A power over ethernet lighting system includes a plurality of nodes electrically connected to a power/communication bus. Each of the nodes includes a PoE interface, a micro-controller and a PoE driver electrically connected to a PoE luminaire. At least one of the nodes is an emergency management node that includes a rechargeable battery and a PoE battery charger. The system has a maintained mode in which the PoE luminaire of each of the nodes is powered by electricity from the power/communication bus as controlled by the respective micro-controller, which is powered by one of the bus and the rechargeable battery. The system has an emergency mode characterized by a power loss on the power/communication bus, with the PoE luminaire of the emergency management node powered by the rechargeable battery as controlled by the micro-controller, which is also powered by the rechargeable battery.