Westward Sales Blog

Power over Ethernet, or PoE, has been around since the first standards were published, dating back to 1997. The technology has taken giant strides since those days. It represents one of the easiest and most efficient ways to expand network capacity and range on demand. By running power through the Ethernet communication cables, you can skip laying costly power lines and significantly reduce cable management.

Overall, it’s an important technology to understand, and these days, PoE dominates industrial Ethernet solutions. If you want to unleash your networking potential, take a minute and learn more about PoE and the ways that Antaira Technologies is pushing boundaries.

What to look for in an Industrial PoE Switch?

• Safe PoE Disconnect
• Persistent PoE
• Power Remote Reset Technology
• Low-Voltage Technology
• Uncompromising Speed with 10G
• Industrial Quality for Harsh Environments

Antaira’s Six Ingredients for Industrial Ethernet

There are two main categories of PoE systems. Power Source Equipment (PSE), such as a PoE switch or injector, supplies power to the endpoint devices known as Powered Devices (PD). PDs are cameras, digital signs, phones, and wireless access points that receive power and data along standard Ethernet cables.

Speeds, uptime, management, and security are essential considerations, but in industrial settings, you have an additional concern: ruggedness. Industrial-grade hardware is built to withstand extreme temperature variations, electrostatic discharge, heavy vibrations, electrical interference, and power surges. These issues can quickly destroy commercial-grade Ethernet equipment.

What exactly should a network administrator look for in PoE hardware? Antaira specializes in rugged Ethernet switches, and if you require something robust, Antaira is where to start. Along with ruggedness, their PoE switches offer unique traits that might also catch your attention. Below are six key features that bring significant value to Antaira’s PoE switches.

1. Safe PoE Disconnect

Antaira engineered Safe PoE Disconnect to protect high-power end devices or PDs. The technology allows technicians to disconnect PoE cables from either end safely. This failsafe specialty ensures PoE systems can be swapped around as needed, even in industrial settings with high power outputs. It also prevents damage that often occurs with unprotected electrical systems. Safe PoE Disconnect, embedded in many of Antaira’s industrial PoE switches, disables the power to the PoE port before the cable is removed. This procedure does not require the entire switch to be turned off while taking a specific PoE port offline.

2. Antaira’s Persistent PoE

Persistent PoE is found on Antaira’s line of managed switches supporting the IEEE 802.3bt standard, which expands PoE to 100 watts (W). This feature allows you to reboot the switch while providing uninterrupted power to the end devices, such as cameras, wireless access points, and digital signage. Persistent PoE is commonly used to reboot a switch after installing a new firmware upgrade. Without this component, rebooting a PoE switch would disable power to all endpoint devices, creating downtime. For example, IP surveillance cameras may take several minutes to get back online after power is restored, potentially exposing your assets to potential threats. Persistent PoE can reboot an Antaira managed switch on the fly, allowing for more control while avoiding service disruption. This simple feature makes network management substantially more manageable.

3. Antaira’s Power Remote Reset Technology

Another Antaira specialty, Power Remote Reset Technology (PRRT), is designed for unmanned hard-to-reach devices, such as a camera mounted on top of a pole. When a remote device goes down, it may need a simple power reset to get them back online. PRRT allows technicians to reset those devices without having to be in physical proximity to them. As a result, it dramatically reduces downtime and saves time and travel costs.

How does it work? When you invoke PRRT, the PoE switch kills power to the specific port connected to the endpoint device you want to reset. It then restores power after a set amount of time, triggering a power cycle – all remotely.

4. Low-Voltage Technology

Most PoE switches require a reliable 48 VDC input to power connected devices. However, industrial control cabinets and applications that operate from solar or battery power may only have 12, 24, or 36 VDC of available power. One solution would be to add a 24 to 48-volt DC-to-DC converter to boost power to the switch. However, this adds extra cost and consumes additional space in a cabinet. For this reason, Antaira Technologies created a series of industrial PoE switches that accepts a lower voltage input. A low-voltage PoE switch is equipped with a wide input range of 12 to 36 VDC and an internal voltage booster to output the standard 48 VDC.

Antaira’s industrial low voltage PoE unmanaged and managed switches are the most economical and efficient solution, and all support the IEEE 802.3af/at/bt specification. This family of innovative PoE switches eliminates the need for a separate step-up transformer, saving cost, wiring, and much-needed space in an enclosure. Antaira’s low-voltage PoE switches include:

• Internal voltage booster
• Low power input from 12 to 36 VDC
• IEEE 802.3af/at compliance for 30 watts of power (-24 in the part number)
• IEEE 802.3bt compliance for 90 watts (-24 and -bt in the part number)

5. Uncompromising Speed with 10G

Antaira’s PoE lineup has more than just proprietary features. Along with Fast and Gigabit speeds, Antaira offers a collection of 10G Ethernet switches to turbo-charge any network. And you’ll find up to twenty ports on a single DIN rail mount switch, allowing you to aggregate multiple data feeds to a single fiber line for optimized throughput. The 10-port LNP-1002G-10G-SFP is a perfect example of a Gigabit PoE+ switch with up to 30 W per port. It utilizes twin 10G SFP+ slots for high data rates and fits nicely into any existing networking infrastructure. Antaira’s heavy-duty Ethernet switches provide plenty of bandwidth over high-speed connections for nearly any industrial or security application.

6. Industrial Quality for Harsh Environments

Antaira’s industrial PoE switches are hardened to withstand demanding environments found in processing plants, outdoor arenas, traffic panels, commuter trains, and buses. Foremost, they are designed to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations from a low of -40°C to as high as 75°C. In addition, they provide resistance to excessive humidity, airborne contaminants, shock, and vibration. Some models are also certified to Class 1, Division 2, making them intrinsically safe for installation in hazardous locations.

Many industries demand uninterrupted operation and high up-time to avoid shutdowns. Industrial-rated PoE switches play an important role by offering dual power redundancy. With two power inputs to the PoE switch, the backup power source can maintain stable and reliable system operation if the main power supply fails. Redundancy effectively decreases downtime, ensuring near to no interruption of network processes.

In high humidity and spray-down applications, you’ll also find Ethernet switches with M12 connectors that add as much flexibility and quality as anything else in the Antaira lineup. The LMP-1802G-M12-10G-SFP-67-24 is a great example. It’s an 8-port managed PoE with powerful Gigabit and 10G connections, PoE+ power delivery (30 watts per port), and IP67 waterproofing. In addition, it’s housed in a heavy-duty enclosure to guarantee reliable operation in extreme environments.

A Rising Necessity

PoE systems are massively convenient and have grown to the point of necessity in many industrial networks. Allowing a network designer to put endpoint devices exactly where they are needed, regardless of existing power infrastructure, is essential for modern systems — especially those utilizing IoT (Internet of Things). Additionally, PoE allows for more network redesigns on the fly, allowing large and powerful networks to adapt to even minute changes in operations. Many industrial settings would be unable to function within their budgets without PoE.

To see these features in action, browse Antaira’s extensive lineup. Their popular LMP Series are managed PoE switches that implement a range of port counts, capacities, speeds, and power output. At the simple end, the LMP-C602G-SFP-bt-V2 provides six ports of Gigabit PoE++ connectivity. This Layer 3 managed switch furnishes up to 90 W per port and includes dual SFP slots. For more port density, the 12-port LMP-1204G-SFP-bt-T has four ports delivering up to 90 W each and four SFP slots. And when you need even more connectivity, consider the LMX-1802G-M12-1-G-SFP-67. This behemoth has 18 industrial ports, supports Gigabit speeds, and comes with an IP67 waterproof case. It also has SFP slots that can get connections up to 10G speeds.

Learn more about Antaira’s Industrial PoE Switches

PoE lets you efficiently install wireless access points and endpoints right where you need them. With Antaira’s industrial IoT gateways, access points, and wireless routers, that’s all possible and easy. Contact Westward Sales to discover how Antaira’s broad range of industrial products can benefit your network.