Patent ID: 7898107

Claim:
A communication system comprising: a distributor element; at least one network device, each network device having a sub-assembly and a first network element, the first network element having at least one passive component, the at least one passive component forming a network connected to the sub-assembly, the network of the at least one passive component having a terminal resistance being measurable at the sub-assembly, and a connector connecting the distributor element to the network device, the connector having at least one first line, at least one second line, and at least one third line, the at least one first line supplying power to the first network element, the at least one second line forming a communication path along which data is exchangeable between the distributor element and the at least one network device, and the at least one third line connecting the distributor element to the sub-assembly such that the distributor element measures the terminal resistance of the network of the at least one passive component at the sub-assembly to determine a maximum power requirement of the at least one network device; and the maximum power requirement of the at least one network device being determined by the distributor element comparing the measured terminal resistance with a plurality of different classes of device power requirements to identify a power class for the at least one network device.