Patent ID: 8259562

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a first Power Over Ethernet circuit configured to provide data and power to a protected Ethernet device over a downstream connection from an active Ethernet relay uplink device; a second Power Over Ethernet circuit configured to receive in-line data and power from a plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices, and to monitor communications between the plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices, where the active Ethernet relay uplink device is a first member of the plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices; and a switchover logic configured to establish a second member of the plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices as the active Ethernet relay uplink device by: controlling the second Power Over Ethernet circuit to pass data and power from the second member of the plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices to the first Power Over Ethernet circuit, in response to receiving, from the second member of the plurality of Ethernet relay uplink devices, a switchover command sent independently of the protected Ethernet device.