In some cases industrial equipment vendors or industrial protocols require features only available on managed switches. For example, several EtherNet/IP control vendors recommend the use of switches that support IGMP snooping. Also, your vendor may suggest that your switch supports QoS or VLAN. Consult your equipment vendor for any suggested or required switch features.

Environmental Concerns

This is where Industrial Ethernet switches really differentiate themselves from commercial switches. Industrial Ethernet switches were designed for environments that are not favorable to commercial switches. This can include environments with temperature extremes, high vibration and severe electrical noise. As commercial environments are generally room temperature, most commercial switches are designed for a very small temperature range. Also, some commercial switches use fans to help in cooling. This could be a problem in many industrial environments due to dust that could accumulate in the fans and the low MTBF of most fans. Commercial switches also expect to be in a low, electrical noise environment. This is not the case in many industrial environments. Commercial switches are designed to meet commercial or office EMC requirements while most Industrial Ethernet switches are designed to meet the more stringent industrial EMC requirements.

Environmental concerns can also be as simple as mounting and power supply issues. Most commercial switches are designed for 19-inch rack mounting or table top mounting, but this usually is not acceptable for many industrial environments. Normally, these environments utilize DIN-rail mounting or panel mounting. Also, many commercial switches utilize a wall-mount power supply. These are generally hard to install in industrial settings, and they can be problematic in high-vibration environments where vibrations can dislodge them from standard electrical outlets.

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