Single Pair Ethernet ve ASi-5 – Hangi teknoloji ne zaman ve nerede anlamlıdır?

The SPE technology is being developed by different associations for a variety of applications.

Each association has a different focus of work and partners or members from different industries. The following three associations are particularly important in this respect:

• Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance

It is an association of companies committed to the dissemination and development of Single Pair Ethernet solutions. Members work together to raise awareness of the advantages of Single Pair Ethernet in various applications and to promote the diffusion of SPE solutions. The activities of the SPE System Alliance focus on the entire future SPE ecosystem and not on a specific connector system or product.

• Single Pair Ethernet Industrial Partner Network

Founded by seven technology leaders in 2019, the SPE Industrial Partner Network consists of more than 50 member companies. It is an alliance of equal companies pushing Single Pair Ethernet technology as the foundation for rapid growth of the IIoT. The goal of the network is to establish SPE as a new Ethernet technology on the market in the sense of a comprehensive ecosystem with all necessary components.

• Single Pair Ethernet Consortium (SPEC)

The SPEC is a manufacturer-neutral organization for technology leaders and users in the field of building automation technology. One of the consortium's goals is to accelerate the introduction of Single Pair Ethernet in building automation technology and to push the implementation of flexible, cost-effective and reliable network solutions. The production of case studies, white papers, and reference architectures, as well as collaborative partnerships with other SPE initiatives and organizations, are also among the SPEC's goals.

Different connector types and standard sections

All associations use different connector types and standard sections that are optimized according to the requirements of the respective industry and application and are often not compatible with each other. A standardization guideline applicable to all that would ensure compatibility of the various devices and systems does not yet exist. Although there are efforts to promote standardization of connectors for SPE solutions, but so far, there is still no solution.

The number of smart components in the field is increasing exponentially in the age of Industry 4.0. Cybersecurity and network security are therefore becoming increasingly important. What security measures are required for SPE and which for ASi-5? The most important difference between the two technologies in this context is the ASi Gateway, which ensures a logic break between ASi-5 and TCP/IP and represents an additional “security door”. This break in communication isolates many network nodes and thus closes security gaps. Those who are responsible for network security can thus concentrate on significantly fewer devices and check them more carefully.

Another advantage: if you want to change the field bus protocol for ASi-5, you only need to replace the corresponding gateway. All ASi modules, sensors, and actuators can remain unchanged. With SPE, on the other hand, you have to secure not only a node (the gateway) but also all sensors and actuators against possible TCP/IP attacks. And if you change the field bus protocol, you often have to replace all sensors and actuators as well – unless they support the new protocol.