Advantech debuts EtherNet/IP, Profinet compatible switches EKI-5500/5600

Jan. 27, 2017 – Advantech’s IIoT Automation Group has launched the EKI-5500/5600 PN/PNMA and EI series of industrial switches, designed to communicate through Profinet or Ethernet/IP. 

According to the company, the EKI-5500/5600 series are a new generation of industrial protocol managed switch products. They come with a metal housing that is IP30 rated to protect against dust. The 8.4 to 52.8 VDC power input is dedicated to operating in areas of unstable power and rugged environments. The series meets the Profinet real-time standard and support media redundancy protocol as well as ODVA certified to meet the requirements of Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) for added reassurance, notes Advantech. Features such as Ring, VLAN, and SNMP make the series “especially convenient” for setting up a network infrastructure and the inclusion of the Profinet and ODVA certification make it easier to figure large numbers of switches that can link with a variety of devices.