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Workplace has no power. Is it possible to work thin clients without power supply?

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Sorry I just have to ask..... is this a joke? – ThatGraemeGuy Feb 25 '11 at 8:51

closed as not a real question by Ben Pilbrow, Iain♦, DanBig, Scott Pack, MDMarra Feb 25 '11 at 15:06

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

a few ideas:

  • portable computers: laptops, netbooks.
  • handheld devices: smartphones, tablets, Nokia N700-N810
  • very low power mainboards (VIA or ARM) hooked to an UPS.

In the end, you'll always need some power:

  • for the server (unless it's remote)
  • for the network (switches, access points, router if server is remote)
  • to recharge batteries (either internal or on UPS)

If you try to go PoE, note that the distance is limited; Ethernet UTP itself goes up to 150m, but to get PoE at high wattage more than 50-70m you need higher voltages at the source. A lot easier would be to lay your own power cable as you do the network.

tl;dr: electronic devices use electricity. might be low amounts of it, but never zero.

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up vote 2 down vote

Computers need power. There's really no way around that.

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If you found computer with 15 Wt consumption.. PoE can give you only 15 Wt... I don't see any another way...

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And what is going to power the PoE? – John Gardeniers Feb 25 '11 at 8:16
Hamsters in wheels! Or an exercise bike? – Niall Donegan Feb 25 '11 at 11:46
it's not hard to find linux-capable ARM boards that consume far less than 15W (heck, even some VIA boards fit!). the huge problem would be to power the display. – Javier Feb 25 '11 at 14:24
@John Gardeniers: assuming the server does have power available, you could power the switch at that central location. – Javier Feb 25 '11 at 14:26
PoE+ can provide 25,5 watts – pauska Feb 25 '11 at 15:29

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