Industrial PoE Switch Fits Outdoor Applications

Industrial PoE switch, also known as hardened or rugged PoE switches, is a device designed for application in harsh industrial environments. The obvious advantages of these industrial-grade PoE switches are that they can resist dust, dirt, moisture, temperature fluctuations from -40℃ to 75℃ generally, and other risks that might cause damage to the device. Therefore, rugged PoE switches can provide solutions for outdoor IP surveillance and outdoor wireless.

Industrial PoE Switch in Outdoor IP Surveillance Systems

The applications that use industrial PoE switches in outdoor IP surveillance include smart city crowded and traffic surveillance, power generation and distribution monitoring, oil field and pipeline monitoring, water station monitoring and more.

                                                       Figure1: Industrial PoE Switch in Outdoor IP Surveillance Systems

The Advantages of Industrial PoE Switch in Outdoor IP Surveillance Applications

• Industrial constructions guarantee a reliable network in harsh conditions-----Rugged PoE switch is equipped with a hardened enclosure that reached IP30, IP40 or higher-level protection rating, which is perfect to withstand shock, vibration and temperature extremes from -40℃ to 75℃ generally. Click here to know more about the construction of harsh environment switch. Besides, harsh environment PoE switch's ability to against electrostatic discharge, electromagnetic interference and external electrical surges matter in changeable outdoor environments. The industrial power switch can deliver data stably in harsh conditions while normal network PoE switches are insufficient to withstand certain extreme conditions.

• Industrial PoE switches ensure quick and reliable connectivity-----One of the challenges for outdoor IP surveillance is to minimize downtime when something goes wrong, to provide continuous monitoring anytime. An industrial Ethernet switch makes that since it has more features like power redundancy, PTP, ERPS, design for harsh environments and more durable components. But commercial Ethernet switches just fit places with controlled temperature and where latency/measurable lag is tolerated.

Industrial PoE Switch in Outdoor Wireless Applications

Industrial PoE switch will be a nice choice for outdoor wireless applications, which can provide wireless data connectivity across large-scale outdoor areas for mobile users and remote workers.

The Advantages of Industrial PoE Switch in Outdoor Wireless Applications

• Cost-savings-----An industrial PoE Gigabit Ethernet switch can deliver high-speed voice and data transmission while powering PDs within 100 meters. In other words, an industrial PoE switch is beneficial to eliminate the need for additional electrical wiring, power outlets and more, which can save a lot of wiring and power costs.

• DIN-rail Mounting for various installations-----The DIN-rail industrial PoE switch can simplify the installation, it can be attached to the long metal strips within a standard component rail-mounting system or a standard cabinet rack. Furthermore, adapting the DIN-rail mounting option does help in making better use of cabinet space as well as protecting sensitive electrical equipment in harsh environments.

Industrial PoE Switch: How to Choose the Right One?

When selecting an industrial PoE switch for outdoor applications, you should consider not only the specific features of harsh environments PoE switches, but also the network-related parameters.

Supplying High-Power PoE to Outdoor Devices

Turning on additional functions like blower or IR of an IP camera in challenging weather conditions can require more power than usual, so it's necessary to use an industrial PoE switch with high power to power that. And make sure that the power budget of your rugged PoE switch can support the power that your PDs require. To know more about PoE standards, please refer to the article: Understanding PoE Standards and PoE Wattage.

                                                                             Figure2: Smart PoE+ 802.3at/af Support

Provide Fast Recovery

For outdoor IP surveillance applications, the harsh environment PoE switch should be equipped with the functions of automatic failure check, ERPS for quick failover recovery to enhance system reliability in harsh factory environments as well as make it easier for the management and maintenance of equipment.

Sound Security Protection

The safety of network connectivity matters in any PoE solution. Therefore, the industrial PoE switch you select must be equipped with a lot of security protection policies, such as SSH, TLS, DHCP Snooping, ACL, etc. to minimize risks.

Network Traffic Types

The network traffic type is the reference base for selecting a managed or unmanaged industrial-grade PoE switch. For example, an unmanaged industrial PoE switch is enough for unicast traffic. However, if data transmission is based on a mix of unicast, multicasts, and broadcast traffic, you should choose a managed industrial-grade PoE switch rather than an unmanaged one. A managed rugged PoE switch will be a great option for outdoor applications as it allows network administrators to monitor the working status of the switch and network running status locally or remotely in real-time.

Network Bandwidth

A harsh environment PoE switch with sufficient network bandwidth can support multiple security cameras for the surveillance system. With sufficient network bandwidth, you can get high-quality images, no need to worry about packet loss even in harsh environments.