StarTech.com 4-Port Gigabit Midspan - PoE+ Injector - 802.3at/af

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

If you’ve got IP cameras, VoIP phones, or access points that need power over Ethernet but you don’t want to replace the switch, this StarTech 4‑port Gigabit PoE+ midspan is a sensible, no-drama little box. At ~£117 ex‑VAT, the value is mainly for “small but urgent” installs: think a few cameras hung in places where your switch budget doesn’t include PoE, or where you’re extending power into a patch panel run. It’s also the kind of item you can drop into an existing cabling tidy-up without re-architecting the network.

That said, I’d only buy it if four ports is genuinely what you need. Midspans are great, but they don’t magically solve everything—uplinks, switch port availability, and the rest of your PoE plan still matter. Also, if you’re starting from scratch and you expect to grow, a PoE-capable switch often ends up cleaner long-term (fewer separate power devices to manage). For a UK reseller customer with a practical “we need PoE on a few endpoints right now” use case, this is a solid choice; if you need lots of ports or you’re planning expansion, I’d look past it.