A county field office has a data-only switch that cannot power APs. The technician still needs to deliver Ethernet power to a new indoor AP. What is the appropriate approach?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
No PoE on the switch? You still have two clean tools: a PoE injector on that run, or a real PoE switch. Both feed the AP as the PD. Do not invent weird grounding tricks—just put a PSE in the path.
Full Explanation
County field offices often still run data-only access switches that never sourced PoE. When a new indoor AP must be powered over Ethernet, the correct approach is to place a standards-based PoE injector between that non-PoE switch and the AP, or to move the AP onto a PoE-capable switch port. Either device acts as power sourcing equipment (PSE) and delivers negotiated power to the AP as the powered device (PD) while the Ethernet data path continues to the closet switch. That keeps the municipal install aligned with design intent without inventing exotic power tricks.
Disabling the radios so the AP supposedly runs from phantom pair voltage on any switch fails conceptually: radio state does not create a PSE, and non-PoE ports do not magically supply IEEE PoE. Bonding chassis ground to a management VLAN so power flows over SNMP confuses Layer-2/3 management with DC power delivery; SNMP cannot transport PoE watts. Replacing every Cat6 drop with coax because only coax can carry power and WLAN data misstates media: modern AP PoE rides twisted-pair Ethernet, not coax WLAN plant.
Exam caveat: CWTS install scope is matching a PSE path to the AP—injector or PoE switch—not redesigning the entire campus switching architecture on the spot. Either PSE method can be correct when the design or site constraint allows it; do not treat injectors as universally inferior or superior without context.
Operational check: confirm the chosen PSE (injector model/class or switch PoE budget) meets the AP’s required wattage, verify link and power LEDs after insertion, and document which closet port or injector serial feeds the civic AP inventory tag before closing the ticket.