Understanding Industrial Ethernet Switching

Industrial networking solutions allow high-speed communication between devices. They’re used in many different industries, including transportation, energy, smart city functioning, surveillance and environmental protection.

Industrial ethernet networks connect together disparate devices for monitoring and control of equipment. They’re designed to operate in a range of working environments that may include harsh conditions and/or extreme temperatures.

What Is An Industrial Ethernet Switch?

Industrial ethernet switching accommodates the demands of manufacturing automation systems. It’s an efficient and cost-effective way to manage networked communication between different types of equipment and machinery in a wide range of industries.

Some such systems feature power over ethernet switching (PoE). This means they can deliver both data transmission and electrical power to connected devices, eliminating the need for each separate device to have its own independent power source. However, not all industrial ethernet switches feature PoE.

Industrial ethernet switching is also known as industrial-grade switching, hardened or ruggedised ethernet switching, or just ruggedised network switching.

Industrial-grade network equipment must be able to tolerate an extended range of working environments. These include extreme temperatures, contamination (oil, dirt or water), humidity, electrical noise, vibration and shocks. Industrial ethernet switches can cope with fluctuations in temperature from -40degree;C to +75degree;C. They usually come in specially ruggedised or robust enclosures, and typically conform to Ingress Protection standards (IP codes) like IP30, IP40 or IP67. It’s also possible to get network switches with 6KV lightning protection, for outdoor uses.

Industrial ethernet switching also provides industrial networks with reliable, high-speed data transmission. Gigabit ethernet switches are commonly available, and industrial switches go up to 10G for much faster transmission speeds.

Types of industrial ethernet switching

• PoE Switches
• Managed Switches
• Unmanaged Switches
• Hazardous Area Ethernet Switches
• Railway Ethernet Switches
• Rackmount Switches
• DIN-rail Switches

Industrial PoE Switching

A PoE switch is able to transmit electrical power via its own data cable. Power can be transmitted automatically via a PoE switch whenever it detects a PoE-compatible network device being connected. Industrial PoE switches are those specifically designed for industrial applications, and may be either managed or unmanaged.

Managed Industrial Ethernet Switching

Managed industrial ethernet switching offers more capabilities than basic unmanaged. It’s capable of configuration, monitoring and management of local area network (LAN) settings, providing a much greater degree of control over LAN traffic.

Managed industrial ethernet switches usually conform to the standard IP codes and can be DIN-rail mounted. They also support other standards such as EN50155 for use on rolling stock, or the parts of BS EN 60079 that apply to installation in hazardous areas. This type of switch can also be fitted with special M-12 circular connectors or military-grade Mil-Spec connectors.

Unmanaged Industrial Ethernet Switching

Unmanaged industrial ethernet switching simply uses an industrial ethernet network to interconnect its IIoT devices, receiving and transmitting data packets between its end points.

Operating an unmanaged ethernet switching system is simpler than managed switching. Its components are basic plug-and-play switches, which provide seamless communication between devices on a network. But unmanaged ethernet switching lacks the more advanced capabilities for control, configuration and monitoring.

Hazardous Area Ethernet Switching

In addition to the usual rugged construction and protections, industrial ethernet switching can be supplied to conform with various zoning levels. These are defined under the hazardous areas standards hazardous areas standards such as the ATEX Directives and DSEAR (The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002).

Railway Ethernet Switching

Railway ethernet switches are a specific class of network switches that have been designed to comply with relevant sections of the EN 50155 railway-industry standard.

Rackmount Ethernet Switching

This term defines the mounting method, which houses ethernet switches inside a framework called a rack. They can be stand-alone or stackable units, which can form part of an integrated system of multiple network switches. Rackmount switches are available as either managed or unmanaged.

DIN-rail Switching

Industrial ethernet switches are often designed for DIN-rail mounting. This is a widely-used standard metal rail, onto which industrial control equipment is mounted. The name DIN rail is an abbreviation of the German standards institute that published the original specifications, Deutsches Institut für Normung. This was later adopted as an international (IEC) and European (EN) standard.

What’s The Purpose Of Industrial Ethernet Switching?

Choosing the right kind of industrial ethernet switch can help keep your network running efficiently, in challenging conditions. These are five of the major benefits:

1. Keeping Your Industrial Network Connected

Your communications network today may be the foundation on which your entire business operates. Reliability of your internet connection is therefore critical to your success. When you install industrial PoE ethernet switching, you’ll get uninterrupted power for your network. All communications on your network will be supplied by a single ethernet cable. This eliminates the problem of multiple failure points and makes faults easier to find and rectify. Industrial network switching can usually avoid power failure by adopting dual-power supply redundancy. This guarantees a reliable and stable connection in even the harshest environments.

2. Providing Basic Connectivity

For lower-priority networks, it’s much less expensive to install unmanaged industrial ethernet switching. This can deliver simultaneous connectivity for five to 10 ports, conduct basic packet filtering and connect one switch to another.

3. Delivering Advanced Capabilities

Managed ethernet switches tend to be expensive, and so are mostly used for high-priority networks. They supply advanced network management tools, such as:

• Enhanced traffic filtering, using protocols that improve derandomisation. This technology enables multicast packets to be directed to appropriate ports on specific devices. This increases your network’s efficiency and speeds up the communication rate of your whole network.
• Device mapping and network topography, designed for large, complex networks. With device management system (DMS) software, you can get a clear picture of your network’s topography. This greatly improves network tasks such as monitoring, cable diagnostics, troubleshooting and maintenance.
• Enhanced network security, as managed ethernet switching offers full control of your various port settings. It will give full protection to sensitive data travelling through your network, and eliminate unauthorised access.

4. Reducing Noise and Interference

Signals for internet connectivity travel over distances that can vary from less than 100 metres to many miles. For the short distances, most systems use twisted wire cables, although fibre optics are becoming more common. Most industrial applications need to span much longer distances, so fibre optic cables are the usual choice. They can achieve a much longer range of connectivity (by some accounts, up to 12 miles), but the further they go, the higher the levels of electrical noise. This frequently causes interference in network connectivity. Industrial ethernet switching is helpful in damping down this noise, reducing interference and improving point-to-point network connections.

5. Resisting Harsh Environmental Conditions

Industrial ethernet switches are specifically designed to withstand everything the climate can throw at them. This includes high humidity, wide swings in temperature and exposure to moisture and extreme weather like lightning storms. They’re also resistant to shock and vibration.

Some Applications of Industrial Ethernet Switching

Industrial ethernet switching is ideally suited to all harsh work environments. Applications include railways, roads and tunnels, substation automation, mining, water treatment, building automation and management systems and factory automation.

It’s also suitable for intelligent transportation industries. The switches have industrial-grade protection to withstand shock and high-intensity vibration. Managed switches can also provide data generated by moving objects. It’s also a valuable tool in smart city operations such as surveillance. Industrial PoE switches can provide sufficient power for many networked devices like IP cameras to monitor crowds and traffic.

Industrial ethernet switching is useful for outdoor electrical installations. Electricity substations are often subject to high electromagnetic interference, which can cause major problems. Industrial ethernet switches perform flawlessly in this electromagnetic environment, offering strong protection from interference.

It’s also used in energy industries such as oil, gas and mining. Using this technology in underground mine shafts can effectively shield the equipment from dirt, dust and other particulates that might cause damage.

Simple Switching

Industrial network switching is a providing substantial benefits to complex networks. It simplifies the wiring and setup, and offers a much easier and faster way to control networked devices.

As well as industrial protocol management support, the switching system provides enhanced reliability, built-in network redundancy and superior security. The range of applications is constantly expanding, from industrial automation to operations that by their nature must take place in extreme environments.