Class 2 Power-Limited Wiring vs PoE: What’s Similar, What’s Not, and Why Safety Language Matters

A lot of low-voltage product marketing hand-waves “Class 2” and “PoE” as if they’re interchangeable. They’re not. They rhyme, but they’re different animals.

Important: This is not legal advice and not a substitute for your AHJ or a licensed electrician. It’s a practical framing so your team doesn’t say sloppy things in front of a specifier.

1) What “Class 2” is trying to achieve

In NEC language, “Class 2” is about power-limited circuits where the power source is constrained such that the risk of fire initiation is reduced under fault conditions. A common overview points you to Article 725 (and definitions in Article 100 in some editions). (Example discussion based on 2020 NEC: https://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=2237)

2) Why NEC articles move around (and why you should verify the edition)

Code language changes between NEC editions. For example, commentary around the 2023 revision discusses structural changes like moving general wiring requirements into new articles. (EC&M 2023 discussion: https://www.ecmag.com/magazine/articles/article-detail/concluding-the-2023-code-review-accepting-nec-change-part-20)

The practical point:

• Always specify which NEC edition you’re referencing.
• Your inspector may be on a different edition than your engineer.

3) What PoE standards are trying to achieve

IEEE 802.3bt is primarily about power delivery + device negotiation over structured cabling. Safety is part of the design intent (e.g., power limits, detection, classification), but it’s not the NEC and it doesn’t replace local electrical code compliance.

Use PoE language for PoE. Use NEC language for NEC.

4) How to talk about safety without getting yourself in trouble

Safe phrasing:

• “Power-limited by design”
• “Low voltage, touch-safe system architecture (when installed per instructions / code)”
• “Designed to align with limited-power concepts”

Unsafe phrasing:

• “This is Class 2” (unless you have the certification / listing / approval that makes that statement defensible in your market)
• “No code required” (don’t say this, ever)

5) Why this matters commercially

Specifiers and AHJs have long memories. If your marketing team uses code terms loosely, you’ll pay for it later in:

• redlines in specs
• delayed inspections
• “prove it” paperwork

TL;DR

PoE and Class 2 are both about making low-voltage safer and simpler, but they live in different standards worlds. Be precise, and you’ll sound more credible immediately.