Everything You Need to Know About Industrial PoE Switch

Devices demand power, and Industrial PoE switches elegantly provide it with a single Ethernet cable, combining data and power delivery and streamlining the powering of network equipment. These switches are tailored for harsh environments, distinguishing them from their commercial counterparts. This guide will explore the robust applications and inherent advantages of Industrial PoE switches, as well as offer a detailed comparison with commercial-grade switches, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of when and why to choose an Industrial Switch for your networking needs.

What Is Industrial PoE Switch?

In recent years, industrial power over ethernet (PoE) switches have been used more and more widely. Industrial PoE switches, also known as “hardened” PoE switches or “rugged” PoE switches, are PoE switch equipment used in the industrial control field, however, commercial PoE switches are usually used in office and indoor environments Industrial PoE switches, as the name suggests, are the best choice for industrial or certain harsh environments. Under normal circumstances, industrial PoE switches are used in harsh environments with extreme conditions and limited resources, such as extremely low or high temperatures. From this we can think of some harsh scenarios that require the use of industrial switches, such as traffic road monitoring, security monitoring, wind power photovoltaic, coal mines and other fields.

What Are Industrial PoE Switch Features?

Industrial PoE switches have a set of features. The key points are as follows:

Multiple PoE Standards Available

Industrial PoE switches are compatible with multiple PoE specifications and can adapt to different power and current requirements, in order to connect power equipment in various industrial environments. The PoE standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) include IEEE 802.3af (original PoE standard), IEEE 802.3at (also known as PoE +), and the latest IEEE 802.3bt (commonly known as PoE ++ or 4PPoE), etc. These evolving standards ensure the compatibility and connectivity of switches with various power demand devices.

Fast Ring Network, Fast Redundancy

ERPS (Ethernet Ring Protection Switching) links networks together for redundancy, which enables failover protection in sub-50ms. Since any network downtime (even just a few seconds) can cause critical errors and operational obstacles, ERPS is often applied in industrial scenarios that require high reliability, such as surveillance, automated facilities, mining, utilities, and waste disposal.

Super Anti-interference Performance

Industrial Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches are engineered to operate reliably within severe electromagnetic scenarios, embodying robust defense mechanisms that encompass advanced lightning surge immunity, IP-rated waterproofing integrity, anti-corrosion coatings, mechanical impact resilience, and comprehensive electrostatic discharge (ESD) shielding.

Adaptation to Wide Temperature Ranges

Industrial PoE switches are encased in a ruggedized metal housing, featuring a fanless architecture for enhanced thermal management. This design confers superior safeguarding capabilities, allowing the switches to maintain operational integrity in extreme temperature conditions spanning from -40°C to 75°C. Furthermore, robust construction ensures reliable performance amidst diverse and challenging thermal and humidity variations.

Redundant Power Supply Design

Power supply is a very important part of industrial PoE switches. Power failures generally account for more than 35% of the equipment failure rate. In order to avoid the trouble caused by power failures, industrial PoE switches adopt dual power supply redundancy design to ensure stable and reliable operation of the system.

"Also check Power Supply Requirements for Industrial Switches

Long Service Life

Industrial PoE switches have a long service life due to their structure and design. They usually use corrosion-resistant reinforced metal shells and high-quality electronic components to withstand harsh working environments such as extreme temperatures, humidity, dust, and vibration. The optimized heat dissipation design and redundant power supply system of the equipment improve reliability under continuous loads and reduce interruptions caused by power problems, while the built-in multiple circuit protection measures prevent damage caused by electrical failures. The easy-to-maintain characteristics and strict industrial standard manufacturing also add points to its stability and durability. These factors together ensure that industrial-grade PoE switches have a longer service life than conventional switches even in demanding industrial applications.

Safety Performance

Industrial PoE switches can automatically detect whether to supply power and how much current it supplies. When the port does not need a power supply, it can automatically stop powering. In this way, when multiple devices are connected in an industrial scene, it can avoid the situation that high power causes the device to burn out. (Not Limited to the Above Features)

Industrial PoE Switch vs. Commercial PoE Switch

In fact, there is essentially no difference between industrial PoE switches and commercial PoE switches. However, due to the different application scenarios, their functions and operating modes are still different. It is necessary to compare them in all aspects here. (Because there are some differences in some comparison items, take the two common FS products as an example.)

Do I Need An Industrial PoE Switch?

Before considering if you need an industrial PoE switch, you should consider first if there are some bad scenes where you need to use it. So the application scenario is the most worthy of your consideration.

If you want to install a PoE switch in harsh environments, such as traffic control cabinets, factory workshops, and outdoor locations with extremely low or extremely high temperatures, industrial PoE switches are very suitable.

If you want to connect PoE-powered end devices such as IP cameras, phones, wireless access points, sensors, and more, industrial PoE switches are also a good choice. In addition, unmanaged industrial PoE switches have limited functions and are suitable for small and medium-sized network scenarios; managed industrial PoE switches have flexible networking solutions and are mostly used in the connection layer of large, medium and small networks.

According to the application scenarios, it should be easy to find the type of industrialswitch that is directly needed, and then consider some switch characteristics, and then you can find a suitable switch for yourself. Hopefully this can provide beneficial help to everyone.

"Also check- common FAQs about FS industrial switches

Conclusion

Industrial PoE switches are an indispensable part of modern industrial networks and can simplify the deployment and management of network devices in a secure and reliable manner. If you are looking for reliable network switches for industrial deployment, you can always trust FS managed industrial PoE switches.