Industrial Ethernet Switches for Extreme Environments

Industrial-Grade Ethernet Switches to the Rescue

Real life Problem

The news this summer has been dominated by the story of the boys soccer team from Thailand that was trapped in a cave. Happily, they were all rescued and are safe now. Now that we know there is is a happy ending, it’s fun to figure out how communication was set up. while we don’t know the specifics for the cave in Thailand, we do have a lot of information on another famous rescue, the Chilean Miners. To reach the trapped  Chilean miners, rescuers needed to send down the ‘Phoenix’ rescue pod networked with a camera for video transmission in order to inspect the rock structure of the tunnel walls. The rescue pod was expected to endure very rugged conditions including extreme heat and a very wet environment. These conditions usually make transmitting the video images back to the rescuers a major problem. It’s a challenge to find equipment that will preform well and consistently in extreme conditions.

Application Solution in Extreme Conditions

The Chilean rescue team chose the best possible solution, Red Lion’s SLX-5ES-ST. Known for its compact size and rugged reliability in extreme conditions,  SLX-5ES-2ST industrial Ethernet switches were used in test runs of the Phoenix to remotely video the tunnel walls and the movements of the capsule. While in the tunnel, the industrial-grade switches endured 95 degree Fahrenheit temperatures and wet conditions to transmit the video images to a nearby control room.

Benefit of Red Lion Industrial Ethernet Switches

The SLX-5ES-2ST is a compact, 5-port industrial Ethernet switch that weighs only six ounces and offers connectivity for both fiber and copper cabling. Red Lion’s connectivity products are used in a variety of industries including power & utilities, oil & gas, military, maritime, transportation, video & security and others.