Ethernet Switch Powered by PoE or How to hook up an Ethernet switch without AC

Recently I needed an Ethernet switch (or at least a hub) to feed a patch panel hidden in a ceiling. Naturally I thought I'd just use a power over Ethernet (PoE) switch. Alas, I couldn't find one (though I suppose there's the 3COM IntelliJack series which didn't meet my requirements for various reasons). Of course there's lots of switches that feed PoE, and if you ask Sales Reps and just about anyone else for such a solution, you'll get, "of course this switch can run PoE." But no--I needed a switch that ran off of PoE--afterall, if a Wi-Fi access point/router can do it (which surely draw lots of power) why can't a switch? (For kicks, check out Keith Lofstrom's page on Power for BEFW11S4 and WRT54G Access points)

Solution: find a PoE splitter and a switch with matching voltages where the switch requires no more than 12 Watts of power. In this case I used a Linksys WAPPOE12 as my injector/splitter and a Linksys SD208 as my switch. I chose the Linksys products because I knew the DC plug on the splitter would fit the SD208's jack and didn't want to have to deal with adapters--seven usable ports for ~$80 retail.

Obviously lots of other solutions exist--as long as the switch draws no more than 12 Watts and matches any of the specified PoE voltages. And by the way, PoE splitters are a very useful tool.