The quality standards that set apart commercial-grade products and industrial-grade products are typically wider operational temperature ranges, higher quality components, higher sensitivity levels, and greater tolerances to electrical noise. Commercial-grade products typically have an operating temperature range of -4° F. to 140° F. (-20° C. to 60° C.), whereas industrial-grade products are rated for operation over a substantially wider operating temperature range. Our products typically have a wide operating temperature range of -40° F. to 167° F. (-40° C to 75° C). Industrial-grade products should be used in applications that require greater reliability, support mission critical applications, and in environments subject to wider ambient temperature variations, such as those found outdoors, in unheated locations, non-air-conditioned buildings, air ducts, closets, server rooms, or on a factory floor. Commercial Industrial Switches are usually lower in cost and are adequate for use in benign thermal and electrical noise environments such as that found in a home or office environment, while Industrial Ethernet Switches should be used in more critical applications.

Unlike repeater hubs, which broadcast the same data out of all of its ports and let the devices decide what data they need, an Ethernet Switch is more intelligent, forwarding data only to the devices that need to receive it.

There are basically two types of Ethernet Switches: Unmanaged Ethernet Switches and Managed Ethernet Switches. Unmanaged switches have no ability to configure operational settings while managed switches have management interfaces to display, control, and modify configuration settings.

Unmanaged Industrial Ethernet Switches are simple to install and operate. These switches have no configuration interface, jumpers, or other options. They are plug-n-play. Unmanaged Switches are typically the least expensive Ethernet switches, and require minimal operating knowledge by the user. There is virtually no maintenance required, nor are network experts needed to setup and manage an Unmanaged Ethernet Switch. Our Unmanaged Ethernet Switches can be placed on a desktop, on a DIN rack, or wall mounted (with an optional wall mounting kit).

Managed Industrial Ethernet Switches provide one or more methods to modify the operation of the Ethernet Switch. Common management methods include: a command-line interface accessed via a Serial Hyper-Terminal, Telnet, device management software, or a web interface for management via a web browser.

There are two basic types of managed switches: Smart Switches and Enterprise Managed Switches. Smart Switches are managed switches with a limited set of management features. Many of these switches are setup using a web browser. Smart Switches are generally lower priced than Enterprise Managed Switches. Enterprise Managed Switches provide a full set of management features, including command-line interface access, device management software, and/or a web interface for management via a web browser. They usually have additional configuration management features such as the ability to display and modify configuration settings. Enterprise Managed Switches are usually more expensive than Smart Switches because they include more configuration management features. Enterprise Managed Switches are typically found in large networks with many switches and connections where centralized management is more desirable.

A PoE (Power Over Ethernet) Ethernet Switch is a network switch that can simultaneously transmit both power and data through its Ethernet cables. There are two types of PoE switches - PoE and PoE+ (see 'What is a POE+ Ethernet Switch? ' in this FAQ section). Both types are commonly used in many applications and are similar. A PoE compatible network device connected to a POE switch must meet the IEEE 802.3af powered device standard. A PoE switch provides up to 15.4W of DC power to each port. When connecting a POE switch to network devices, the PoE switch will detect whether the connecting devices are PoE compatible, and will automatically provide power, if required.

A PoE+ (Power Over Ethernet) Ethernet Switch is a network switch that can simultaneously transmit both power and data through its Ethernet cables. A PoE+ compatible network device must meet either of the IEEE 802.3atPoE+ or IEEE 802.3af powered device standards to be compatible with a PoE+ switch. (i.e., PoE+ switches will support both PoE+ and PoE devices.) A PoE+ switch can provide up to 30W of DC power to each port. When connecting a POE+ switch to PoE or PoE+ compatible network devices, the POE+ switch will detect whether the connecting device is PoE or PoE+ compatible, and will automatically provide power, if required.

PoE switches and compatible devices were first defined in the IEEE 802.3af standard. Later, the PoE+ switch and compatible devices were defined in the IEEE 802.3at standard. PoE and PoE+ switches are very similar. The major difference is that POE+ switches can provide almost double the power of a POE switch. POE switches provide up to 15.4W of DC power to each port, while POE+ switches can provide up to 30W of DC power to each port. Note that PoE supports only IEEE 802.3af standard network devices, while POE+ can support both IEEE 802.3af and IEEE 802.3at compatible devices.

All our offered switches are POE+ Industrial Ethernet Switch compatible.

The ability of the POE or POE+ switch to provide power along with the data has many advantages when building a network system.

To determine whether to use a PoE or PoE+ Ethernet switch, it is important to calculate your required power load for all the devices connected to your network. Although PoE switches should be able to provide a maximum of 15.4W, and POE+ switches should be able to provide a maximum of 30W, some power is always lost over the length of the cables, especially on long runs. The specified minimum power available to network devices is 12.95W per port for POE switches, and 25.5 watts per port for POE+ switches.

EthoSwitch's SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) fiber optic modules are used as accessories to some of our Industrial Ethernet Switches. SFP is a specification for a new generation of optical modular transceivers used on some of our products. The SFP converts bi-directional serial electrical signals to fiber optic signals. SFP modules provide ID and system information to the Ethernet switch. These small transceivers plug into the SFP port of some of our Industrial Ethernet Switches, and connect to Fiber Channel and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) optical fiber cables at the other end. SFP modules are also called 'mini-GBICs' (mini-Gigabit Interface Converters) due to their smaller size. SFP modules are used for both telecommunication and data communications applications.

Some EthoSwitch Industrial Ethernet Switches include either one or two SFP ports. The SFP fiber optic modules connect to these ports.

Many types of SFP fiber optic modules are available from EthoSwitch or other third-party sources. Since there are many types of SFPs, (all are interchangeable and compatible), you can use SFPs from EthoSwitch or any other SFP vendor interchangeably. SFP fiber optic modules come in many configurations, including Single Mode (SM) with different distance ratings, or Multi-mode (MM). Connector types include ST, SC, FC, and LC connectors.

SFP Modules provide a flexible and cost-effective solution for networks, data centers, or any other application. The modules are inexpensive as compared the cost of buying Ethernet switches. SFP modules can be changed at any time, and can be upgraded, as needed, with great flexibility. If your fiber optic system requirements change, all that is needed is to change the module, not the whole switch.

SFP Modules provide a flexible and cost-effective solution for networks, data centers, or any other application. The modules are inexpensive as compared the cost of buying Ethernet switches. SFP modules can be changed at any time, and can be upgraded, as needed, with great flexibility. If your fiber optic system requirements change, all that is needed is to change the module, not the whole switch.

SFP fiber optic modules support 1G EthoSwitch Industrial Ethernet Switches, while SFP+ fiber optic modules support 10G Industrial Ethernet Switches.

Ethernet is a family of serial data computer networking technologies consisting of Local Area Networks (LANs) and/or Wide Area Networks (WANs), and a variety of data communication protocols. Ethernet was standardized in 1983 as IEEE standard 802.3. Since then, the Ethernet standard has been refined to support higher bit rates, longer link distances, and updated/new communication protocols.

Ethernet currently supports multiple data rates, including 10M, 100M, 1G, and 10G, with higher data rates planned.

The maximum distance for 10M/100M Ethernet over CAT5E or CAT6 twisted pair cable is 100 meters (328 feet). Most Ethernet over copper wire cabling standards support operation up to 100 meters.

The maximum distance for 1G/10G Ethernet over CAT5E or CAT6 twisted pair cable is 100 meters (328 feet). Most Ethernet over copper wire cabling standards support operation up to 100 meters.

GND is typically Signal Ground which references to the ground side of a power supply. Signal Ground provides a common ground reference for the connected devices on a cable, improving signal reliability by providing a common ground voltage reference for the transmitters and the receivers on both sides of the cable. In addition, Signal Ground improves the performance of receiver circuitry where a common-mode voltage is present. Signal Ground is different from earth ground, which usually connects to a building's central earth-ground stake near the point where electrical power enters a building. DO NOT connect GND to Earth Ground, as this will degrade signal performance.

The Internet Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite is the set of networking communications protocols used on the Internet. TCP/IP provides for end-to-end connectivity by specifying how data should be packetized, addressed, transmitted, routed, and received at the destination.

UDP/IP (or simply 'UDP') is part of the Internet protocol suite and stands for 'User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / Internet Protocol (IP)'. UDP is a less robust alternate to TCP/IP in that UDP does not guarantee message delivery, ordering, or duplicate protection.

Each device on the Internet includes a unique physical machine address in its hardware known as the MAC (Media Access Control) address. ARP is the Internet 'Address Resolution Protocol' used for mapping a network Internet Protocol address (IPv4 or IPv6) to a unique MAC (physical device) on the network. i.e., ARP is used to identify the MAC address associated with the network IP address for an Internet connected device.

ICMP, known as the Internet Control Message Protocol, is one of the main protocols of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite of communication protocols. ICMP is used by network devices, like routers, to send error messages such as, 'Destination Network Unknown' , or 'Destination Host Unreachable'.

HTTP is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol used on the internet. It is an application level protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication over the World Wide Web. HTTP defines the exchange of information between a web server and a client on the Internet. When accessing a web page on the Internet, the client submits an HTTP request message to the server, which returns the requested Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) files and other content back to the client. The client then displays the HTML content in its web browser.

DHCP is known as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. In a DHCP network, IP addresses map to specific devices' MAC addresses. The IP address associated with any MAC may be updated periodically by the DHCP server, i.e., the IP address associated with any MAC (device) is dynamic and can be updated periodically. Typically, for a network using dynamically assigned IP addresses (as most LANs do), the DHCP server will initially assign an IP address to each device on the network. Later, the DHCP server can automatically update an IP address associated with a device. The new IP addresses are selected from the range of IP addresses assigned to the network.

COM is the Component Object Model, which was originally developed by Microsoft. COM is a binary-interface standard for software components providing inter-process communication between components, and dynamic object creation. COM is used with many programming languages.

LLF is the Link Loss Forwarding protocol, which provides for a higher level of Ethernet data packet delivery reliability by detecting breaks in a link, and by notifying the affected Ethernet routers of the failure. In Ethernet routing, a link route is established for data packet passing from router-to-router through multiple routers, until the link path reaches its intended destination. If a break should occur in the connection between two of the routers in the path, LLF detects the failure, and responds by disabling the connection between both routers at the end points of the brake in the link. Notification of the failure is then passed to all the devices in the path so that link recovery can be initiated (assuming an alternate path is available).

UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) and STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) define cable specifications. Shielded wire has higher electrical capacitance (but better noise immunity) than unshielded wire. Shielded wire is recommended over unshielded cable for Ethernet cable transmitting data at high baud rates.

MDI and MDI-X are Ethernet wiring specifications. MDI refers to the Ethernet Medium Dependent Interface specification while MDI-X refers to the Medium Dependent Interface Crossover specification. MDI and MDI-X define the electrical connection requirements for devices connected with twisted-pair wire Ethernet cables such as CAT5, CAT5e, or CAT6 cable and 8P8C (RJ45) connectors. Pinouts are defined for the physical connectors used in computers, switches, routers, etc. MDI has Transmit+ and Transmit- on pins 1 and 2, with Receive+ and Receive- on pins 3 and 6. MDI-X has Receive+ and Receive- on pins 1 and 2, with Transmit+ and Transmit- on pins 3 and 6. The pinouts are setup so that a straight-through wired cable properly mates the Transmit and Receive lines of an MDI device with an MDI-X device. Typically, a computer is wired in the MDI configuration with a router wired in the MDI-X configuration, so using a straight-through wired cable mates up the signal lines properly. Newer devices may use Auto MDI-X ports, which automatically reconfigure the signals to properly match the other end of the cable. The MDI and MDI-X pinouts are:

Fiber optic technology is a data transmission technology which utilizes fiber optic cables, transmitters, and receivers. Fiber optics work by transmitting an optical (light) signal over a glass or plastic fiber within an optical cable. Many fiber optic transceivers are bi-directional, i.e., full duplex, which means that the fiber optic cable can both transmit and receive data at the same time. Fiber optics can transmit data over longer distances (up to 80 km) with considerably less signal degradation than electrical signals that are transmitted over copper wire cable.

Fiber can transmit optical signals over greater distances (up to 80 km) with less signal loss(attenuation) than can copper wire. Fiber optic cable has greater bandwidth than copper wire cable, resulting in higher data baud rates and throughput. In addition, fiber optic cable is immune to voltage surges, remote lightning strikes, and electromagnetic interference. This makes fiber optics a preferred data transmission medium for outdoor applications.

Our fiber optic modules presently come with four connector options: ST, SC, FC and LC connectors. ST and FC connectors are keyed connectors that look like a standard BNC-type electrical connector. SC and LC connectors are square plug-in connectors with a locking tab. When purchasing an EthoSwitch fiber optic module, please specify either ST, SC, FC, or LC connectors.

Single Mode (SM) fiber uses a single strand of optical fiber to carry the optical signal, whereas Multi-Mode (MM) fiber uses multiple strands of optical fiber. SM fiber transmits with less signal degradation than that of MM cable and, as a result, SM fiber is capable of longer transmission distances than MM. A typical maximum transmission distance for SM fiber is up to 50 miles (80 km), as compared to 1.2 miles (2 km) for MM fiber cable. SM cable is available with a narrower diameter then MM cable and is generally less expensive than MM cable of the same length. When purchasing an EthoSwitch fiber optic module, please specify either the MM or SM cable type you will be using.

Single Mode (SM) fiber uses a single strand of optical fiber to carry the optical signal, whereas Multi-Mode (MM) fiber uses multiple strands of optical fiber. SM fiber transmits with less signal degradation than that of MM cable and, as a result, SM fiber is capable of longer transmission distances than MM. A typical maximum transmission distance for SM fiber is up to 50 miles (80 km), as compared to 1.2 miles (2 km) for MM fiber cable. SM cable is available with a narrower diameter then MM cable and is generally less expensive than MM cable of the same length. When purchasing an EthoSwitch fiber optic module, please specify either the MM or SM cable type you will be using.

All EthoSwitch products undergo third party testing and conformance certification in accordance with the FCC Supplier's Declaration of Conformity, a U.S. based EMC/EMI standard; CE, an EU Consumer Safety and Health standard; RoHS-2, the newest revision of the Environmentally Safe Lead-free, Mercury-Free and other Toxin-free international standard; and REACH, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals international standard. Our products are presently being tested for the UL listed U.S. electrical safety standard, as well as cUL, a Canadian electrical safety standard. Our products have also been tested for other environmental testing standards, such as free fall, vibration, and electrical shock testing. In addition, our products have been third party certified by reputable independent test laboratories. These tests provide assurance that our products conform to the highest standards, are rugged, and can be used with confidence. Our products conform to or exceed important electrical standards, human safety standards, and environment safety standards. Compliance certificates are available upon request.

When a company makes a claim that a product is compliant with a certain standard or specification, they are indicating that their product can meet a standard but was never formally tested by a third party certified testing company. Claiming compliance without ever having conducted formal testing calls into question the validity of the supplier's quality claims.

When a company claims a product is certified, it means the product has undergone formal conformance testing by a certified third-party testing facility. When compliance testing has been performed by a reputable testing company, products that have passed the tests will have a record of test reports and certification certificates associated the compliance tests. Our compliance certificates are available upon request.

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognized quality management standard that is internally and externally audited by a certifying organization. ISO 9001 is not a product compliance standard, but an organizational quality management standard. It ensures that the company that is certified as ISO 9001 compliant has demonstrated their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer expectations; that product quality is assured; and that regulatory requirements have been met. EthoSwitch is committed to our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system. Our certifying company, TUV Rheinland of America, a world class compliance certifier known for their rigorous and comprehensive certifying requirements, audits and certifies EthoSwitch on an annual basis. Our ISO 9001 compliance certificate by TUV Rheinland of America is available upon request.

ISO 9001:2008 is the older ISO 9001 standard which is being phased out. ISO 9001:2015 is the newest ISO 9001 standard which is replacing ISO 9001:2008. Not many companies have transitioned from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 yet due to the complexity of the transition. EthoSwitch is one of the first companies in its field to embrace the ISO 9001:2015 standard. The differences between the two standards are many and complex. The main differences include: (1) that the new standard is risk-control based, and less structured concerning the quality manual and operational procedures, and (2) that a quality management representative is no longer required. For more information, please refer to the ISO 9001 standards.

CE is a European Union (EU) safety standard that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Union. EthoSwitch's products meet the CE standard. Once certified, the CE mark must be displayed on the product being sold in the EU. All our products have been CE tested and certified by a reputable third-party certifying company. Our CE compliance certificates are available upon request.

An FCC conformance certificate is a declaration of conformity ensuring that electronic products manufactured or sold in the United States meet the electromagnetic interference requirements defined by the Federal Communications Commission. All our products have been FCC conformance tested and certified by a reputable third-party certifying company. Our FCC compliance certificates are available upon request.

A RoHS conformance certificate is a European Union (EU) safety standard that indicates conformity with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) standard. RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the EU and restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. RoHS-2 is the newest and latest revision of RoHS. Products sold to the EU must meet RoHS compliance requirements. All our products have been tested and certified to be compliant with RoHS-2 by a reputable third-party certifying company. Our RoHS compliance certificates are available upon request.

A REACH conformance certificate is a European Union (EU) safety standard that indicates conformity with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) standard. REACH regulates the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both health and the environment. REACH is not required by the EU, but many companies have adopted the standard and require compliance with it. All our products have been tested and certified as REACH compliant by a reputable third-party certifying company. Our REACH compliance certificates are available upon request.

A UL (Underwriters Laboratory) conformance certificate and listing certify that a product has undergone UL's published standards for safety testing. Our products are currently pending UL certification, which typically takes 8 months to complete. UL approval is not required for our Industrial Ethernet Switches to be sold in the United States. However, many large companies will not buy equipment that has not passed UL's safety tests. Although, some of our products are not yet UL listed, all our products meet UL regulatory requirements. (Note that our DC voltage powered products do not require UL testing.) The optional AC voltage power adapters that are used with our products are UL certified and listed. Once our products have completed UL testing, UL compliance certificates and listings will be available upon request.

A cUL (Underwriters Laboratory) conformance certificate and listing certify that a product and has undergone UL's published standards for safety tests in accordance with Canada's Electrical Code. Our products are currently pending cUL certification, which typically takes 8 months to complete. cUL approval is not required for our Industrial Ethernet Switches to be sold in Canada. However, many large companies will not buy equipment that has not passed cUL's safety tests. Although, some of our products are not yet cUL listed, all our products meet cUL regulatory requirements. (Note that our DC voltage powered products do not require cUL testing.) The optional AC voltage power adapters that are used with our products are cUL certified and listed. Once our products have completed cUL testing, cUL compliance certificates and listings will be available upon request.

The CSA (Canadian Standards Association) conformance certificate is a Canadian third-party testing certification that a product is compliant with Canadian standards for safety. We will not be CSA certifying our products but instead will use UL 's CSA equivalent certification , cUL. Our products are currently pending cUL certification, which typically takes 8 months to complete. CSA or cUL approval is not required for our Industrial Ethernet Switches to be sold in Canada. However, many large companies will not buy equipment that has not passed CSA's or cUL's safety tests. Although some of our products are not yet cUL listed, all our products meet cUL regulatory requirements. (Note that our DC voltage powered products do not require cUL testing.) The optional AC voltage power adapters that are used with our products are cUL certified and listed. Once our products have completed cUL testing, cUL compliance certificates and listings will be available upon request.

UL (Underwriters Laboratory) in the US performs cUL Canadian Safety testing, which is CSA approved to Canadian standards. (Hence 'c' in front of the UL listing.) cUL certification is essentially the same as CSA certification, and is approved for use in Canada. If you acquire the cUL file number ID of the product in which you are interested, please go to www.ul.com and search their database using our file ID number. EthoSwitch's manufacturer's file will download the details of the manufacturing process used for the product, along with the CSA standard applied in its manufacture. This documents that we are providing product that is safe for use in Canada in accordance with CSA standards.

EthoSwitch's Industrial Ethernet Switches are ruggedized and tested to a variety of environmental testing standards. Vibration testing is performed to standard IEC60068-2-6, which consists of subjecting our Ethernet switches to sinusoidal vibrations over a given frequency range for a given time period, and at discrete frequencies for a given time period. The testing aims to determine the critical vibrational frequencies that affect product performance. Products must function during the vibration tests, as well as after testing has been completed. Vibration test reports are available upon request.

EthoSwitch's Industrial Ethernet Switches are ruggedized and tested to a variety of environmental testing standards. Free Fall testing is performed to the IEC60068-2-32 standard. Free Fall testing consists of two procedures: (1) two simulated falls from a specified attitude onto a specified surface from a specified height, and (2) repeated simulated falls onto a specified surface from a specified height. Free Fall test reports are available upon request.

EthoSwitch's Industrial Ethernet Switches are ruggedized and tested to a variety of environmental testing standards. Shock testing is performed to the IEC60068-2-27 standard. Shock testing provides a procedure for determining the ability of a product to withstand specified severities of both non-repetitive and repetitive electrical shocks to determine whether there is a mechanical weakness or degradation in performance caused by the shocks. To prevent electrical static shocks to our products, our ISO 9001:2015 quality management procedure requires that products not be handled once they have been packaged by manufacturing. Shock testing test reports are available upon request.

EthoSwitch's Industrial Ethernet Switches are ruggedized and tested to a variety of environmental testing standards. Thermal shock testing is performed to ensure the reliability of our switches under thermal stress conditions by determining the ability of a product to withstand sudden changes in temperature from the lowest specified temperature to the highest specified temperature in rapid repetition. Product thermal shock testing reports are available upon request.