How would you feel if you are asked to trek the Himalayas in your ordinary walking shoes? That’s exactly what happens when ordinary networking switches and structured cabling components are used for high performing industrial environment. Ordinary networking products might not perform in extreme industrial environments just like your ordinary shoes in the Himalayas.

The industrial networks run everything, data from outdoor devices/machines to indoor manufacturing machines. The temperatures vary from extreme heat to extreme cold which creates stress on the network components that carry critical data. Therefore, while building an industrial IT networking infrastructure for factories, refineries, manufacturing plants, etc. one should look for networking products that differ from the ones at an office building or a retail store. When it comes to transferring data from one machine to another you need a high amount of data & seamless connectivity to avoid malfunctions. At the same time networking switches, cables and field plugs that you use should withstand extreme industry temperature, dust, grease, water, shocks, etc.

Here’s the guide to choosing the right:

Industrial Ethernet switches: 

When it comes to choosing a switch for industrial infrastructure, go for the one that is made with robust and reliable components. The switch should be designed and tested to handle operating temperatures between -40 and +75°C. It is also important to ensure that the Switches use IEEE standards-based protocols and would work with other Ethernet-enabled devices and IP applications. Digisol offers an entire series of switches that cater to industrial applications. DG-IS series of switches are engineered to perform in harsh outdoor and industrial manufacturing environments. It can operate in the wide temperature range (-40°C to +75°C) and ensures the highest reliability of PoE systems while delivering network speeds of up to 1000 Mbps to eliminate bottlenecks. In order to withstand harsh environments, the switches also feature an IP30-rated metal enclosure. These compact switches are designed to offers a diversity of mounting options, whether on a DIN rail or on a wall, enabling users to make the most of the limited cabinet space.

Industrial Ethernet cables:

Proper cable installation is very important to maintain uptime in industries. Network components and media are the cause of more than 70 percent of all network faults. The most important step in choosing the right cable is to identify where the cables will be deployed, whether factory floor and work areas or control rooms or cabinets. It is recommended to choose Cat6 or Cat 6A cable if your factory or manufacturing plant uses Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices (VoIP) telephone systems, IP cameras. Another important factor is to select the right jacket material. If the cable deployed is in the outdoor environment it is important to choose Double Sheath Cables and has UV resistant outer sheath. Digisol has a huge portfolio of cables that caters to the needs of various industries. DIGISOL Cat6 UTP, Double Sheath Cables are specially designed for industrial use. They come with UV resistant outer sheath, Inner Sheath Flame Retardant (IEC60332-1) which is suitable for Outdoor applications.

Industrial Field plugs:

When it comes to industrial Ethernet network installation, field termination of each end of each cable can be among the most crucial steps in the process. Thus, selecting the right connectors/plugs for high performing industrial IT networking infrastructure can be a bit challenging. With the right Industrial Ethernet connectors, downtime and disruptions could be avoided. The Digisol Industrial Field Plugs are perfect for industrial networking infrastructure requirements. The unique solderless Industrial Field Plugs offers 360 degrees movement for efficient rack deployment and are being made for the first time in India and are used to deliver maximum efficiency, achieving performance benchmarks for CAT 6A at field terminals. The products are PoE enabled. They are also ETL verified and RoHS compliant. These industrial field plugs follow new standards, requiring fewer SCS products over their predecessors. They reduce costs by more than 60% and thus generate operational alpha for the customer.

The bottom line is that selecting the right IT networking components like switches, cables, connectors can make a huge difference between the success and failure of any network communications infrastructure and its systems. If you choose the inefficient products, it will lead to network failure; downtime & you will never get the network that will perform as per your expectations.

Digisol offers end to end IT networking solution for various industrial requirements. Click here to check out our industrial range of products.