diff --git a/src/defib/power/routeros.py b/src/defib/power/routeros.py
index a6a813f..31c40a3 100644
--- a/src/defib/power/routeros.py
+++ b/src/defib/power/routeros.py
@@ -365,7 +365,21 @@ async def power_off(self, port: str) -> None:
 
     async def power_on(self, port: str) -> None:
         restore_mode = self._saved_poe_out.pop(port, "forced-on")
-        logger.info("PoE ON: %s on %s (restoring %s)", port, self._host, restore_mode)
+        # power_off saves whatever the port's poe-out was BEFORE we turned
+        # it off. If the port was already off (e.g. recovering a camera
+        # that's been parked), the saved "previous" state is "off" — and
+        # restoring it would defeat the purpose of power_on entirely.
+        # Promote to forced-on so the port actually comes up.
+        if restore_mode == "off":
+            logger.info(
+                "PoE ON: %s on %s (saved state was 'off' — promoting to "
+                "'forced-on')", port, self._host,
+            )
+            restore_mode = "forced-on"
+        else:
+            logger.info(
+                "PoE ON: %s on %s (restoring %s)", port, self._host, restore_mode,
+            )
         await self._set_poe(port, restore_mode)
 
     async def power_cycle(self, port: str, off_duration: float = 5.0) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/test_power.py b/tests/test_power.py
index f497960..e4968b1 100644
--- a/tests/test_power.py
+++ b/tests/test_power.py
@@ -187,3 +187,77 @@ def test_custom_values(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
         assert ctrl._username == "root"
         assert ctrl._password == "secret"
         assert ctrl._api_port == 9999
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# RouterOS power_off / power_on save+restore semantics
+#
+# RouterOSController records the previous poe-out mode on power_off so
+# power_on can put the port back to its prior state ("forced-on" / "auto-on" /
+# "auto-off") rather than blindly hard-coding one mode. The tricky case is
+# when the port was already "off" on entry — see test_power_on_promotes_off
+# below; that was a real bug that left ports stuck off.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class _PoeStateRouterOS(RouterOSController):
+    """RouterOSController with the two network-touching primitives stubbed
+    out so the save/restore state machine can be tested without a switch."""
+
+    def __init__(self, initial_poe_out: str) -> None:
+        super().__init__(host="test", username="u", password="p")
+        self._poe_state: dict[str, str] = {"ether3": initial_poe_out}
+        self.set_calls: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+    async def _get_poe_out(self, interface_name: str) -> str:  # type: ignore[override]
+        return self._poe_state.get(interface_name, "auto-on")
+
+    async def _set_poe(self, interface_name: str, poe_out: str) -> None:  # type: ignore[override]
+        self.set_calls.append((interface_name, poe_out))
+        self._poe_state[interface_name] = poe_out
+
+
+class TestRouterOSPowerOnOff:
+    async def test_power_off_then_on_restores_forced_on(self) -> None:
+        ctrl = _PoeStateRouterOS("forced-on")
+        await ctrl.power_off("ether3")
+        await ctrl.power_on("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._poe_state["ether3"] == "forced-on"
+        # Saved state cleared on restore
+        assert "ether3" not in ctrl._saved_poe_out
+
+    async def test_power_off_then_on_restores_auto_on(self) -> None:
+        # PoE mode can legitimately be "auto-on" (negotiate with device);
+        # power_on should preserve that, not blindly set "forced-on".
+        ctrl = _PoeStateRouterOS("auto-on")
+        await ctrl.power_off("ether3")
+        await ctrl.power_on("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._poe_state["ether3"] == "auto-on"
+
+    async def test_power_on_promotes_off(self) -> None:
+        # Regression: with no fix, this left the port at "off" — because
+        # power_off saved "off" as the previous state, and power_on then
+        # "restored" to "off". power_on must always result in a powered
+        # port, so a saved "off" gets promoted to "forced-on".
+        ctrl = _PoeStateRouterOS("off")
+        await ctrl.power_off("ether3")
+        await ctrl.power_on("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._poe_state["ether3"] == "forced-on"
+
+    async def test_power_on_without_prior_off_uses_forced_on(self) -> None:
+        # No saved state means power_on has nothing to restore — default
+        # to forced-on.
+        ctrl = _PoeStateRouterOS("auto-off")
+        await ctrl.power_on("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._poe_state["ether3"] == "forced-on"
+
+    async def test_double_power_off_does_not_clobber_saved_state(self) -> None:
+        # Calling power_off twice in a row must not overwrite the saved
+        # state with "off" — otherwise power_on would have nothing useful
+        # to restore on the chip that was once "forced-on".
+        ctrl = _PoeStateRouterOS("forced-on")
+        await ctrl.power_off("ether3")
+        await ctrl.power_off("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._saved_poe_out["ether3"] == "forced-on"
+        await ctrl.power_on("ether3")
+        assert ctrl._poe_state["ether3"] == "forced-on"