Network switches are technology’s unsung heroes. Without these silent workhorses, connectivity and data transfers simply wouldn’t happen. Yet not all switches are the same. The need to power and push enormous amounts of data in harsh conditions where temperatures can change suddenly often requires businesses to make significant capital investments in creating climate-controlled environments.
Another option is to use industrial and rugged switches, such as the TRENDnet TI-PG541i.
These types of switches meet or exceed traditional temperature ratings of most commercial switches, which range from 0 to 40 degrees Celsius. Unlike commercial switches, the industrial counterparts also publish shock and vibration specifications.
Most are rated to operate in environments ranging from 0 to 70 degrees Celsius and have excellent shock and vibration specifications. The TRENDnet TI-PG541i, for example, has an acceptable ambient operating parameter of minus 40 to 75 degrees Celsius, or up to 167 degrees Fahrenheit.
In addition, most industrial Ethernet switches are housed in rugged, industrial-style steel enclosures using DIN rail or panel mounting, as opposed to most commercial switches, which cannot be mounted conveniently inside equipment enclosures. The TI-PG54li is a DIN rail switch, and it easily attaches to the long metal strips within a standard component rail-mounting system or a standard cabinet rack.
The TI-PG541i also has incredibly advanced networking features, with PoE+ Layer 2 capability, which includes Power over Ethernet port control and port security, as well as virtual LAN capability, which isolates the broadcast of a domain within a computer network. This security works at the data link layer to drive unprecedented security and control into any environment with sensitive data.
Get Quick and Reliable Connectivity
The best switches include mitigation paths when something goes wrong that minimize downtime. The TI-PG54li scores high marks there, offering a redundant power input and an alarm relay output. Further redundancy is offered by the Ethernet Ring Protection Switching protocol, which provides users with protection and recovery switching for Ethernet traffic. This is configured into a ring topology and helps keep data traffic completely secure.
Among its most impressive features is its speedy data processing. It handled all the data I could throw at each of its four PoE+ ports, and the Gigabit Ethernet transfer rates remained close to 2,000 megabits per second in full-duplex mode.
The TRENDnet TI-PG541i network switch offers high performance in any environment. In places where you can’t control the temperature but need high communications redundancy, the TI-PG541i gets the job done.
The Reliable Network Switch for Every Condition
Oil and gas companies require fast network speeds despite the remote and harsh environments in which they work. Locations such as the ocean floor are riddled with dangers for sensitive equipment. From an increased potential for electrostatic discharge to the combustible nature of gas and the high vibration of the surrounding equipment, it’s not a typical computing environment.
The industrial and hardened design of the TRENDnet TI-PG541i, equipped with a rugged enclosure, is meant to withstand an incredible amount of vibration and shock, which makes it perfect for mobile, plant or well operations. And its protection against electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic interference left me, well, shocked. The unit is compliant with the IEC 61000-6-2 EMC generic standard immunity for industrial environments. Additionally, a grounding point on the unit protects equipment from external electrical surges.
The unit is also compliant with IEC 60068-2-27 for shock, IEC 60068-2-32 to withstand freefall drops and IEC 60068-2-6 for areas with high vibration. In addition, as a managed switch, the TI-PG541i is not plug and play, but it is more configurable even in difficult environments. The managed features include Power over Ethernet per-port control, including priority, scheduling and power delay.
The TI-PG541i also offers multicast IP routing, which is used to distribute data to multiple recipients. For example, this capability would help better route audio and video broadcasts to viewers.
No matter how you plan to use or deploy the TI-PG541i, it’s ready to tackle both the environment and whatever complex use case you need it to handle.
TRENDnet TI-PG541i
TOUGH: Operates in extreme environments
VERSATILE: Transfers data in multiple ways
RELIABLE: Handles high data volumes with minimal downtime
