LoveRPi Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE) HAT for Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ Professional red LRP-RPIHAT-POE-RPI4

A couple of things I'd like to mention before going into my opinions of this PoE hat: I've used PoE hats as well as PoE-to-micro-USB power adapters for the past four or five years to power various RasPis. PoE is something I've worked with since about 2003 or so in a wide variety of implementations and environments, so I feel that I have a reasonably decent grip on the subject. With that out of the way: This is hands-down the best PoE hat I've bought for the RasPi. That's not a knock on ones I've used previously by any means - but this one really is just that good at what it does. Granted, at this time it can only be used with the 3B+ and 4B - but that's OK. It means that these units are likely to have a decent usable lifespan, so the cost of the hardware should be able to be spread out over a decently-long period. Get the electrically-isolated version. Even if you're powering this from a switch or PoE injector that's hanging off of a UPS, there's no telling what could happen if either of those upstream devices fail. For the extra $5, it's cheap insurance against frying your RasPi. Once attached to the RasPi, the hat is extremely low-profile. However, there are components on it that stick up (slightly) above the height of the RasPi's Ethernet and USB ports. It does impact airflow and heat escape from the RasPi mainboard, so a fan (sold separately) is pretty much mandatory if you're going to use it with a RasPi that sits in a case or enclosure, and is recommended just for the sake of being safe. It does use the +5V and GND GPIO pins typically used to power a fan. However, there is a separate 8-pin connector on the PoE hat that makes these available. One big advantage to this approach: the 8-pin connector is parallel to the RasPi's mainboard, so fan power connectors can be attached to it without taking up any additional vertical space. One thing to be aware of: the hat only accepts 802.3af or 802.3at PoE input. If your switch, injector, etc. only supports passive PoE, this hat is not what you want to buy. Overall, I'm very impressed: this is an adapter that has been well thought-out and Just Works. Highly recommended (again, get the isolated version!) if your hardware supports it.

I have a UCTRONICS 1U pi rack with 4 raspberry pis' in a home lab. It sits below a large PoE switch. Each pi has this hat and none have failed so far. Plus it cuts down the added wiring necessary to plug them into some power strip buried in the back.

I got a few of the compact PoE hats to go with both the 4GB and new 8GB Pi 4B models. I specifically wanted an aluminum case as well, and my searches led me to find the EleDuino Raspberry Pi 4 Mode B Aluminum Alloy Case with Cooling Fan (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSCQQDG/) as the best match for this setup. Other reviews mentioned the case working fine, so I went with it. In my experience, I was unable to use the case in its intended manner with the fan inside of it - it does not clear the components on the PoE hat properly. It makes it impossible for the top of the case to be aligned north/south perfectly, as it cannot be centered due to the largest component on the PoE hat being in the way. Further, even with the screws for the fan mounted backwards (e.g. nuts on the outside of the case, flush screw heads on the inside fan) - it still presses down too much on the hat, and causes something to short which prevented my Pi from powering on at all with the case closed. It did not cause damage that I can tell, but it was a "crunchy" install for sure. With the fan installed on the outside of the case, and the power wires for it running alongside the SD card's slot, everything appears to be working just fine. I have tested this with 802.3at ("PoE+) output from both a UniFi Switch 24 POE-250W, as well as via the PoE passthrough port on a UniFi Switch 8 (powered by the 24 port switch, upsteam) with no issues. Based on what I see with this case, I think the professional/isolated Hat would also work fine with the fan mounted externally. Enjoy!

Great PoE hat. It's very cleverly designed to take up as little room as possible. It actually hugs the motherboard quite closely which allows for a fan to fit very snugly just above it. Because of this lack of margin for error, case selection can be a pain. I went with the Pi Tower because I want to add a few more to the mix over time. This combination works. So if you think you might be summoning a raspberry pi army any time soon, consider going this route. The PoE hat works well and is very convenient. The one issue I have with it is for some reason I haven't quite figured out yet, the moment I plug it in, it kicks any passive PoE devices I have plugged in offline. My switch is a Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 24 POE-250W. The Pi is only using 6.5W (PoE+) and the only other PoE device is a Ubiquiti access point that requires passive PoE. I put a PoE injector on the AP and now it's fine. But I still wonder what's going on with the Pi that's messing with passive PoE. Just something to take note of in case this situation might apply to you. [Edit: Ubiquiti switch owners must get the Pro version with the ground-loop isolation circuit to compensate for the switches not including one.]

Initially bought two of these to test out. I am very pleased with the ease of install and it still fits in the existing case of my Pi 4B. I just left the top open, for better air flow. I will be buying a couple more for other projects. This is at a great price point and eliminates having multiple power supplies. Just wanted to update that everything still works great 👍 I do want to add that I installed fans which keeps the temperature right around 45-48 degrees Celsius. Without the fan I saw temperatures between 65-75 Celsius. So I would definitely recommend using a fan if you plan on using this PoE HAT