So, industrial switches are much more expensive than regular switches, so why do so many customers still buy and use them? What are the advantages of industrial switches over regular commercial switches? Let's take a closer look with the editor from Feichang Technology!
What are the advantages of industrial switches compared to regular commercial switches?
Firstly, in terms of performance, there is not much difference between industrial switches and ordinary switches. From a network layer perspective, there are Layer 2 switches, and of course, there are also Layer 3 switches. However, industrial switches are carefully designed in other aspects of product design and component selection. They are designed for the needs of industrial field use and can still operate normally under harsh environments such as mechanical, climatic, and electromagnetic conditions. Therefore, industrial switches are often widely used in industrial production scenarios with harsh conditions and higher requirements for product stability and security.
1. Climate and Environment:
Industrial switches are better able to adapt to harsher climates, including temperature and humidity, and can operate normally in ambient temperatures ranging from -40 to +85℃. The product ports are protected against surges of 3600V and above.
2. Operating voltage:
Industrial switches have a wider operating voltage range, covering DC 12V-48V, while ordinary switches have higher voltage requirements and are mostly powered by a fixed voltage.
3. Components:
Industrial switches have higher requirements for component selection, needing to better adapt to the needs of industrial production sites. Components must meet requirements such as anti-static properties, lightning protection, and resistance to ultra-high and low temperatures. Their housing materials include alloy shells, which have high strength, and plastic shells, which have lower strength.
4. Electromagnetic environment:
Industrial switches have strong electromagnetic interference resistance, with an electromagnetic interference protection level of 4.
5. Mechanical environment:
Industrial switches are better able to adapt to harsh mechanical environments, including vibration resistance, shock resistance, corrosion resistance, dust resistance, and waterproofing.
6. Power supply design:
Ordinary switches are mostly powered by a single power supply, while industrial switches are powered by dual power supplies for backup, and also have a power failure alarm function.
7. Installation method:
Industrial switches can be installed using DIN rails, racks, etc., while ordinary switches are generally rack or desktop types.
8. Heat dissipation method:
Industrial switches use fanless enclosures for heat dissipation, while ordinary switches use fans for heat dissipation.
9. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): EN50081-2 (EMC, Industrial), EN50081-2 (EMC, Office), EN50082-2 (EMC, Industrial), EN50082-2 (EMC, Office). Industrial Ethernet switches meet EN50082-2 (EMC, Industrial).
In summary , industrial-grade switches outperform ordinary commercial switches in terms of components, mechanical environment, climate, electromagnetic environment, operating voltage, power supply design, installation method, and heat dissipation method.
