The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech introduces the EKI-7656C 16+2 combo port industrial managed redundant gigabit Industrial ethernet switch. This compact and industrially hardened switch offers advanced traffic control for optimum network performance and security, along with rapid self-healing fiber optic ring capabilities to ensure network uptime in adverse environments.

The 18-port EKI-7656C features 16 Fast Ethernet (10/100Base-TX) and two combo gigabit (1000Base-T) ports, which support both copper (RJ-45) connections and optional industry-standard Small-Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) modules, giving users the power and flexibility to configure the switch for their unique application requirements. About the size of an “AA” battery, SFPs are available in single-mode and multi-mode fiber models, for fiber connections ranging from 500M to 110km (1,800 feet to 68 miles).

To meet the real-time fault-tolerant needs of manufacturing, Advantech developed the ultra fast X-Ring, which in the event of a fiber cable fault or similar problem, switches to the backup connection in less than 10ms, ensuring solid and reliable network communications.

For even greater network resiliency, X-Ring supports advanced architectures including dual rings and coupled rings. There is even backward compatibility with enterprise and back-office to factory-floor connections, with support for RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) and its predecessor STP (Spanning Tree Protocol).