The Midspan is SEI's midspan Power over Ethernet solution for VoIP, Wireless Access Points, and other PoE applications. SEI's Midspan is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet standard and will also provide power to many legacy devices. With a Midspan there is no need to replace your existing Ethernet infrastructure to realize the advantages of Power over Ethernet.

PoE allows power to be supplied to end devices, such as Wireless Access Points or VoIP Phones, directly through the existing LAN cables. By supplying the power mid-span, you can centralize power distribution and backup without the need to increase infrastructure.

Midspans eliminate the cost and need to upgrade to power enables switches to run PoE applications. Installation costs as well as desktop and wall clutter are significantly reduced. SEI's Midspan allows centralized backup power for all connected device which is less expensive, more reliable and easier to maintain than individual UPS backup. The Midspan can be supplied with backup power from the existing Ethernet switch UPS or, to increase reliability, with its own dedicated SEI supplied UPS.

If you lose building power, midspan devices are typically backed up using standard UPS methodology. However, these devices add a significant additional power draw on the UPS which can severely impact hold-over time. Thirty minutes of hold over for a typical switch configuration can be reduced to 5 minutes or less by adding a midspan and 24 VoIP phones. Upgrading or replacing the existing UPS to maintain adequate hold over is very expensive.

SEI's Midspans have an integrated UPS interface to accept their own battery hold-over. This Battery pack provides power directly to the PoE devices without stealing power from the switch's UPS and is available in a variety of hold-over times to meet specific needs.