White paper “Single Pair Ethernet and Power over Data Lines“

With Single Pair Ethernet, Ethernet becomes the uniform communication protocol on all levels of industrial automation and building automation. Some standards are still under progress. This white paper gives an overview on the status quo of standard and technology.

Whether we look at office IT applications, telephony or video surveillance – Ethernet is the predominant communication protocol worldwide. In industrial applications, too, Ethernet is well-established on enterprise, control and device level. On the field level as well as in building automation applications where many components, sensors and actuators transmit and receive only a small amount of data, bus systems were preferred. Considering the huge amount of small sensors, actuators and components and the low amount of data created by them, providing each and every one of them with an Ethernet port and connecting them with an individual four-pair cable to the network was technically as well as economically out of all proportions. Having to change from Ethernet to the communication protocol of one of the many different bus systems was accepted, but a uniform communication protocol for the entire network was more than desirable.

With its simple and efficient cabling infrastructure, Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) solves the problem of elaborate cabling. Thin one-pair cables and small, space-saving connectors minimize cabling effort. They need less space, cause less installation effort and much lower material costs. In addition to that, sensors, actuators, controllers and devices can be powered via Power over Data Lines (PoDL). With Single Pair Ethernet, Ethernet becomes the uniform communication protocol on all levels of industrial automation and building automation. Translating protocols like when connecting Ethernet to bus systems is not necessary anymore. This white paper introduces the various SPE types and the cabling components that go with them and also covers Power over Data Lines (PoDL) in detail.

The white paper can be downloaded from the Telegärtner website at https://www.telegaertner.com/whitepaper

Sharing knowledge is a Telegärtner tradition. Our experts publish specialist articles, white papers, educational brochures and text books. This column points our readers to publications we consider worth reading.