Hirschmann has a longstanding reputation in the field of industrial networking. The brand’s deep background, strong technological innovation and a wide range of product applications have made it an important player in the global market.

History: Founded in 1924, Hirschmann initially focused on communication connector technology, installing the world’s first Ethernet with fibre-optic connection for the University of Stuttgart in 1984, launching the Ethernet ring network in 1990, and developing the first converters for fieldbus systems in 1993. Since then, Hirschmann has been at the forefront of industrial network electronics.

Innovations: Hirschmann is a pioneer and leader in industrial network technology, with the creation of the world’s first fibre-optic Ethernet in 1984 and the introduction of HIPER-Ring in 1990, innovations that laid the foundations for the development of industrial Ethernet and kept Hirschmann at the forefront of technology.

Product range: A comprehensive portfolio of data communication products ranging from Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Ethernet products to fieldbus systems and ASI connectors for actuators and sensors. Industrial Ethernet switches are one of the core products, including unmanaged, managed, DIN-rail, and rack-mounted types to meet different industrial scenarios and network requirements.

Port Configuration: It may be equipped with several different types of ports to meet the diverse connection needs of industrial equipment. Common Hirschmann industrial Ethernet switches have RJ45 ports with 10/100/1000Mbps adaptive rate, which are suitable for connecting all kinds of devices in the industrial field, such as sensors, controllers, servers and so on. There may be optical fibre ports, such as SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) ports, which support multi-mode or single-mode optical fibre connection to meet the requirements of long-distance transmission and high-speed data communication, and are suitable for connecting equipment in different plants or over long distances. Some models are also available with an M12 interface, which offers good protection and is suitable for connecting equipment in harsh environments, such as outdoors or in places subject to mechanical vibrations.

Data exchange capability: Supports full-duplex and half-duplex communication modes, users can choose the appropriate mode according to the device connection and network environment to optimise network performance. With a high data forwarding rate, it can quickly process large amounts of data to meet the demand for real-time data transmission in industrial automation scenarios and ensure the efficient operation of the production process. Higher backplane bandwidth and packet forwarding rate ensure high efficiency and stability when multiple ports transmit data at the same time, avoiding data congestion and loss.

Environment Adaptability: As an industrial grade switch, it has the ability to work in a wide range of temperatures, the operating temperature range may be – 40°C to + 70°C, and it can be stably operated in harsh environments, such as cold outdoor or high-temperature industrial plants. The protection level reaches IP65/IP67 standard, with good dustproof and waterproof performance, which can effectively resist dust, water splash and short time immersion, and adapt to a variety of complex industrial environments. Strong anti-vibration and anti-shock ability, in line with industrial standards, can work normally in places with vibration and shock (such as factory production lines, rail vehicles).

Network protocol support: Support VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) function, which can divide the network into multiple logical subnets to improve network security and management efficiency, such as dividing equipment in different production areas into different VLANs to achieve data isolation and traffic control. Equipped with QoS (Quality of Service) function, it can assign different priorities to different types of data (e.g. voice, video, control commands, etc.) to ensure that critical data is transmitted first. Supports redundant protocols such as Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP), which can automatically detect loops in the network and prevent network loops by blocking certain ports, improving network stability and reliability. It supports port mirroring function, which is convenient for network administrators to monitor and analyse the network traffic, and discover network failures and abnormalities in time.

Management Function: Support SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to achieve remote network management, administrators can monitor and configure the switch through the network, such as checking the port status and traffic statistics. Web management interface, intuitive and convenient operation, no need for professional command line operation skills, lowering the threshold of management. Supports CLI (Command Line Interface) configuration, providing professional network engineers with more accurate and flexible configuration methods to meet the advanced configuration needs in complex network environments.