Advantech's PoE Industrial Communication Solutions
Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a technology allows devices to supply and be supplied power through Ethernet cables. This saves the cost of also having to install power wiring, which not only saves time and costs, but significantly streamlines the installation and maintenance process overall. PoE has quickly become an ideal solution for many industrial applications, and recently IEEE has ratified the PoE Plus standard, allowing these devices to carry up to 25W, significantly widening the range of applications they can be applied to.
According to a recent VDC report, shipments of PoE-enabled switches reached approximately 47 million units in 2007, and will grow to 130 million by 2012 (Power Over Ethernet: Global Market Opportunity Analysis). In the same report, they also predicted that demand for wireless access points (WAPs) will increase over 50% per year through 2012.
The Benefits of PoE in Industrial Application
The figure below shows a typical PoE application which supports power through an existing Cat 5 cable. The power source injects power into the LAN cable which is used on the other end of the cable to run a series of related devices.
IP cameras and wireless access points are very popular devices in many of today’s industrial applications, and PoE capabilities help make them even more convenient than ever before.
PoE devices allow users to remove power wiring, plugs and converters, reducing costs and simplifying network configuration and expansion. Second, PoE devices can also significantly improve plant safety in the event of a power failure. Third, PoE devices are already designed to withstand high temperatures and transient ESD, making them some of the most resilient Industrial devices available.
Other benefits of Advantech PoE injectors include support for 24VDC power modules allowing installation costs to be reduced since existing power modules, cables and conduits can be exploited, increasing the ease of installation.
The IEEE 802.3af standard limits power levels to 13W, which fulfills most industrial device requirements, but many high-end devices (such as HMI, SCADA and RFID devices) require higher power levels. The new IEEE 802.3at standard, also called “PoE Plus,” brings the power level to 25W and support for these devices.
Successful Applications
Advantech’s PoE switches have widely used in telecommunication video surveillance, and transportation applications. Below we highlight three successful examples.
The biggest WiMAX telecommunication company in Japan, Hitachi Kokusai Denki, provides WiMAX services across seven major cities with plans to extend network coverage to 90% of the Japanese territory in the coming years. Because WiMAX base stations are often constructed on rooftops and not easy to install, Advantech’s industrial-grade EKI-2525P PoE switch was chosen for its convenience, wide operating temperature and surge protection.
In America, video surveillance systems are often installed along highways to monitor traffic flow and maintain road safety. Devices have to operate 24 hours a day under severe climate changes. Advantech’s EKI-2526PI and EKI-7659CPI PoE switches were chosen for a major application to fulfill these demands with industrial-grade features.
Another case was for the Locomotive & Vehicle Research Institute of China, who adopted Advantech’s EKI-2526PI in its Train Safety Monitoring and Diagnosis System. The system requires reliable PoE capability allowing the system to dynamically monitor, diagnose, record, and save data and rugged designs in harsh environments to ensure passenger safety.
For more detailed information, please check out the following case studies:
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