Industrial Ethernet solutions with the KSwitch family

15th March 2021

Kontron AG

Alex Lynn

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Kontron has expanded its Industrial Switch product line with additional high-performance and cost-effective models of the KSwitch family for fast- and gigabit- Ethernet. The first 23 KSwitch variants will be available before the end of Q1/2021, with additional variants to be added throughout the year.

Modern high-performance chips, automation solutions, 5G connectivity and, last but not least, industrial switches are essential building blocks for successful Industry 4.0 and IoT applications. Kontron's new KSwitch models are suitable for Fast- and Gigabit-networks up to 10G and have been specially developed for use in industrial environments. In addition to a compact design, the switches offer the possibility to easily connect machines, controllers and other components based on industry standards.

All switches can be flexibly combined with each other, making it easier to set up a future-oriented IT environment. Thanks to the single-chip design, the switches operate reliably and with high performance while reducing power consumption. Further cost savings result from the use of standardised RJ45 and optional SFP (small form factor pluggable) slots. SFPs are available as modular, optical or electrical transceivers for fiber optics or ‘direct attach copper’ and can be used flexibly and scalably depending on the application. The compact design reduces the space requirement in the control cabinet or industrial rack by up to 35%.

The switches have a high-quality metal housing, which predestines them for use in rugged environments. They can be used at temperatures from -40 to +75^oC or from -10 to +60^oC as standard, and most products also support an extended supply voltage range from 12 to 58V DC. Thanks to the robust power supply and electrical immunity on each port of up to 2KV Surge, the switches operate safely and reliably even in harsh production environments with strong magnetic fields or unstable power source.

The switches partially support Power Over Ethernet (PoE/PoE+, Ultra PoE) or can be operated as a powered device. Implemented management functions enable, among other features, the creation of virtual local area networks (VLAN) to structure networks in industrial environments and to separate them for security reasons.

All models will be available for purchase from the online shop of Kontron's partner Rutronik24 as of March 2021.