Industrial Modems & Routers
Industrial modems receive information from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) through phone lines (DSL), coaxial cables or optical fiber and converts it into a digital signal. This digital signal can now be utilized by an industrial router to get the information to connected devices through Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi. The speed and reliability of the information transmission can vary greatly depending on the type and design of the modem and router.
Industrial modems can use the copper wires of existing phone lines as a cost-effective way to connect to the internet. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a high-quality, reliable broadband connection that permits faster data transmission through a single connection. Very High bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) uses the copper wires or fiber-optic cables in the phone line to deliver some of the fastest download and upload speeds available in the industry.
More Information about Industrial Modems & Routers
Industrial leased line modems are designed for use in a private communication channel leased from a common carrier. A leased line is a dedicated, fixed, digital, point to point line for data transfer and can be supplied at various speeds and with various interfaces. Leased line modems interconnect computers, controllers and similar digital equipment up to 10 miles over copper wires.
Industrial cellular routers do not use phone lines, coaxial cables or optical fiber to connect to the internet, instead, they quickly connect to cellular towers that belong to a specific network. Industrial cellular routers contain a cellular modem and offer features such as, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, serial ports, dynamic routing, VPN security and I/O options. These routers are ideal for remote locations where landline access is not available.
Basics of Switches, Routers & Hubs
Ethernet hubs, switches and routers connect computers to networks, devices and other computers.
Ethernet hubs are the least intelligent of the three devices. They simply take any message that is received and transmits it to every other device connected to that hub. For example, if CPU 1 on a network wants to send a message to CPU 5, it will send that message through the hub.The hub will then take that message and send it out to every connected device on that hub regardless of the intended target. When CPU 5 receives that message and wants to respond, it will send its response through the hub which sends it to every connected device. Ethernet hubs do not manage any data that is sent and tend to bog down networks. They also do not offer much security for the network. For these reasons, Ethernet hubs are are being replaced with network switches.
Switches transmit data from one device to another on the same network. Unlike a hub, switches use a switch table to learn where data came from and where to send it. Switch tables store Mac addresses and device ports. By storing this data, a switch can operate more efficiently than a hub, greatly reducing the traffic within the network.
Routers transfer data between devices while learning the location of those devices within the network. They are also a junction between two or more networks. An example of this would be a home router where the home network is connected to the Internet. Another example would be when the router connects two or more networks with different business functions. In addition to connecting two or more networks, a router offers important security features that help protect the network.