GarrettCom launches hardened mobile Ethernet switches for transportation apps

FREMONT, USA: The newest member of the industrial-grade Magnum Switches product line, the Magnum 6KM Mobile Ethernet Switch from GarrettCom Inc., is purpose-built to withstand shock and vibration in harsh mobile environments including railroad carriages, public service and emergency vehicles, mining equipment, shipboard, and military vehicles.

Possible applications are wide-ranging and include in-carriage networking of IP-enabled infotainment systems, robotics, security and surveillance systems, and mobile network devices on trains, mobile command centers, light rail and busses, as well as passenger accommodation technology in a variety of scenarios.

The innovative design of the 6KM features M12-type heavy-duty screw-type port connectors, technology borrowed from military equipment that is designed to stand up to mobile vibration.

"Interest in mobile access to IP communications is growing rapidly, but the only available switches to install in vehicular applications, other than high-priced water-tight military Ethernet switches, are ones with standard RJ-45 ports, which do not stand up well to continuous vibration," said Lee House, GarrettCom's CTO.

"With the 6KM, GarrettCom has uniquely combined the features of its hardened Ethernet switches, which stand up to extremes of temperature, dust and dirt, corrosion, power surges and electromagnetic interference, with rugged M12 ports to withstand vibration and shock in an affordable package for many types of mobile applications."

The Magnum 6KM is designed to meet or exceed demanding industrial standards for mobile environments, including compliance with IEC 61373 and IEC 60068-2-27 specifications for withstanding shock, and with IEC 61373, IEC 60068-2-6 FC specifications for withstanding vibration.

In addition, the 6KM design complies with the EN50155 and EN50121-4 Railway Applications Standards, NEMA TS-2, and TEES for DC-powered and PoE-powered traffic control equipment, is DNV compliant for marine applications, is UL listed (UL 60950), and meets European CE and RoHS requirements.

The 6KM base unit has four 10/100 M12 copper ports (PoE optional). Configuration choices include two Gigabit ports (either M12 copper ports or LC-type fiber), and up to four 100Mb LC fiber ports, up to four additional 10/100 M12 copper ports, or combinations of the two.

To protect sensitive electronics from even the harshest environments, the 6KM Mobile Ethernet Switch is packaged in a fully-enclosed steel case that acts as a heat sink, eliminating the need for movable parts such as fans, and providing high EMI noise immunity.

Able to withstand operating temperatures ranging from -40 degrees to 195 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees to 85 degrees Celsius); with optional conformal coating for corrosive environments, and with an IP52 rating for dust and dirt resistance, the 6KM is capable of operating under hostile mobile conditions. Power input choices include world-wide AC or DC at 12V, 24V, -48V, 110V, 125V, 250V, and each with Dual-Source power input for redundancy. This powerful, small-footprint device is available with DIN-rail or panel mounting.

The Magnum 6KM comes with MNS-6K Managed Network Software, proven in tens of thousands of hardened applications over 10 years of service. MNS-6K features GUI ease of use, secure web management, SNMPv2, v3 management, 802.1p QoS prioritization, tag-based VLANs, IGMP snooping and IGMP-L2 multicast management, port security, and a choice of software redundancy options including RSTP-2004 with industry-leading fault recovery times in rings and meshes, and GarrettCom's S-Ring product which supports unmanaged switches as part of resilient rings.

Optional MNS-6K-SECURE software adds more security features such as SSH, RADIUS and TACACS+ support, SFTP, DHCP Server, Syslog events, TFTP and SNTP Server.

GarrettCom products are marketed through a direct sales force and a network of resellers, system integrators, manufacturers' representatives, and international distributors. Prices for the Magnum 6KM Managed Switches start at $1,000.