PoE Adapters & Injectors Guide — Buy in Lebanon

PoE Adapters and Injectors: The Complete Lebanon Buyer's Guide

Power over Ethernet (PoE) eliminates the need for a separate power cable by delivering DC voltage through the same Ethernet cable that carries data. For Lebanese networks — where outdoor radios sit on rooftops, access points mount on ceilings, and IP cameras watch building entrances — PoE adapters and injectors are mandatory accessories. HI-GAIN stocks over a dozen PoE adapter models at our Dora, Beirut warehouse, covering every voltage and wattage combination used by MikroTik, Ubiquiti, Mimosa, and Cambium devices.

This guide explains which adapter works with which device, why voltage compatibility is critical, and how to protect your equipment from Lebanon's electrical surges.

PoE Voltage Standards: 24V Passive vs 48V vs 56V

Not all PoE is the same. Using the wrong voltage adapter on a device can permanently damage its circuitry. Here is how the three main voltage categories work:

24V Passive PoE

Passive PoE delivers a fixed voltage (typically 24V DC) on the unused wire pairs (pins 4,5 for positive; pins 7,8 for negative) without any negotiation handshake. The sending device pushes voltage continuously, regardless of what is connected. MikroTik popularized 24V passive PoE across its product line — devices like the hAP series, SXT series, LHG, LDF, and many RouterBOARD models accept 24V passive input. HI-GAIN carries several 24V passive adapters:

• PoE Adapter 24V 1A — Standard MikroTik-compatible injector, powers devices drawing up to 24W
• Adapter 24V Green — Cost-effective 24V passive injector for indoor installations
• PoE Adapter 1G 24V 1.25A — Gigabit passthrough with 30W capacity, suitable for higher-power MikroTik outdoor units
• 24V 1A PoE Economy — Budget option for basic indoor MikroTik devices with lower power draw

Warning: Never connect a 48V or 56V adapter to a device rated for 24V passive PoE. MikroTik devices rated for 24V input (like the SXT Lite5, LHG 5, or hAP Lite) have no voltage negotiation circuit. Applying 48V or 56V directly to pins 4,5,7,8 will burn the device's PoE input circuitry instantly. This is the single most common hardware-killing mistake in Lebanese field deployments.

48V Standard PoE (802.3af / 802.3at)

IEEE 802.3af (PoE) and 802.3at (PoE+) use a negotiation handshake between the Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) and the Powered Device (PD). The PSE sends a low-voltage probe; the PD responds with its power class; then the PSE delivers 44-57V DC at the negotiated wattage. 802.3af provides up to 15.4W at the source (12.95W at the device). 802.3at provides up to 30W at the source (25.5W at the device). Devices supporting 802.3af/at include most Ubiquiti UniFi access points, MikroTik models with "af/at" in their spec sheet (RB5009, CCR2004, RB1100AHx4), and Cambium ePMP radios.

• Gigabit PoE Adapter 48V 24W — 802.3af-compliant, powers UniFi APs, IP cameras, and VoIP phones
• AC/DC PoE Adapter 50V 1.2A — 60W output, handles 802.3at PoE+ devices with higher power demands
• MikroTik RBGPOE Gigabit PoE Injector — MikroTik's own 802.3af/at injector with Gigabit passthrough, ideal for RB5009 and RB4011 deployments

56V PoE

Some devices — particularly Ubiquiti's older airMAX radios (Rocket M5, NanoStation M5, PowerBeam M5) and certain Mimosa units — require 56V input. These devices draw more power than 48V 802.3af can deliver, but predate the 802.3at standard. The 56V adapters are not interchangeable with 24V passive injectors.

• Adapter 56V — Standard 56V injector for Ubiquiti airMAX M-series and similar devices
• Aluminium Surge Protection 56V 1.7A — 56V injector with built-in surge protection, rated at 95W output. Critical for outdoor installations exposed to Lebanese electrical storms

PoE Adapter Comparison Table

Use this table to match the adapter to your device:

Specialty Adapters: 12V and Voltage Converters

Not every device uses PoE. Some need a simple 12V DC adapter, and others require voltage conversion:

• 12V 1.25A Adapter (Green) — Powers small MikroTik devices, media converters, and switches that run on 12V DC input. Output: 15W.
• PW48V-12V 150W Converter — Converts 48V PoE input to 12V DC output at up to 150W. Used in telecom cabinets where 48V DC bus power is available but attached devices need 12V. Common in Lebanese ISP shelters and tower base stations running -48V telecom power systems.
• airFiber X PoE Adapter — Designed specifically for Ubiquiti airFiber X series backhaul radios. Provides the correct voltage and amperage for AF-5X and AF-5XHD units.

Surge Protection: Why It Matters in Lebanon

Lebanon's electrical grid delivers unstable voltage. Generator switchovers, power restoration surges, and lightning strikes during Mediterranean storms all send voltage spikes down Ethernet cables — particularly on outdoor runs between rooftop radios and indoor switches. A single surge can destroy both the PoE adapter and the connected device.

The Aluminium Surge Protection 56V 1.7A adapter has a built-in gas discharge tube (GDT) and transient voltage suppressor (TVS) that clamp voltage spikes before they reach the powered device. For high-value installations — Ubiquiti Rocket 5AC radios on tall towers, Mimosa B5C backhaul links, or multi-radio WISP sites — the cost of a surge-protected adapter is negligible compared to the cost of replacing destroyed equipment.

For installations using PoE switches instead of individual adapters, external Ethernet surge protectors (available separately at HI-GAIN) should be installed on every outdoor cable run entering a building. This protects both the PoE switch ports and the indoor networking equipment.

Choosing the Right Adapter: Decision Flowchart

Follow these steps to select the correct adapter for any device:

1. Check the device's PoE input spec. Look at the device's data sheet or the sticker on the device itself. It will state the accepted input voltage range (e.g., "24V DC", "802.3af/at", "passive 18-57V").
2. Match voltage exactly for passive PoE devices. If the device says "24V passive PoE," use a 24V adapter only. If it says "48-57V passive," use a 48V or 56V adapter.
3. Check Ethernet speed requirements. If the device has Gigabit Ethernet and you need full 1 Gbps throughput, use a Gigabit-rated PoE adapter. 100 Mbps adapters will bottleneck Gigabit devices.
4. Calculate power draw. Multiply the device's maximum current draw by the voltage. A device drawing 0.8A at 24V needs 19.2W — a 24W adapter handles it. A device drawing 1.5A at 56V needs 84W — only the 95W surge-protected adapter has enough headroom.
5. Add surge protection for outdoor runs. Any Ethernet cable running outdoors, along a building exterior, or up a tower should have surge protection at the point of building entry.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

HI-GAIN's support team sees these errors regularly across Lebanese installations:

• 56V adapter on a 24V MikroTik device: This destroys the board. MikroTik SXT Lite5, LHG 5, hAP Lite, cAP Lite — all rated for 24V only. Connecting a Ubiquiti-type 56V injector to these devices kills them instantly.
• 24V adapter on a 48V-only Ubiquiti device: The device simply will not power on. No damage, but the installer wastes time troubleshooting a "dead" radio that just needs the right voltage.
• 100 Mbps adapter on a Gigabit device: The link works, but throughput is capped at 100 Mbps. On a Gigabit backhaul radio, this bottleneck defeats the purpose of the radio's throughput capacity.
• No surge protection on tower-mounted equipment: Lebanese mountains — Mount Lebanon, Chouf, Keserwan — experience significant electrical storms from October through April. A single lightning event can destroy every radio and switch on an unprotected tower.

For PoE switch-based installations, see our PoE switches guide and the MikroTik CRS328 PoE switch review. Browse all networking equipment at hi-gain.net/availability or visit our MikroTik product catalog.