Phoenix Contact Introduces New Couplers That Transmit Without Contact

Phoenix Contact launched its contactless, live transmission technology, dubbed “NearFi”. The company’s NearFi couplers transmit up to 50 Watts of power and 100 megabits of data per second without the need for physical contact.

When solely transmitting data, this Ethernet technology can communicate across an air gap of 40 millimeters. With NearFi, data and power at the same time or power alone can be transmitted across an air gap of 12 millimeters. The couplers are protocol-independent and can transmit time-critical Ethernet protocols including PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, and EtherCAT. NearFi’s low latency also makes it acceptable for standards such as TSN.

Phoenix Contact’s NearFi couplers come in a compact housing rated for IP65 and IK06, showing that they can handle harsh environments. They also have “no wear and no maintenance” according to the company, due to the technology being contactless. They also feature an LED ring on the housing and visible diagnostics.

The NearFi couplers are technician friendly as they are ready to communicate out of the box, with no needed networking or programming experience.