Patent ID: 7500116

Claim:
A method to at least partially power an Ethernet network device, with a plurality of power signals fed through an Ethernet network connection, comprising: physically coupling the Ethernet network device to the Ethernet network; receiving an Ethernet signal from the Ethernet network, wherein the Ethernet signal comprises the plurality of power signals and data signal(s); passing the Ethernet signal to an integrated circuit (IC) wherein the IC comprises: an Ethernet physical layer (PHY) module; a power management module; and a direct connection module that directly connects the Ethernet network device to the Ethernet network connection with no intervening magnetic transformer; p 1 separating with the direct connection module, the data signal from the Ethernet signal, wherein the data signal is passed to the Ethernet PHY module of the IC; separating with the direct connection module, the plurality of power signals from the Ethernet signal; sensing a current associated with each power signal of the plurality of power signals; balancing the plurality of power signals with an active control circuit and based on the sensed current associated with each power signal of the plurality of power signals, wherein balancing the plurality of power signals comprises: receiving the Ethernet rower signals; determining an amplitude property of the Ethernet rower signal; determining an insertion loss limit based on the amplitude property; comparing the insertion loss control limit to a sampled common mode signal; and balancing the plurality of rower signals according to the comparison, wherein the balanced plurality of power signal are passed to the power management module; and at least partially powering the Ethernet network device from the plurality of balanced power signal.