[stinkbeetle]

> On the other hand, _all_ the WiFi devices that I had at some point fell off the network, at least once. Including doorbells and cameras. While PoE devices just work.

I've not had that in a decade, and only for really shitty devices. I've also had crappy PoE devices stop working, ports blow. Too much effort to be worth the bother for me nowadays. If I had to bet my life sure I'd probably use wired ethernet. But if I had to bet my life I wouldn't be using PoE for power either.

UPS is entirely possible to do on residential mains circuits.

[cyberax]

> I've not had that in a decade, and only for really shitty devices. I've also had crappy PoE devices stop working, ports blow.

Every ESP32-based WiFi device _will_ at some point get stuck in the disconnected state. It's almost an ironclad guarantee.

> UPS is entirely possible to do on residential mains circuits.

Sure, but then you're getting into the "whole house" backup with subpanel, transfer switches, etc. You can install backup for your router as a small UPS, but then I also have cameras, doorbells, sensors, etc.

If you already have a house without Ethernet wiring, then opening up the walls just to run PoE makes no sense. But if you're building a new house or if you have pre-existing wiring (and a lot of newish houses do), then PoE is a no-brainer.

[stinkbeetle]

> Every ESP32-based WiFi device _will_ at some point get stuck in the disconnected state. It's almost an ironclad guarantee.

See earlier note about crappy devices.

> Sure, but then you're getting into the "whole house" backup with subpanel, transfer switches, etc. You can install backup for your router as a small UPS, but then I also have cameras, doorbells, sensors, etc.

Well you can get small UPS for them too, but sure there are probably some points you can find around your corner of the envelope where PoE makes sense. That's not where many people are though.

> If you already have a house without Ethernet wiring, then opening up the walls just to run PoE makes no sense. But if you're building a new house or if you have pre-existing wiring (and a lot of newish houses do), then PoE is a no-brainer.

Not many new houses do at all because it costs money nobody really wants to pay. A builder will put some in if you ask but not off their own bat because they think it'll make the house worth more, because it won't. So unless some super nerd like your or I ask, no houses will be wired for ethernet. There was a brief window where wifi was non-existent or pretty slow and terrible where it got slightly popular, but that's long past.

If I was building a new house I would wire ethernet from a small server room/cupboard to just several places for wifi APs, plus ethernet and fiber from there to office. No PoE, they would all have USB-C power from same/adjacent wall plate as ethernet. And would probably look at solar+battery system with UPS capability, especially if I lived somewhere with shitty mains power. But even that is not appropriate for normies. They'd just buy a few mesh/repeater wifi things, not care that much about power going out once every few years, and be done with it.