A plant manager is experiencing frequent network and software outages, some serious enough to lead to data loss and lengthy production delays. Frantic for a solution, he brings in the IT management support team to troubleshoot and support the network.

Upon inspection, one of the IT engineers pinpoints the root of the manager’s problem: an overheated Ethernet switch. Although the switch was safely enclosed within a cabinet on a DIN Rail, the Ethernet switch had fallen victim to the searing temperatures inside the uncooled cabinet that were far beyond the upper limits of its operating range. As temperatures rose, the Ethernet port switch slowed to a crawl, dropping packets and degrading performance until multiple network services were brought down.

One, the Ethernet switch had been installed in the top level of the cabinet with two servers below it where it bore the brunt of the hot exhaust air flowing out of the servers. Overheating was inevitable.

The second hardware issue was more fundamental for management: the failing network switch wasn’t an industrial model but an enterprise-class (“commercial”) IT switch better suited for a dry, air-conditioned cloud datacenter — not a dusty, hot manufacturing floor. Fortunately for management, once the failed unit was swapped out for an industrial Ethernet switch, plant network outages were virtually eliminated.

Understanding Industrial Ethernet Switches

If something similar to this has happened to you, it may be time to revisit the differences between industrial-grade these devices and enterprise-class Ethernet switches. Industrial switches must be specifically designed for the task at hand or they will fail, as this plant manager discovered. While enterprise-class Ethernet switches may be suitable for data center and some light industrial applications if inside a cooled cabinet, they likely will not meet the harsh realities of other industrial environments. Industrial-grade network devices are the only choice for mission-critical industrial applications such as manufacturing, mining, agriculture, maritime, outdoor, transportation, and utilities, among others.

Like standard desktop PCs and industrial control computers, an industrial switch has no intrinsic differences from an enterprise-class version in that they are identical on data linkage, networking and protocol layers. The core function of the connectivity in both solutions is the same function: assist in the flow of data from one device to another. However, an industrial switch will possess a feature-set uniquely adapted to operate in hostile industrial environments.

Industrial Switch Features

1. Mechanical Design: Industrial plants are rife with harmful elements — vibration, moisture, dust, and extreme temperatures — that can easily damage non-hardened wired networking equipment. A hardened industrial switch will withstand severe mechanical, climatic, and electromagnetic threats. Compared to an enterprise switch, the industrial switch will have a much wider operating temperature, higher ingress protection ratings of no less than IP30, and will use rugged metal shells instead of flimsy plastic, typically found on enterprise switches. They’ll also be constructed to resist electrical surges, voltage drops, and electrical noise common in industrial plants, and many such switches are approved for installation in the hazardous (“explosion-proof”) areas found in oil refineries, petrochemical processing, and wastewater treatment centers. Since enterprise switches do not need to withstand heavy vibration or impact, they are normally installed on a rack or desktop. Industrial switches are either wall mounted or DIN Rail mounted inside the wall mounting a cabinet to prevent damage from vibration and shock. Hardened features and higher quality components mean an an industrial network switch will offer a service life of ten years or more. Conversely, an enterprise unit may last only 3-5 years even in the best conditions.

2. Temperature Range: Temperature tolerance for a typical enterprise switch is 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F), while the temperature range expands to approximately -40°C to 75°C (-40°F to 185°F) for industrial-grade equipment. Heat dissipation technology is also different. An enterprise-class switch typically uses a fan to dissipate internal heat. However, fans are recognized as frequent failure points that lower MTBF for an industrial switch. Fans allow moisture to enter the switch housing and will clog up with dust. For those reasons, industrial-grade switches rely on fanless shells for cooling.

3. Redundant Power Supply: Power failures account for more than 35% of network equipment failures. Industrial Ethernet switches feature dual power supply backup instead of a less-reliable single power supply found on enterprise switches. This difference means the weakest link in the chain — the power supply — has a hot standby back up, insuring maximum switch uptime. Industrial switches are flexible to work on networks with power out with DC24V, DC110V, AC220V, or multiple voltage values. Enterprise switches are typically limited to only AC220V.

4. Configurability: Industrial applications often have specific networking requirements, with functions for features such as support for real-time communications or advanced security features. Enterprise Ethernet switches may not offer the same level of features and configurability as industrial-grade switches, which can make it difficult to meet the specific needs of an industrial application.

5. Cost: Enterprise Ethernet switches are less expensive than industrial-grade switches. Industrial switches are commonly configured in ring network topologies, therefore increasing the costs of circuit utilization and maintenance. At Antaira, for example, we have upgraded and solved issues related to industrial control systems where a customer might have initially built a climate-controlled enclosure to house basic, less expensive enterprise devices in the harsh environments of industrial environments. Antaira industrial Ethernet switches can be installed directly in extremely harsh and hazardous locations, indoors and outdoors, eliminating the cost and hassles of a climate-controlled enclosures.

The Antaira Solution for Industrial Ethernet Switches

Ethernet has become an essential part of industrial networking. In order to have the most capable and fastest data transmission, reliability of industrial Ethernet switches is mission-critical. Antaira’s rugged line of industrial managed switches and industrial unmanaged switches will help you realize improved production uptime with lower maintenance costs. Moreover, we incorporate cybersecurity measures into our switches comparable to the most advanced enterprise-class devices, so your IIoT systems will be kept secure from malicious intruders. Antaira is here to meet all your industrial network requirements today. We have managed switches as well as industrial unmanaged switches with an option for fiber connectivity for Fast Ethernet. Call us to learn more about how our high port density industrial switches that can help keep your devices connected and running with minimal downtime while still ensuring your network security is at an all-time high.