Reyee PoE Injectors and Extenders: Long CCTV Cable Run Guide

Every installer has met the job where the camera, access point or door station sits 90, 120 or 200 metres from the nearest switch, and the data sheet says 100 metres. This guide is for UK CCTV and network installers who need to choose between a Reyee PoE injector, a PoE extender and a long-range PoE switch, and who want to know exactly where each one stops working. It covers the three Ruijie Reyee injectors, the RG-ES103F-P extender, the 250-metre switches, the cable mistakes that cause most failures and a simple method for designing a long run that passes first time. Specifications come from Ruijie’s own product pages and are cited next to each claim.

Reyee PoE injector and extender options for long CCTV cable runs — Injector, extender or long-range switch — three ways to power one more camera without a new cabinet.

What this guide covers

Injector choices: Reyee single-port injectors rated at 15.6 W, 31.2 W and 60 W, and which load each one suits.
The 100 metre limit: why PoE fails beyond it and how cheap cable makes it worse.
Extender and long-range options: the RG-ES103F-P rated to 350 m for one camera, and switches rated to 250 m.
Passive injector safety: what to check before connecting a 52 V or 56 V injector to any device.
Design method: a step-by-step check for long runs, plus when to switch to fibre or a wireless bridge.

What is a PoE injector, and when do you need one on a CCTV or Wi-Fi job?

A PoE injector adds power to a single Ethernet cable at the switch end, so a camera or access point can be powered over the same cable that carries its data. You need one when the nearest switch has no PoE ports, has run out of power budget, or when only one or two PoE devices are being added to an existing network.

The Reyee range has three single-port injectors. The RG-POE-AT30 is a gigabit injector rated at 31.2 W. The RG-POE-AF15 is the smaller 15.6 W gigabit version. The RG-POE-50-60W-MG is a 2.5 gigabit injector rated at 60 W for the power-hungry devices that need it. All three plug into a mains socket and sit between the switch or router and the device, which makes them the quickest fix when a PoE budget has been used up on a switch you cannot swap.

An injector does not make the cable longer, it only supplies the power. A device a long way from the switch still has the same cable limits, which is why the next section matters before you quote a job.

Why does PoE fail beyond 100 metres?

PoE fails beyond 100 metres because the Ethernet standard limits a copper link to 100 m and because voltage falls along the cable until the device no longer has enough to run. Cheap cable shortens the real working distance further.

One PoE manufacturer explains that the 100 m figure comes from the IEEE 802 standard and that power is carried on only two twisted pairs, so the loss turns into heat in the cable. The same article reports that copper-clad aluminium (CCA) cable cut the working PoE distance to about 60 m in the author’s own tests, while pure copper Cat6 reached about 120 m. Those are one vendor’s figures, not a standard, but they match what installers see on site: a Cat5e or Cat6 label tells you the data rating, not what the conductors are made of.

The practical rule is simple. Buy solid copper cable, keep every run under 100 m unless you are using a product rated for more, and test the finished link under load rather than trusting the link light.

Which Reyee PoE injector should you choose?

Choose the lowest-power injector that comfortably covers the device, and step up only when the device’s data sheet needs it. The AF15 suits compact cameras, the AT30 suits larger cameras and most access points, and the 60 W model suits 2.5 gigabit access points and other heavy loads.

The figures below come from Ruijie’s RG-POE-AT30 page, its RG-POE-AF15 page and the RG-POE-50-60W-MG listing.

Injector	Output power	Output voltage	Port speed	Typical use
RG-POE-AF15	15.6 W	52 V DC at 0.3 A	1000Base-T	Compact cameras, small access points
RG-POE-AT30	31.2 W	52 V DC at 0.6 A	1000Base-T	PTZ and larger cameras, ceiling access points
RG-POE-50-60W-MG	60 W	56 V DC at 1.08 A	2500Base-T	2.5G Wi-Fi access points, high-power devices

Both Ruijie pages list the AF15 and AT30 as passive injectors that accept 100 to 240 V AC at 50/60 Hz and operate from -10 °C to +45 °C, so mount them indoors in a dry, ventilated spot rather than in an outdoor box.

What must you check before using a passive injector?

Check that the device at the far end is specified to accept the injector’s voltage, because a passive injector sends power down the cable without negotiating with the device first. Do not connect one to a camera, access point or PC that has not been confirmed as compatible.

Ruijie’s pages show the AT30 and AF15 powering pins 4 and 5 (positive) and pins 7 and 8 (negative). A standards-based PoE switch works differently: it detects what is connected and only then applies power. That is why a passive injector is a good match for Reyee equipment designed for it, and a poor choice for an unknown third-party device. If you are not sure, use a PoE switch port or check the device data sheet first.

Read the device’s power input on its data sheet and confirm that 52 V or 56 V is an accepted input.
Confirm the load is within the injector’s rating, including heaters and IR LEDs at full output.
Connect the injector’s data port to the switch or router, and its output port to the device, never the other way round.
Label the injector and its power lead so nobody unplugs it during a later network change.

What is the RG-ES103F-P, and how does a PoE extender help?

The RG-ES103F-P is a small PoE-in, PoE-out unit that takes power from an upstream PoE port, powers up to two devices and, according to Ruijie, can extend a link to as far as 350 m. It is the Reyee answer to the camera that is just too far from the cabinet.

The Reyee product page for the RG-ES103F-P lists three 10/100 ports: two PoE out and one PoE in, with a 30 W PoE budget, 4 kV surge protection and a fanless case. Ruijie states a maximum cable distance of 350 m, but adds three conditions that matter: the uplink device must support long-distance transmission, only one camera should be connected at 350 m, and real performance depends on the environment and cable quality. The unit works from 0 °C to 40 °C, so it belongs in a weatherproof enclosure with some thermal headroom, not exposed on a pole.

You can buy the RG-ES103F-P from Netview. It is most useful where one extra camera is needed at a gate, a store or an outbuilding and a new cabinet or fibre run is not justified.

Which Reyee switches reach 250 metres?

The long-range Reyee PoE switches list a 250 m reach on their access ports, which means a camera can sit well beyond the usual 100 m without extra hardware on the cable. They are the cleanest option when several cameras share a distant area.

Netview’s listing for the RG-ES118GS-P-L describes an 18-port switch with 16 gigabit PoE+ ports, 2 SFP uplinks, a 247 W PoE budget and a 250 m reach on the access ports. The RG-ES118FGS-LP has 16 PoE+ ports at 100 Mbps with two gigabit SFP combo uplinks and the same 250 m claim. Larger versions are the RG-ES220GS-LP and the RG-ES228GS-LP, with 20 and 28 ports and two SFP uplinks each, and the RG-ES126FGS-LP, a 26-port model with 24 PoE+ ports at 100 Mbps. For a switch without the long-range mode, the RG-ES118GS-P has the same 16-port gigabit layout and 247 W budget.

Two cautions. The listings do not state the link speed at 250 m. One PoE manufacturer describes a typical CCTV mode that reaches 250 m by limiting speed to 10 Mbps, which suits IP cameras but not access points. Treat that as a general pattern, confirm the Reyee figure on the data sheet and size the stream bitrate to fit before you promise a customer a 250 m camera.

Injector, extender or long-range switch: how do you choose?

Use an injector when the run is under 100 m and the switch has no PoE, an extender when one camera is a little too far, and a long-range switch when several cameras are far from the cabinet. Move to fibre or a bridge once the run is longer than any of these can cover.

Situation	Best fit	Stated reach	Watch out for
One device, no PoE at the switch	RG-POE-AT30 or RG-POE-AF15	Standard 100 m copper link	Confirm the device accepts 52 V
One 2.5G access point	RG-POE-50-60W-MG	Standard 100 m copper link	Match the AP’s power input
One camera slightly beyond 100 m	RG-ES103F-P	Up to 350 m, one camera	Uplink must support long distance; 30 W budget
Several cameras far from the cabinet	RG-ES118GS-P-L or RG-ES118FGS-LP	250 m on access ports	Link speed at range not stated
Different building or very long run	Fibre uplink or wireless bridge	Much longer, product dependent	Needs local power at the far end

Reyee PoE injector, extender and long-range switch reach compared — Three build options: injector under 100 m, extender for one distant camera, long-range switch for several.

How do you design a long PoE cable run that works first time?

Measure the real cable length, list the power each device draws, choose the product with margin, and test under load before you leave. Most failed long runs come from skipping one of those four steps.

Measure, do not estimate. Use the cable length from the plan and add the vertical drops. A run that looks like 85 m on paper is often 105 m once it goes up a wall and across a ceiling.
Check the cable. Solid copper only. A reel that is cheap enough to be CCA will undermine every other choice in this guide.
Add up the load. Include IR illumination, heaters and PTZ motors. Choose a switch or injector with margin rather than running at the limit.
Pick the device. Use the table above. If the camera is a long way out, choose one of the 250 m switches; if every run is short, an ordinary PoE switch is simpler.
Test under load. Put the camera to full IR output at night or force it on, and confirm the stream stays up for at least an hour. The link light is not a test.
Record the result. Write the cable length and the test result on the job sheet so the next engineer knows the margin.

Six-step workflow for designing a long PoE cable run — Measure, check the cable, add up the load, pick the device, test under load, record the result.

Which small Reyee PoE switches suit a short CCTV job instead?

If every run is under 100 m, a small PoE switch is usually neater than a handful of injectors, because it has one power lead and one place to look when something goes wrong. Reyee has several at different sizes.

The RG-ES205GC-P is a 5-port gigabit smart PoE+ switch with four PoE+ ports and a 54 W budget, as listed by Netview, and the RG-ES226GC-P is a 24-port gigabit smart CCTV cloud switch with 24 PoE+ ports and two SFP uplinks for rack-mount jobs. For a wider look at sizing the budget, read our Reyee PoE switch sizing guide and our guide to the RG-ES PoE switch range.

Which access points and outdoor gear pair with these injectors?

Ceiling and wall access points are the most common reason to reach for an injector, because many are installed in places where there is no spare switch port. Match the injector to the access point’s power input, and keep outdoor equipment on a switch designed for the weather.

Ceiling models such as the RG-RAP2260 and the RG-RAP62 are typical injector loads, while a 2.5G Wi-Fi 7 model such as the RG-RAP72 needs a 2.5G path end to end, so check its power input before you choose between a standard injector and the 60 W 2.5G one. For outbuildings and poles, the RG-ES207GS-PI-OD is a 7-port outdoor cloud PoE+ switch with four PoE+ ports and two SFP ports, as listed by Netview, and the RG-ES206GS-P is a 6-port smart cloud-managed PoE+ switch for a small indoor cabinet. See our guides to outdoor access points and 2.5G PoE switches for the full picture.

When should you stop extending and use fibre or a wireless bridge?

Stop extending copper once the run is beyond the rated reach of your product or when it crosses between buildings. Fibre is immune to electrical interference and ground differences between buildings, and a wireless bridge saves digging a trench.

The Linovision article above notes that cascading extenders reduces the power left at the far end, with only about 7.91 W available after three extenders at 400 m in their test. That is too little for most cameras, which is the point at which a fibre uplink or a bridge is the better answer. Our guides to Reyee SFP modules and fibre uplinks and Reyee wireless bridges for CCTV cover both routes, and the CCTV VLAN setup guide shows how to keep the cameras on their own network once they are connected.

What are the most common PoE injector and extender mistakes?

The most common mistakes are trusting the cable label, daisy-chaining extenders, and putting a passive injector on a device that was never designed for it. All three are avoidable at the design stage.

CCA cable. It passes a quick link test and then drops out when the camera switches on its infrared. Use solid copper.
Cascading extenders. Each stage costs power, so a chain that works on the bench can fail in the field.
Wrong injector for the load. A 15.6 W injector on a heated PTZ will brown out in winter. Add up the full load.
Injector in the wrong place. The injector must sit between the switch and the device, with the data port towards the switch.
Outdoor injector. The injectors are rated for -10 °C to +45 °C and are mains-powered, so keep them inside.
No test under load. Test at night, with IR on, before you hand over.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum distance for a PoE camera?

The standard limit for a copper Ethernet link is 100 m. Reyee products listed here claim more: the RG-ES103F-P is rated to 350 m for a single camera and the long-range switches are listed at 250 m on their access ports.

Can I use a Reyee PoE injector with a Hikvision or HiLook camera?

Only if the camera accepts the injector’s output. The AT30 and AF15 are passive 52 V injectors, so check the camera’s data sheet for its accepted power input before connecting one, or use a standards-based PoE switch port instead.

Do I need an injector if my switch already has PoE?

No. If the switch has a free PoE port with enough budget, use it. An injector is for switches without PoE or with no budget left.

Which injector suits a Wi-Fi 7 access point?

It depends on the access point’s power input and port speed. The 60 W RG-POE-50-60W-MG offers 2.5 gigabit and 56 V, but you should confirm the access point accepts that input before ordering.

What cable should I use for a long PoE run?

Solid copper Cat5e or Cat6 only. Copper-clad aluminium can lose a large share of the working distance, so avoid it for any PoE link.

Related guides

Order Reyee PoE injectors and switches from Netview

Netview is an authorised UK Ruijie Reyee wholesaler based in Leicester. PoE injectors, extenders, long-range PoE switches and access points are held in stock for same-day dispatch, with trade pricing for installers. Browse the full Reyee networking range, or see every brand we stock at netviewcctv.co.uk.

November 4, 2026 | By: netviewcctv.co.uk