I have a hard time with the unqualified "never" in that statement, but I'm inclined to agree. I just don't see a future with big growth in the market of hardwired ethernet devices in the home. Everything seems headed towards one wireless technology or another. And POE is just too limited in bandwidth.
Not sure what "POE is just too limited in bandwidth" means... POE is just a power standard and has ZERO bandwidth. The underlying ethernet supports up to 10 gigabit, which is way more than nearly every wireless standards and for sure every wireless standard for the home.
I see a future where the only wired infrastructure may be the uplink to the wireless access points. I guess you could power those off POE, but if you can get by with just one central AP then it's moot, because the POE hub (in this case I mean hub, as in "hub and spoke topology" and not hub as in ethernet) will still need a power source too.
My house has 8 cameras, two wireless access points, and a long-haul wireless link for Internet... all powered by POE. I think you'll see it in more and more homes relatively soon.
In an office setting perhaps this could make more sense though. I could potentially see a future with two POE ports handling a typical cubicle without the need for any other electrical infrastructure. 200W is cutting it pretty tight for a phone and small form factor terminal, but still seems within the realm of possibility.
It won't replace electrical outlets in a cube. That's not at all the point or goal. I can see it for mounting TVs on the wall, digital signs, advanced PTZ cameras with lighting, remote-controlled electronic door striker locks, etc.
So, what's all the point of POE? IMNSHO, it's just an end-run around paying an electrician to do his job. Sometimes it's helpful (such as in wiring an IP camera or an office phone with a single connection), but outside of that limited scope, it's more of a novelty than anything game changing.
I believe you couldn't be more wrong. No, POE is not going to replace electrical outlets and that is not at all the purpose or desire. But for a lot of uses it is going to make it easier. In many areas of my barn which has more cameras, it's cheaper and easier for me to add an outlet than an Ethernet jack and POE port alone. But having the single cable, ability to turn it on/off remotely, and no wall wart or additional cabling to deal with... it's much nicer with POE.
