Ethernet Switches Meet Mobile Requirements With Secure M12 Connectors

The innovative design of the 6KM features M12 heavy-duty port connectors – technology borrowed from military equipment – that stands up to vibration under the most demanding mobile conditions. The 6KM base unit offers four 10/100 M12 copper ports, with optional Power over Ethernet (PoE). The 6KM can then be user-configured to add two Gigabit ports (either M12 copper ports or LC-type fibre), and up to four 100Mb LC fibre ports, or up to four 10/100 M12 copper ports, or various combinations of these.



Hardened for industrial use in the most demanding environments, the 6KM meets EN50155 and EN50121-4 standards for use in rail applications and is DNV certified for shipboard and offshore use. It also is fully compliant with the IEC61373, IEC60068-2-27 and IEC60068-2-6-FC standards for shock and vibration. A hardened steel case provides IP52 environmental protection, and also acts as a heat sink, eliminating the need for internal fans and further boosting operational reliability. GarrettCom Europe offers two conformal coating options for the 6KM, with a light duty coating to protect against humidity and a heavy duty coating to provide ultimate protection in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.



To meet the widest range of in-vehicle power facilities, the power supply options for the 6KM include 12V, 24V, 48V, 110V, 125V and 250V Dual-Source, with the option of a universal AC supply.



Applications for the new 6KM Ethernet switch include critical networks on military vehicles, and in-carriage networking of IP-enabled infotainment systems, security and surveillance systems, and mobile networking devices on trains, light rail and buses, as well as a variety of passenger accommodation technology requirements. The switches are provided with GarrettCom’s MNS-6K management software, including Link-Loss-Learn (LLL) functionality. This provides self-healing, fast recovery functions for redundant LAN structures. There is a choice of redundancy options, including STP, RSTP, and GarrettCom’s own standards-based S-Ring recovery technology. The switches also support IGMP-L2 management as standard to provide tight control of the muliticast traffic typical in video surveillance applications.



GarrettCom Europe sales and marketing manager David Moss comments: “Vibration is a real problem in mobile networking applications, and the standard RJ45 port on networking equipment has long been recognised as a weak link. The M12 connectors are a much more robust solution, and with the 6KM we’ve combined this added security with the typical 6K-style configuration flexibility and compact form factor.”