Power over Ethernet (PoE) accessories have the feeling of being retro-futuristic. Essentially, the function of PoE is to pass electricity through an ethernet cable, powering devices that you would otherwise struggle to run a power cable to (a security camera, for example). To get PoE to work, you’ll need some accessories—typically midspan or endspan—to transmit both power and data.
An endspan device, also known as an endpoint device, is a network switch that can connect to multiple devices to provide them both with power and the capability of sending/receiving data through ethernet.
These devices are really handy if you have a lot of devices that you don’t want to connect directly to your power supply.
Midspan devices are typically bought for network switches that don’t have PoE capabilities. You can think of them as an aftermarket computer upgrade or an external device that gives more capabilities...
