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One of the most common questions regarding Ethernet cabling is: What type of cabling should I choose? There is much confusion on this topic. When choosing the right cabling solution for your particular network infrastructure, you need to know the difference between the different cable categories. The purpose of this article is to help you determine which type of Ethernet cabling suits your needs.
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Power over Ethernet (PoE) delivers both power and data concurrently via twisted pair Ethernet cabling. This technology improves network agility and scalability in efficient and cost-effective ways. There are several types of PoE devices, for example, the PoE switch, PoE splitter, PoE injector, etc. This article focuses on the PoE injector: What is it? What does it work? Are there different types?
With the explosion of the IoT and the push toward smart systems, we suddenly have low-speed devices that require very little bandwidth—things like sensors, actuators, and relays, as well as access, occupancy, and lighting applications. As a result, operations technology (OT) professionals cried out for a simpler, low-cost, space-efficient cabling alternative for these low-speed use cases.
In response to this need, the IEEE (in November 2019) approved the 802.3cg single pair Ethernet protocol. This specification lengthens the reach of the Ethernet physical layers at the low end of the bandwidth spectrum. Single pair Ethernet (also called “twisted pair” or SPE) is a cable configuration that:
Also, the IEEE 802.3cg standard is compatible with the existing Ethernet standards. It maintains the same packet format, size, temperature, and emission standards. It supports auto-negotiation between endpoints on point-to-point links, and it supports PoE.
IEEE 802.3cg specifications call for two link-layer standards: 10Base-T1S and 10Base-T1L. Both standards support speeds up to 10Mbps over a single twisted pair.
The 10Base-T1S, also called 10SPE (10Mbps Single Pair Ethernet) standard is for networks that do not require high data rates. The “S” stands for short-range.
10Base-T1S employs a multidrop configuration in which each node connects to a single cable, which eliminates the need for a switch and calls for fewer lines. Each cable uses only one pair of wires, instead of the traditional standard of four pairs. This single pair connection can even be installed on a printed circuit board.
The 10Base-T1S protocol specifies the following:
The digital revolution has significantly impacted the way we learn. In fact, one of the fastest-growing markets for new technology is education. Grand View Research1 reports that the education market was valued at $76.4 billion in 2019 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.1 percent from 2020 to 2027.
Education is embracing the digital revolution in a big way. Today’s learning environments strive to be dynamic and creative. To accomplish this, schools and universities rely heavily on digital infrastructure and tools.
Ed Tech incorporates many of the most popular digital devices available on the IoT. Let us take a look at some of the current trends in education technology.
The traditional teaching model goes like this: the teacher enters the classroom, lectures for about 30 minutes, then the students leave when the bell rings. However, technology has made it possible for teachers and students to stay connected. Devices such as smartphones, laptops, notebooks, and tablets enable teachers and students to interact more often. Pupils can team up, discuss classwork, and solve problems because of this increased connectivity.
Instructors are much more available to answer questions and mentor their pupils. And not only is the class subject taught, but this type of collaborative learning builds the student’s interpersonal skills as well.
More than ever before, education focuses on the welfare and continual improvement of each student’s learning experience. Some of the primary goals in the education sector are to use digital transformation to help accomplish the following:
Schools are particularly emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula. Digital technologies are increasingly being used to tackle subjects like robotics, coding, and programming.
Because the coronavirus pandemic has closed schools, K-12 remote learning is the norm in many places worldwide. Vendors are providing schools with free or discounted access to remote learning resources.
With the increased use of Ed Tech, cyber-security and digital privacy for students have become of utmost concern, specifically SaaS architecture and engineering and OAuth risks. There is a strong push to improve existing products’ effectiveness and create new ones to help manage student data and protect their privacy.
A new teaching trend is called “flipped learning.” This approach does just as the name suggests by turning traditional teaching methods upside down. In a flipped classroom, pupils use videos and other digital educational technologies at home and then go to their physical classroom to complete their “homework” under a teacher’s supervision.
Augmented reality (AR) is one of the hottest technology trends right now. 5G devices and smartphones are on the way and will bring AR to the classroom. AR enhances learning and even provides a student with the opportunity to create their own content.
There are various AR tools and apps on almost any subject, making the academic content immersive and enjoyable. Educational AR technology aims to promote such 21st-century skills as creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, analysis, coding, and iterative testing.
Another immersive technology trend for the classroom is virtual reality (VR). Gone are the days of students sitting passively at desks trying to learn. With VR, students can travel and explore the world. And recent improvements to this technology has made it seem less gimmicky.
Terry Heick, founder, and director of Teach Thought states:
“Through the use of digital technology, virtual realities can be designed precisely for human interaction for very specific reasons to create experiences not otherwise possible.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gathered quite a lot of momentum and will continue to do so in the future. In a lead-up to a deep-dive on the AI market in the US Education Sector, Research and Markets states forecast for growth at “47.77% during the period 2018-2022.”
Educators use this technology as virtual mentors and teaching assistants to personalize students’ learning processes and improve grading systems.
Internet users generate about 205 quintillion bytes of data each day.2 Organizations use big data systems to collect, store, and analyze vast amounts of information to gain valuable insights into their operations. Likewise, educators can use this type of data to discover further just how children learn. The big data technology trend in education is being used to create new teaching models, such as digital learning and customized curricula.
Because of the increase of mobile computing devices, along with affordable and reliable bandwidth, the e-learning market and particularly massive online open courses (MOOCS) are positioned to become a multi-million dollar market in coming years. The success of MOOCS has been so dramatic that universities are forging tie-ups and partnerships that make their mainstream program available online.
Industrial PoE switches provide power for a network and enable network communication through a single ethernet cable. Industrial ethernet switches are an effective way to connect a network in a variety of industrial settings where a reliable and stable connection is crucial. Industrial ethernet switches can be used to power networks of all sizes.
Industrial ethernet switches are durable. They can withstand a broader range of extreme temperature variations in comparison to standard commercial ethernet switches. Commercial Ethernet switches typically work best in a temperature-controlled environment without exposure to moisture. Industrial ethernet switches are often able to operate in extreme temperatures from about -40°C to 75°C. These durable switches are designed to withstand the elements and can withstand harsh weather.
Industrial Ethernet Switches can support twisted wire and fiber optic cables. Twisted wire cabling is the most common type used and is sufficient for distances up to 100m. However, many industrial situations require fiber optic cabling instead. Fiber optic cabling can achieve a longer range of connectivity. High amounts of electrical noise can interfere with reliable network connectivity. Fiber optic cables are particularly beneficial for networks in environments with a great deal of electrical noise.
Unmanaged industrial switches are a good fit for rudimentary, low-priority networks. AETEK unmanaged industrial ethernet switches can provide connectivity for five to ten ports. Unmanaged Industrial PoE switches are capable of basic packet filtering. Unmanaged switches are also a good choice for connecting several switches. They tend to cost significantly less than managed switches.
Managed Ethernet switches perform all the same functions as non-managed Ethernet switches; in addition to the essential PoE functions, managed ethernet switches provide advanced network management tools. Some of the benefits of a managed industrial PoE switch are:
Factories worldwide are increasingly shifting to the connectivity of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to supervise their manufacturing operations more closely. While this digital transformation brings significant efficiencies, it also brings the potential for security risks. Devices with sophisticated operational abilities are a primary target for bad actors looking to attack the global supply chain.
Many major manufacturing companies have been victims of cyberattacks. Here are a few examples:
According to the IBM report entitled X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2020 :
“Operational technology (OT) attacks surged 2,000 percent year-over-year. Threat actors continue to shift their sights to attack vectors, including IoT, OT, and connected industrial and medical systems.”1
Further, Sikich’s 2020 Manufacturing and Distribution (M&D) Report published the following statistics:
The IIoT has markedly improved the service delivery and productivity of industrial enterprises. It is also true that anything connected to the internet is susceptible to cyber threats. Some of the most vulnerable operating systems include:
IIoT infrastructure should be simple, workable, and, of course, secure. Security solutions should include the following:
Secure boot is a security mechanism that only uses cryptographic code signing techniques to ensure that a device executes code generated by its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or another trusted party. This technology subverts attacks by preventing hackers from replacing firmware with malicious instruction sets. It is important to note that not all IIoT chipsets come with secure boot; therefore, it may be necessary to make sure an IIoT device communicates with authorized services.
Mutual authentication, also called two-way authentication, ensures that data originates from a legitimate device. With this process, both the device and service must exchange and verify each other’s identity.
Data that travels between a device and the cloud must be secure. The utilization of encryption ensures that only those with a decryption key can access transmitted data. For example, a smart actuator sending data to the SCADA must be able to prevent eavesdropping.
Security monitoring involves surveilling the general state of an industrial system—particularly endpoint devices and connectivity traffic. Data is collected and then analyzed to expose potential security threats. Should a threat be detected, a wide range of actions are initiated, such as revoking device credentials or quarantining an IoT device. This automatic monitor-analyze-act cycle can happen in real-time or at a later date.
2020 has been quite a year!
The global pandemic has changed every sector of our society, and small businesses have been significantly impacted. Because of the recent approval of COVID-19 vaccines, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, we are not out of the tunnel yet, so 2021 will continue to be a time of transition and evolution. Some things will stay the same. Power over Ethernet (PoE) continues as a technology backbone of IT networks supporting small business priorities and the development of IoT.
In 2021, however, those small businesses that can not participate in digital transformation and the technology involved, will not keep up. According to Businesswire:
The corona pandemic will only accelerate these trends as organizations look to leverage technology to manage through the crises and better position themselves for the eventual recovery. At the core of these developments are what are collectively called 3rd platform technologies, comprising cloud, mobile, social, and Big Data technologies, as well as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), AR/VR, blockchain, 3D printing, robotics, and next-generation security technologies.
The technologies listed in the Businesswire quote above, particularly when combined, are significantly changing how we make our money. In this article, we will take a look at some of these trends.
Forrester predicts that in 2021, companies will step up their digital transformation. Users need all crucial work data available on any device at any time. It is imperative that small businesses continue to adopt collaborative software, customer relationship management (CRM), and other software applications that users expect on their devices.
According to the IEEE:
While customers rivet their eyes on Wi-Fi 6, in the bowels of the IEEE 802.11 Working Group that creates Wi-Fi standards, the next generation Wi-Fi is being developed. At the very first sight, the new IEEE 802.11be amendment to the Wi-Fi standard is nothing but scaled 11ax with doubled bandwidth and the increased number of spatial streams, which together provide data rates as high as 40 Gbps.
A bit deeper dive into the 802.11 activities reveals that 11be will support real-time applications. In reality, 11be introduces many more revolutionary changes to Wi-Fi, which will form a basement for further Wi-Fi evolution.
Although by now (May 2020), the development process is at the very early phase without any draft specification, the analysis of the discussion in the 802.11 Working Group gives insights into the main innovations of 11be. In addition to the ones above, they include native multi-link operation, channel sounding optimization that opens the door for massive MIMO, advanced PHY and MAC techniques, the cooperation of various access points.
First, it is important to note that the Wi-Fi Alliance recently simplified the naming protocol of the mainstream Wi-Fi standards as follows:
The IEEE formed the IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT) Working Group in the fall of 2018. They have ambitious goals and must meet stiff requirements that meet ever-changing connectivity needs.
For Wi-Fi to remain a leading connectivity technology, it is vital to continually improve the user experience by enhancing performance, increasing spectrum efficiency, and reducing costs. These are the goals of Wi-Fi 7. The IEEE has much work to do to approve and publish 802.11be by their projected date of mid-2024.
Let’s take a look at where Wi-Fi is heading.
It is common practice to begin developing future wireless technologies at the same time the latest standard emerges into the marketplace. Wi-Fi 6 is on the verge, so it is time to look to the future—to Wi-Fi 7.
Following are the most significant improvements that Wi-Fi 7 is projected to offer.
The newly emerging Wi-Fi 6 technology is 40 percent faster than the current mainstream Wi-Fi 5 wireless transmission standard. Wi-Fi 6 introduced the multi-user, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) that supports eight data streams to work simultaneously.
Wi-Fi 7 intends to introduce the coordinated multiuser MIMO (CMU-MIMO), which will support up to 16 data streams on all three frequencies (.i.e., 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6 GHz) at the same time.
Multi-link Operation (MLO) enables devices to simultaneously transmit and receive across different bands and channels. Wi-Fi 7 seeks to enhance these links by increasing throughput, which is the measurement data between devices in a local network (LAN). MLO will also lower latency (network.server time), and improve reliability.
The Wi-Fi 7 Working Group is aiming to improve wireless access point (AP) coordination. This type of enhancement may include the following:
The demand for mobile communication is snowballing at a remarkable rate. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2017-2022,1 mobile data traffic is forecasted to increase to 77 exabytes per month by 2022. This figure is seven times greater than 2017 statistics.
This rapid growth has led to “Spectrum Crunch”—concern about a potential lack of wireless frequency spectrum to support the demands of an ever-increasing number of devices. New technologies are being developed to overcome these obstacles because of the fear of spectrum crunch and other Wi-Fi limitations (e.g., security, range, reliability, and speed). One of these, first launched in 2011, is commonly known as “Li-Fi.”
According to TechTarget, light-fidelity (Li-Fi):
[…] is a wireless optical networking technology that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for data transmission.
Li-Fi is designed to use LED light bulbs similar to those currently in use in many energy-conscious homes and offices. However, LiFi bulbs are outfitted with a chip that modulates the light imperceptibly for optical data transmission. LiFi data is transmitted by the LED bulbs and received by photoreceptors.
Li-Fi comprises a host of light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs that form a wireless network. This technology causes LEDs to emit invisible pulses of light that enable data to travel to and from receivers. Receivers collect and interpret the transmitted data in a similar way to decoding Morse Code but at a far faster pace. Li-Fi has transmission speeds of over 100Gbps (which is 14 times faster than WiGig).
Following is a list of Li-Fi benefits to consider.
At this time, the visible light spectrum (VLS) is under-utilized for wireless communication. It offers far greater bandwidth than is available through a radio frequency spectrum. VLS offers:
In most cases, when connecting to the network, a device must have a power cord and network cable. A PoE network means that only one cable is needed for power supply and data transmission to devices. To do this, you either need a PoE switch or a normal switch and a PoE injector/splitter. Your specific needs are based on the power needs of your devices. Transmitting power using Ethernet cables is standardized by IEEE 802.3 to create four categories. Most importantly, PoE shows its value for those devices that need power and data transmissions. Due to the advancement of the Internet and IoT, the number of devices requiring data that can be controlled remotely has increased significantly and this number is expected to continue to grow. The rapid expansion of connected devices means that PoE will be more important for most infrastructures.
It’s important to note that PoE is not limited to the applications listed here, but these are the three most common. First is the original PoE device — the VoIP phone. The VoIP phone allowed for the use of PoE to allow for a single connection to have power and data transmission. Second is the IP camera, which is critical in security camera technology, where PoE helps in ease in repositioning and fast deployment. The third is the wireless access point, where remote positioning can be done. Unsurprisingly, smart home automation is benefited by PoE.
There are differences between regular and PoE switches, but the most significant is in relation to accessibility. The regular switch doesn’t let you supply power using an Ethernet cord. However, you can connect a regular switch to a PoE injector/splitter. A PoE switch has a lower cost because you don’t need extra power cables, which helps you keep your infrastructure costs lower. Also, Ethernet cables aren’t as expensive and frequently already installed. Even if they’re not, it is still pretty cheap to install them because installation doesn’t require an electrician. This type of network allows for greater adaptability for connected devices, which means that remote locations or areas without power sources can be covered more easily. Thus, a PoE switch maximizes power resources because power consumption is automatically detected so only the amount needed is supplied, minimizing power waste. Most importantly, PoE switches allows you to stay afloat in an ever-changing world where technology is advancing rapidly.
None of the above means that PoE is perfect. There are cases where a regular switch is better. For example, you can only transmit data over 100 meters with a PoE, which is problematic in large facilities. However, if you have an extender, data transmission can go up to 1,219 meters. Moreover, while technology is advancing, not all technology has reached the status for PoE. So, if your device isn’t PoE compliant, you’ll need an injector/splitter. It’s also important to note that PoE is still advancing. Currently, they can power computers and televisions, but if you need a lot of power, you may not be able to cover it with PoE.
There are several types of PoE switches: (1) unmanaged, (2) smart, and (3) managed. For most people, a managed PoE switch is a great option because it gives the owner much more flexibility and control over the network. However, it’s important to know about all of them. The unmanaged PoE switch is beneficial for home networks or small business offices. This type of switch can’t be modified so you don’t need to worry about enabling or disabling interfaces. They work best for places with less than 5 to 10 computers. However, there aren’t any security features with the unmanaged PoE switch — which can be a major drawback. The smart PoE switch is used for smaller networks too, but is complete with security features. The capabilities of these switches is limited. They offer QoS and VLANs, which is great for labs and small workgroups. You’ll be able to set up a virtual network, but there isn’t anything overly sophisticated for monitoring or troubleshooting. The managed PoE is used for data centers and larger networks. It is the most sophisticated because it has full management capabilities and security features. Therefore, network security, control, and management is high and are beneficial for operations that need 24/7 monitoring. However, these are the most expensive PoE switches, yet allow for scalability for network growth.
PoE switches are great for advancing companies and expanding networks. Be sure to get the one that’s most effective for you.
