Veracity HIGHWIRE PowerStar and OUTREACH XT Examined

In this note, we examine 2 new products announced by Veracity at ISC West 2011 - the HIGHWIRE PowerStar and the OUTREACH XT. While both are niche products, we believe they fill important technical gaps in the market for challenging installation scenarios. 

The HIGHWIRE PowerStar is the latest addition to their HIGHWIRE Ethernet over coax line. This model adds power up-the-coax capability, up to 25W of PoE at a distance of up to 1,600 feet. This is similar to NVT’s NV-EC1701, which was also announced at ISC. This power is supplied via a 57VDC power supply, or, in a feature unique so far, via PoE or Hi-PoE switch. Using PoE to power these units at the head end reduces components required. Additionally, it reduces complexity, since no further power supplies are needed. The PowerStar transceivers also feature “SafeView” monitoring LED’s, which report link status on coax and UTP ports, and shows what wattage PoE power is available at a glance. No other manufacturers of Ethernet over coax products provide either the PoE or monitoring features, making this a unique product.

The second announcement by Veracity is the OUTREACH XT PoE extender. Available in Max and Lite versions (with or without PoE output, respectively), this unit joins the existing OUTREACH and OUTREACH Lite. The Max XT allows ethernet cabling to be extended over 6000’ if PoE is not needed, and up to 1300’ using standard PoE power sources. The XT versions are IP66-rated with an operating temperature of -40 to 140 degrees, allowing them to be used outside without any additional enclosures. While there are many other manufacturers of Ethernet extenders, the XT is the first outdoor-rated unit on the market. The OUTREACH could be useful to many security integrators unfamiliar with fiber cabling and terminations, and the XT versions should add additional value to the line.

MSRP and shipping dates for both products will be available in the next few months (Q2 2011).