The project posed several significant challenges:
1. Distance Limitations of Traditional Ethernet: With standard Ethernet limited to 100 meters (328 feet), reaching remote sensor points across the site would have required additional switches or repeaters— driving up cost and complexity.
2. Remote Power Delivery Needs: Many sensor locations had no access to local power, requiring a solution that could deliver power and data over a single cable.
3. Harsh Environments: Sensor nodes were installed in both indoor mechanical areas and outdoor, temperature-variable enclosures, requiring industrial-grade network hardware.
4. Compliance Requirements: The project required hardware that met TAA, BAA, and NDAA procurement standards for secure government-regulated environments.
The Solution
To meet the customer’s demanding requirements, Omnitron recommended the RuggedNet® GLPoE/Si, an Unmanaged Single Pair Power over Ethernet (SPoE) Switch specifically designed for long-distance, industrial-grade networking over Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) cabling.
Key Solution Features:
1. Extended Distance Performance: Supports up to 1 kilometer (3280 feet) of data and power transmission over SPE cabling—far exceeding Ethernet’s 100m limit.
2. SPoE Power Delivery: Powers sensors and devices over a single twisted pair, supporting IEEE 802.3cg 30VDC (Class 10-12) and 58VDC (Class 13-15) powered devices depending on network power architecture.
3. Fiber and Copper Uplinks: Offers both fiber and copper uplinks to seamlessly connect remote sensor nodes to centralized control and data centers.
4. Hardened for Harsh Conditions: Designed for rugged temperature ranges and industrial environments, enabling reliable operation across the entire facility.
Why Omnitron
The customer selected Omnitron based on a combination of product capability, service, and compliance:
1. Industrial Reliability: RuggedNet switches are field-proven in critical infrastructure deployments, with fan less designs, high durability, and long lifecycles.
2. Comprehensive Technical Support: Omnitron provided pre-sales network design consultation and ongoing technical assistance during installation and rollout, ensuring a smooth and successful deployment.
3. Advanced Features: The RuggedNet GLPoE/Si supported plug-and-play SPoE operation, with clear power classification, device compatibility, and diagnostic features for field technicians.
4. U.S. Manufacturing and Compliance: The product is Made in the USA and fully compliant with TAA, BAA, and NDAA, ensuring procurement eligibility and alignment with national sourcing policies.
The Result
The deployment of RuggedNet GLPoE/Si switches allowed the customer to:
1. Extend SPE-powered environmental sensors up to 1km from control centers without additional mid-span equipment.
2. Deliver reliable data and power to all sensor nodes over a single cable, reducing infrastructure and labor costs.
3. Operate in high-temperature, industrial environments with no downtime or failures during testing and launch.
4. Comply with all technical and regulatory requirements, ensuring the solution was future-proof, secure, and scalable.
The system enabled real-time, continuous monitoring of temperature and humidity in critical zones, improving operational awareness and supporting preventative maintenance programs.
Conclusion
By deploying RuggedNet® GLPoE/Si SPoE Switches, the customer overcame the core limitations of traditional Ethernet-based sensor networks. The ability to transmit both data and power up to 1 kilometer over a single twisted pair made it possible to cover the full facility without additional complexity.
Combined with Omnitron’s reliable, temperature-hardened hardware, industry-leading technical support, and TAA/BAA/NDAA compliance, the solution proved to be a perfect fit for the customer’s environmental monitoring needs.
RuggedNet GLPoE/Si enabled secure, long-distance, and power-efficient connectivity—delivering high-performance sensor data where it matters most.
Product Overview
The OmniConverter and RuggedNet SPE switches have models that support copper or fiber uplink ports, and IEEE 802.3cg compliant 10BASE-T1L copper user ports.
The switches features two 10/100/1000 RJ-45 or 100/1000 fiber SFP uplink ports and four 10BASE-T1L 3-pin terminals or IEC 63171-2 user ports. Models are available with and without Single Power over Ethernet (SPoE) user ports.