StarTech.com 1-Port Serial to Ethernet Adapter, 802.3af PoE IP Serial Device Server For Remote RS232 Devices, Wall/DIN Rail Mountable, RJ45 LAN to DB9 Serial Converter, TAA

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

At ~£171 ex-VAT, this isn’t a “cheap gadget” — it’s a proper way to keep an old RS232 device alive on a modern network. Where it makes sense is when you’ve got something mission-critical (like a serial meter, PLC peripheral, console/telemetry gear, or any out-of-the-way RS232 endpoint) and you don’t want to replace hardware just to get it onto Ethernet. The PoE angle is genuinely practical in UK sites: it means you can avoid running yet another power supply lead, and it usually simplifies deployment in comms cabinets or wall/industrial spots. If you’re the sort of reseller/admin who’s tired of flaky long serial runs and patchwork cabling, a device server like this is a clean, maintainable fix.

That said, I’d be cautious if you’re expecting this to be a universal “make anything serial work” box. Serial connectivity issues are often about baud rates, parity/stop bits, flow control, and how the connected device behaves under network conditions — and those realities don’t go away just because it’s on Ethernet. Also, the naming/category you’ve shown (“Privacy Filters”) looks like a catalog mismatch, so I’d double-check you’re buying the correct serial device server model/config for your exact RS232 needs before committing. For the right customer—industrial estates, facilities teams, small networks with legacy serial gear, anyone who values tidy PoE + remote access over tinkering—this is a sensible spend. For a one-off lab test or anything where you don’t have a clear serial profile already, I’d look for something simpler or get the device requirements nailed down first.