PoE: Industrial 5-port power-over-Ethernet switch

Compact, rugged 5-port unmanaged Ethernet switch with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology connects and power Ethernet devices over one cable.

By Control Engineering Staff March 25, 2008

Cincinnati, OH – The

Industrial Automation Group of Advantech

launched the

EKI-2525P

, a compact, rugged 5-port unmanaged Ethernet switch with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology to connect and power Ethernet devices over one cable.PoE, a technology to transmit power plus data to remote Ethernet devices over standard twisted-pair Cat5e cables, is known as IEEE 802.3af internationally, and specifies a supply of 48 V dc at up to 15.4 W per port. With the capabilities of an unmanaged Ethernet switch and a PoE power injector, the 5-port EKI-2525P has four PoE ports to supply up to 15.4 W each. Each can automatically detect when PoE-compliant devices are attached, before supplying power, allowing use of traditional Ethernet devices if needed.“While originally developed for enterprise environments, PoE is quickly gaining momentum in industrial applications,” said Paul Wacker, Advantech product manager, Industrial Communication Products. “With the ability to carry data and power over a single cable, installation cost savings are being realized in applications ranging from industrial 802.11b/g wireless access points to Ethernet connected vision systems.”Packaged in a thin DIN-rail mount chassis, EKI-2525P can be used where panel space is limited. It is suitable for demanding industrial applications, with dual 12 to 48 V dc power inputs, 4,000 V dc Ethernet ESD protection, power line surge (EFT) protection of 3,000 V dc, and features an operating temperature range of -10 to 60 °C to ensure system uptime. Switches are CUL (UL/CSA), CE, FCC, and RoHS/WEE certified.Each port has front-facing LED indicators that provide link, transmission speed, activity, and PoE output status to help diagnose issues with cables and attached devices. Auto-MDI/MDI-X eliminates the need to use crossover cables for inter-switch connections; auto-negotiation provides optimum link configurations and compatibility with legacy devices. Control Engineering provides more on PoE . Browse related items.— Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .