Siemon, a global network infrastructure specialist, has successfully demonstrated operation of 10BASE-T1L Single-Pair Ethernet (SPE) over 400 metres of category 7A TERA balanced twisted pair copper cabling.
Siemon’s fully shielded TERA SPE solution is the first 23 AWG balanced twisted-pair copper cabling system proven to support 10BASE-T1L over distances of up to 400 metres for operational technology (OT) and 10 Mb/s enterprise IT applications. This is a milestone step in confirming SPE’s ability to bring Ethernet network compatibility, including operation over a standardised, non-proprietary cabling infrastructure, to a wide range of OT devices operating at 10Mb/s or less.
More than 50 billion IoT/IIoT devices are expected to be connected to networks by 2025 and many of them will be low-speed OT devices such as sensors, actuators and relays commonly used in building automation and industrial applications. Traditional 4-pair Ethernet connectivity used for networking devices like wireless access points and surveillance cameras is cost-prohibitive for these OT device connections. Single-Pair Ethernet supporting 10 Mb/s transmission over balanced single-pair cabling delivers reliable power and data to these devices.
In Siemon’s demonstration, SPE was deployed to administer a basic access control system consisting of magnetic door locks responding to inputs from localised inputs like card readers and remotely managed control functions. For a detailed video overview visit: https://go.siemon.com/spe-video.
Since SPE-enabled end-device and system development is in the pre-market stage, media conversion boards supplied by Analog Devices Inc, were used in the evaluation to convert controller and end device 10BASE-T TCP/IP output signals to 10BASE-T1L. SPE system operation was successfully demonstrated over 400 metres of a one-pair channel constructed from Siemon category 7A cable and four Siemon TERA connectors. All Siemon connectors, cords and cables in the SPE channel are commercially available with an installed base of millions of connections.
“It’s easy to specify new TERA permanent links that are capable of supporting both future IT and OT device connections over 400-metre distances,” said John Siemon, CTO and Vice President, Operations, Siemon. “Because the Siemon TERA SPE cabling system is fully-shielded, it has the advantage of supporting up to four unique SPE applications and controllers over a single four-pair standards compliant structured cabling channel – an ability that’s referred to as ‘cable sharing.’ Cable sharing saves material cost and more efficiently utilises pathway space compared to deploying four SPE applications over four individual one-pair cables.”
