A major manufacturing company specializing in automated robotic assembly lines sought to modernize its industrial network infrastructure. The project required a rugged and intelligent solution capable of delivering high power to advanced robotic equipment while maintaining reliable high-speed data connectivity. To achieve this, the company needed a solution to support both long-distance fiber backhaul and short-reach copper uplinks, with the added complexity of managing PoE-powered robotic devices under harsh environmental conditions.
The harsh factory environment, long cable runs and critical uptime requirements made it essential to deploy a network solution that was not only powerful and scalable but also industrially hardened.
Source: Omnitron Systems
The challenge
The customer faced three primary challenges:
- Flexible uplink requirements: The network needed to support long-distance fiber uplinks to remote areas of the factory floor as well as short-range copper uplinks to nearby switches and control systems.
- High power PoE delivery: Many robotic components — including vision systems, embedded controls and motion actuators — required up to 100 W of power via IEEE 802.3bt PoE, exceeding the capabilities of standard PoE solutions.
- Ruggedized environment: Network switches would be deployed in environments with extreme temperatures, vibration and airborne particulates, requiring industrial-grade hardware with high tolerance and reliability.
- Device monitoring and control: The company needed management capabilities to remotely monitor and control end devices, detect unresponsive equipment and minimize downtime through automated recovery mechanisms.
The solution
To address these challenges, the company deployed Omnitron’s RuggedNet GHPoEBT managed PoE switches across the robotic production environment.
Source: Omnitron Systems
The RuggedNet GHPoEBT/Mi is a managed PoE, PoE+ and PoE++ Industrial Ethernet switch that features fiber or copper uplink ports and four 10/100/1,000 PoE/PoE+ RJ-45 copper user ports.
The uplink ports support two 10/100/1,000 copper or 100 M/1 G fiber uplink ports. The GPoEBT/Mi supports IEEE 802.3bt (60 and 100 W) per user port depending on the model. (Part number: 3319B-0-24-2Z)
- Supports IPv4 and IPv6
- PoE watchdog self-healing function/PoE heartbeat monitoring and configurable PoE power reset
- PoE power management with LLDP MED and MDI TLV, and PoE power multi-day scheduler
- Management via Web, Telnet, SSH, SNMPv1/v2c/v3 and serial interfaces
Key solution features
- 4 x 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 PoE++ Ports (IEEE 802.3bt Type 4) providing up to 100 W per port
- 1 x 10/100/1000BASE-X SFP Fiber Uplink Port and 1 x RJ-45 copper uplink port for flexible connectivity
- Extended operating temperature range (-40° C to 75° C) for use in harsh industrial settings
- DIN-rail mountable hardened metal enclosure suitable for factory control panels
- Advanced management features including:
- PoE watchdog (self-healing function): Automatically detects and resets unresponsive PoE devices
- PoE heartbeat monitoring: Ensures active device responsiveness through periodic health checks
- Configurable PoE power reset: Allows remote, scheduled or event-driven power cycling of connected devices
- SNMP, CLI and Web GUI support for full network visibility and control
With RuggedNet GHPoEBT switches installed at each robotic station, the customer was able to deliver both high-speed data and 100 W power over a single Ethernet cable, significantly simplifying infrastructure and reducing cabling costs. The combination of fiber and copper uplink options provided flexibility in connecting remote and nearby network zones, while rugged design ensured reliable operation around-the-clock.
The result and conclusion
After full deployment of Omnitron’s RuggedNet GHPoEBT switches, the manufacturing company realized significant operational improvements:
- Simplified cabling infrastructure: Combined power and data over a single cable reduced installation time and complexity.
- Improved uptime: Automated device recovery via PoE watchdog features dramatically reduced on-site maintenance and unplanned downtime.
- Enhanced network control: Centralized management tools provided real-time visibility and control over robotic devices.
- Operational scalability: Flexible uplink options enabled future expansion of the robotic system without redesigning the network.
The deployment of Omnitron RuggedNet GHPoEBT switches enabled the major manufacturing company to power and connect its high-tech robotic equipment with a robust, intelligent and highly flexible network. The solution delivered long-distance fiber connectivity, 100 W PoE++ per port and advanced device management — reducing operational downtime and simplifying network administration.
With Omnitron’s Made-in-USA rugged solutions at the core of its manufacturing network, the company is now equipped to expand its automation initiatives with confidence, performance and efficiency.
