather than a separate control system, and moving a zone is software, not rewiring. It lives inside our commercial infrastructure practice because the same design that plans your cabling and switch budget plans your light.

What do we install?

PoEWit panel lights indoors and PoEWit wall packs outdoors, on the same PoE infrastructure. The PT-22 and PT-24 are drop-in replacements for 2x2 and 2x4 fluorescent troffers in a standard grid. They deliver 5,000 and 7,700 lumens, tunable white from 4000K to 6000K, and smooth dimming from 0 to 100 percent. The PoE driver mounts away from the fixture so the ceiling stays clean.

Outdoors, the WP-6 is an IP65 wall pack with full RGBWW color for architectural and security lighting, and the WP-4-PT2 gives fixed 4500K white. Both carry PoE passthrough ports, which is what makes the exterior node below possible. The commercial hub shows where lighting fits with the rest of a building.

Does one cable really power the light, the camera and the sensor?

Yes. Conventional exterior lighting needs three pulls to one corner of a building: 120-volt conduit to the fixture, a low-voltage run to the camera and another to the motion sensor. A WP-6 Advanced collapses that into one Cat6 run from the closet. The wall pack takes its own power and control, then passes PoE downstream through four ports to a camera, a motion detector and a spare for the next device.

Motion triggers the light and the camera recording together. The combinations depend on the switch's total PoE budget, which we calculate per project so every port gets the power it needs. The cameras on those ports are the same ones specified on business security.

Does it stay on in an outage?

Yes, when the PoE switch is on a UPS, which we include for critical zones. Exterior wall packs, entry lighting and key interior fixtures keep running on battery. Because the cameras and sensors draw from the same switch, the whole exterior security and lighting node stays up while the power is down. We size the UPS to the runtime you need and put it on network monitoring so a failing battery is reported before it matters.

Does it work with Control4?

Yes. PoEWit publishes a native Control4 driver, and we program it as a Control4 Authorized Dealer. Lighting joins the same scenes as AV, security and access. An exterior wall pack comes up when the Ajax system detects motion. Interior panels dim on the Close scene in a restaurant. A conference room drops to presentation levels when the call starts, and color temperature shifts across the day on a schedule.

Offices get warmer light in the morning and cooler in the afternoon. Clinics get precise color temperature per room. Warehouses get motion-activated perimeter wall packs that also power the cameras. Multi-tenant buildings get common-area lighting that turns on before residents arrive. A hotel gets corridor and exterior lighting on the same schedule as its cameras. A lobby video wall or large format display joins the same scenes, and a site still under construction runs a solar security tower until the switch is powered.

Where does PoE lighting fit, and where does it not?

New construction, tenant improvements and full renovations, where the cabling is being planned fresh and the fixture count is meaningful. Offices, retail, restaurants and hospitality get the most from per-fixture control and power reporting. A building with sound existing line-voltage wiring and no remodel rarely justifies removing it, and very high-output applications can exceed what a PoE power budget sensibly serves.

The system is no more reliable than the switch budget, the cable's thermal performance in bundles and the backup power behind it. All of these have to be engineered rather than assumed. We specify Cat6A for cabling jobs where lighting is on the roadmap, even when the fixtures come later, because it carries sustained PoE loads with more thermal headroom.

What drives the cost?

Fixture count, whether the cabling is already going in, the PoE switch budget, UPS runtime and the exterior node count. PoE fixtures and drivers cost more than conventional LED, by 20 to 40 percent up front according to published guidance. That gap narrows to 5 to 15 percent once lighting controls are priced into the conventional bid2.

The saving comes from installation. Class 2 low-voltage cable is pulled by the same crew, in the same pathways, on the same day as the cameras and access points. That replaces a separate electrical mobilization running conduit to every fixture. Adding lighting to a cabling pull that is happening anyway is the cheapest way in. Every proposal is fixed price, and the instant quote gives you a first figure in a few minutes.

Where do we work?

From 415 Railroad Ave S, Kent, WA 98032, across south King County and Pierce County. City pages: Tacoma, Kent, Renton, Tukwila, Federal Way, Auburn, Covington and Maple Valley, Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Tehaleh, University Place and Gig Harbor. The Olympic Peninsula is served by appointment. Our own team designs every job; on commercial projects we bring in licensed trade partners under our design and supervision.

Rivas Group, LLC dba Rivas Technology Group holds WA electrical contractor license RIVASGL799DR, active, bonded and insured (L&I lookup). The company is BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and is rated 5.0 from 49 Google reviews. The security hub covers the alarm the wall packs respond to. Commercial AV consulting puts lighting on the drawings before your GC bids. The Washington Pottery Company, South Sound Law Group and Clyde's BBQ pages show the networks and cameras this shares a rack with.