2026-07-30 21:11 UTC
Does anyone have a recommendation for a Raspberry Pi 4 (specifically 4) HAT that can provide PoE *and* a full size NVME at the same time?
I have the official PoE HAT, but it doesn't provide enough power for an NVME connected via USB enclosure, and I would prefer to keep the PoE if possible (since I can use it as "poor-man's remote reboot").
And, in case you're wondering: I do have a PoE splitter dongle sitting idle in a cabinet, but I would prefer to avoid it because of the Pi's USB-C position. But I would move it around if there isn't a better way.
EDIT: scratch that. I did some research and apparently it doesn't matter how big the PoE HAT or splitter are, there will never be enough power on the USB port due to a Pi 4 limitation. I guess my only solution is to keep the NVME on it's own brick. 🤷
#HomeLab #RaspberryPi @homelab@fedigroups.social
Replies (2)
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@Fishd@infosec.exchange 2026-07-31 07:26
@badnetmask@hachyderm.io @homelab@fedigroups.social um, I ran a Pi 4 with USB connected M.2 SATA ssd from the official PoE hat for quite some time until I upgraded to a Dell Optiplex micro. Not sure if the M.2 SATA draws that much less power than an NVME drive.
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@davidthor@hachyderm.io 2026-07-30 21:35
@badnetmask@hachyderm.io @homelab@fedigroups.social If I remember correctly, the Pi4 USB ports are not designed for power-hungry external devices. If you want to run your NVMe you need an external power source as the Pi4 isn’t designed to have hats increase the power output of the USB ports. Irritating limitation...