Feasibility study of Ethernet energy harvesting in an IoT beacon system

Abstract

Beacon systems for Internet of Things (IoT) services require frequent battery replacement and costly maintenance. To resolve these issues, we developed a novel beacon system. This system does not require Power over Ethernet (PoE) to supply power because it uses Ethernet energy-harvesting technology via the RJ45 port of the router and switching hub. We experimentally confirmed that the power produced through the Internet TCP/IP network signals activated the beacon dongle to transmit signals, and that a smartphone then received these signals.