Quick Answer: What Is POEJK-DS1?

POEJK-DS1 is a compact PoE digital signage player – a PoE-powered Android signage box that takes both power and data over a single Cat6e cable from a PoE switch. Instead of hiding power bars and consumer Android boxes behind every display, you:

• Run one 23-AWG Cat6e home run to each signage location.
• Terminate it into an Active POE-Jack® in-wall PoE switch such as APOEJK2-WH.
• Plug the GRID POEJK-DS1 PoE Android signage player into a PoE port on that plate.
• Feed one or more displays via HDMI or HDMI-over-IP from the PoE signage player.

The result is a PoE digital signage design that removes power bricks, keeps all low-voltage power in telecom rooms and racks, and gives Canadian AV integrators and IT teams a repeatable PoE signage standard for restaurants, campuses, offices and retail.

Who This PoE Signage Guide Is For

• AV integrators designing menu boards, window displays, wayfinding screens, building directories and corporate dashboards.
• IT teams who end up supporting digital signage after handover and want managed PoE endpoints instead of mystery boxes behind TVs.
• Franchise and multi-site owners who need a consistent, supportable digital signage player standard across Canadian locations.
• Facilities and asset managers who care about clean, code-friendly installs and fewer power strips on feature walls.

At-a-Glance: PoE Digital Signage Patterns with POEJK-DS1

These are the most common PoE digital signage layouts using GRID POEJK-DS1, Active POE-Jack® plates and GRID PoE switches in Canadian projects.

You can build most PoE digital signage in Canada from these three patterns, then tweak for local power, riser and mounting constraints.

Why PoE Digital Signage Beats “TV + Power Bar”

Typical Canadian signage installs today

Walk behind most menu boards or hallway TVs and you’ll see the same pattern:

• AC receptacles crammed behind screens, often feeding a small power bar.
• A tangle of cords powering TVs, media players and HDMI extenders.
• Consumer Android boxes or mini-PCs on wall warts.
• Loose low-voltage cabling nobody wants to touch once the restaurant opens.

It technically works, but it is hard to service, impossible to standardise across dozens of sites and awkward to explain to inspectors or corporate IT. Replacing a failed wall wart in a tiled menu wall is nobody’s favourite winter service call.

What changes when the player is PoE-powered

With POEJK-DS1, the digital signage media player is powered entirely via Ethernet from a central GRID PoE switch. You no longer need a local power brick at each display cluster:

• A single 23-AWG Cat6e permanent link (e.g. POEJC6E-CMP) runs from the rack to a nearby Active POE-Jack® wall plate like APOEJK2-WH.
• The POEJK-DS1 PoE Android signage box plugs into a PoE port on that plate and feeds one or more displays via HDMI.
• If you need extra devices near the screens (USB-C powered display, service tablet, small PC), the POE-Jack® plate can add ports and you can use PoE-to-USB-C adapters or POEJK-DOCK1.

You move from “hide power wherever there’s a TV” to “treat each screen as a PoE endpoint on a DC microgrid,” powered from the same PoE plant as APs, cameras and touch panels.

Meet POEJK-DS1: GRID’s PoE Android Signage Player

POEJK-DS1 is a compact, metal-cased PoE Android digital signage player built for commercial dashboards, menu boards and corporate content – not living-room streaming.

• PoE-powered (802.3af): power and data over a single Ethernet cable from a compatible PoE switch – no wall wart required.
• Amlogic S905X3 CPU + 4 GB RAM / 32 GB storage: 64-bit quad-core SoC with enough headroom for modern Android signage apps and local content caching.
• Modern codec support: hardware decoding for common signage formats (H.265/HEVC, H.264, VP9, etc.), suitable for 4K menu boards and dashboards.
• HDMI 2.1 with HDMI-CEC: supports CEC control with compatible displays so signage software or IT can coordinate screen on/off where allowed.
• Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5 GHz): handy for commissioning, though wired PoE is the default for production signage.
• TF card slot: add storage for offline assets when bandwidth is constrained.
• Metal enclosure: more robust for Canadian commercial environments than plastic consumer streamers.

In day-to-day use, you treat POEJK-DS1 as your standard PoE digital signage player for Canada: one SKU that works anywhere you can land a PoE drop near the displays.

Designing GRID PoE Digital Signage Topologies

1) Single-wall menu boards in restaurants

For a row of 2–4 menu screens in a Canadian QSR or café:

1. Home-run a 23-AWG Cat6e permanent link (e.g. POEJC6E-CMP) from the back-room rack to a junction space above or behind the menu wall.
2. Terminate into a nearby APOEJK2-WH Active POE-Jack® wall plate or 2×2 ceiling box, giving you multiple PoE ports at the wall.
3. Connect POEJK-DS1 to one PoE port and run HDMI to the menu screens, daisy-chaining where displays support it or using HDMI splitters.
4. Optionally use a second PoE port for a PoE-to-USB-C adapter feeding a USB-C diagnostics display or service tablet.

This replaces multiple receptacles and media players with a single PoE signage drop and a small, predictable kit of GRID components.

2) Lobby & corporate dashboard walls

For offices, campuses and control rooms:

• Use a GRID PoE switch such as POEJK-S48-750E or POEJK-S8-240 as the signage power plant, on UPS where appropriate.
• Terminate permanent links into APOEJK2-WH plates in equipment closets or access panels near the feature wall.
• Mount POEJK-DS1 in a ventilated cavity or small enclosure, not buried permanently inside millwork.
• Where displays are spread out, combine DS1 with POEJK-HDMIE / POEJK-HDMIER HDMI-over-IP endpoints.

You get a PoE digital signage network that IT can monitor, segment and back up like any other critical system.

3) Campus corridors and wayfinding screens

For universities, schools and hospitals across Canada:

• Place GRID PoE switches in each telecom room and reserve PoE budget specifically for digital signage players.
• Use plenum-rated 23-AWG Cat6e in corridors to each screen location, terminated into junction boxes or service hatches.
• Install POEJK-DS1 at each screen cluster and keep HDMI runs short and simple.
• For long runs or multi-screen walls, use HDMI-over-IP to centralise players or feed multiple displays from a single DS1.

The signage network behaves like your existing PoE ecosystem: centrally powered, centrally monitored and resilient.

How PoE Digital Signage Helps AV, IT & Owners

For AV integrators

• A standard PoE signage kit – POEJK-DS1 + APOEJK2-WH + a GRID PoE switch – that’s easy to quote and repeat.
• Fewer on-site surprises: if there’s a Cat6e home run and a PoE port, the PoE signage player powers up and connects.
• Less time troubleshooting cheap power bars and consumer boxes when you roll trucks in January.

For IT teams

• Every player is a known PoE endpoint on a managed switch with VLANs, DHCP reservations and monitoring.
• Signage power is UPS-backed and centrally controlled, not scattered across branch circuits.
• Easier to lock down content paths, firewall rules and management access for whichever signage CMS you choose.

For franchise owners and operators

• One PoE digital signage standard from Calgary to Halifax – less training and more predictable rollout timelines.
• Clean walls, fewer visible wires and no “fish for the power bar behind the menu wall” moments.
• More consistent install time and cost, which matters when you’re coordinating multiple fit-outs across Canada.

Install & Design Notes for Canadian PoE Signage

• Environment: POEJK-DS1 is intended for indoor commercial environments. Keep it out of unconditioned spaces and provide ventilation when it’s hidden in millwork or behind displays.
• PoE budget: treat DS1 like any other 802.3af PoE device when sizing the switch. Sum all players, APs and cameras and keep 15–25% headroom.
• Cabling: use 23-AWG CMP or CMR permanent links per Canadian code; keep HDMI runs short and use certified cables for 4K content.
• Serviceability: avoid burying DS1 in inaccessible voids. A small access panel saves hours if you ever need to swap hardware or add a USB-C accessory.
• Content platform: POEJK-DS1 runs Android – choose a digital signage platform with strong remote management and test it before deploying to dozens of stores.

Canada-Ready PoE Digital Signage Checklist

• ✓ Uses the same PoE cabling you already pull for APs and cameras.
• ✓ Ideal for QSR, retail, campuses, offices and healthcare.
• ✓ Keeps most low-voltage power in telecom rooms and racks for easy UPS and maintenance.
• ✓ Compatible with GRID PoE/PoE++ switches and Active POE-Jack® wall plates used elsewhere in your DC microgrid.
• ✓ Plays nicely with Canadian building codes when you respect cable ratings and fire-stopping at penetrations.

FAQ: PoE Digital Signage with GRID POEJK-DS1

As a next step, standardise on POEJK-DS1 as your PoE Android digital signage player for Canadian projects, pair it with APOEJK2-WH wall plates, 23-AWG PoE-optimised cabling and GRID PoE switches, and create a one-page PoE signage standard your teams can copy-paste from site to site.