Patton Electronics has announced the availability of its US-manufactured CopperLink CL2300E, a light-industrial, wire-bonding Ethernet extender that will soon be available for pre-order. Suitable for extending Long Range Ethernet (LRE) segments in machine-to-machine (M2M) and industrial networks, the CL2300E employs wire-bonding technology to join up to four twisted pairs into a single Ethernet connection with superior speed and distance performance, says the company.
Because it operates over any installed copper infrastructure, Patton notes that CL2300E eliminates the expense and delay of installing new cabling when interconnecting industrial Wi-Fi access points (WAPs), IP cameras, programmable line controllers (PLCs), flow meters, magnetic sensors, and similar IP-enabled devices with SCADA systems or remote industrial-Ethernet LANs.
Extending Ethernet up to 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) over any installed copper network infrastructure (UTP, STP, Cat 5e, telephone cable, etc.), each twisted pair provides bandwidth ranging from 5.7 Mbps to 15.3 Mbps depending on segment length. In noisy environments or situations where copper cable quality is questionable, the CL2300E is also an excellent solution for point-to-point Ethernet connectivity, capable of delivering bandwidth greater than 60 Mbps.
The CL2300E’s ruggedized enclosure and conformal coated PCB assembly enable stable operation in temperatures ranging from -40o to +85o Celsius—with protection against humidity, condensation and corrosion. CopperLink auto-rate adaptation negotiates the best-possible speed and distance for each wire pair. Should one wire-pair fail, the CL2300E automatically adjusts the overall line rate for a stable connection. Six user-selectable line-rate modes and all pair-bonding settings are configurable, so the system designer can control the speed/distance combination when required.
“With M2M and the Internet of Industrial things, Ethernet distance limitations can be a major obstacle,” comments Burton A. Patton, EVP of Patton Electronics. “Industrial network designers can use Patton’s Industrial Ethernet Extenders to provide Ethernet connectivity anywhere. CopperLink is installed and operating today in all kinds of sensor-network applications: oil wells, pipelines, coal mines, roadways, traffic signals. We’re excited about supporting so many civil infrastructure projects with long-range Ethernet solutions.”
Last November at the Secured Cities trade show, Patton notes that it highlighted an IP-networked traffic-control solution, based on CopperLink Ethernet extenders, devised for the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).