Single-Pair Ethernet – The Standard for the Industrial Internet of Things

Together with other new technologies, Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) enables continuous IP communication between server, cloud, and power supply in complex IIoT solutions.

Simon Seerenier, head of product management IE & SAI at Weidmuller, discusses Single-Pair Ethernet – The Standard for the Industrial Internet of Things.

In the factory of the future, machines and systems are networked with each other through a digital infrastructure. So-called cyber-physical systems are emerging, which communicate in real time as independent actors in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control production processes themselves. The basic prerequisite for this is the forward-looking combination of two disciplines: automation and digitization. Single Pair Ethernet can be this backbone infrastructure of both disciplines.

The new standard for high requirements
In the future, an end-to-end network with powerful data connections from the sensor to the cloud will be required. This pushes conventional Ethernet systems to their limits. Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is the extension of Ethernet technology into sensor technology. SPE is compact, flexible and enables long ranges. SPE allows the expansion of existing installations and supports end-to-end communication based on the Ethernet protocol. For Weidmüller, SPE is therefore the missing link to fill today's gap in the standard Ethernet network. SPE deliberately does not define new transmission speeds, but forms the normative framework for application-oriented, simplified Ethernet cabling with data lines up to 1,000 m in length. Together with other new technologies such as TSN, OPC-UA or 5G, SPE enables both continuous IP communication between server and cloud and power supply in complex IIoT solutions.