News.

Discover the latest developments at Hannover Messe this April, the premier international event driving industrial innovation. The trade fair will have over 4,000 companies representing key sectors such as mechanical engineering, electrical, digital industries, and energy, all under the theme “Empowering Sustainable Industry.”

One of the prominent exhibitors at the event will be the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance, located at Hall 9, Stand D28. This alliance brings together a diverse range of stakeholders to showcase solutions aimed at fostering high-performance and sustainable industrial practices.

At Hannover Messe, attendees will gain insights into how companies can leverage networking, digitalization, and automation to advance climate neutrality goals through electrification. Central to this endeavor is the seamless and secure distribution of data and energy, forming the backbone of future industrial landscapes.

A focal point of discussion will be Single Pair Ethernet, a burgeoning technology garnering attention from startups and established industry players alike. The presence of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance underscores the growing momentum behind this innovation.
The alliance’s stand will serve as an open forum for cross-industry collaboration, aiming to establish Single Pair Ethernet as the standard for Ethernet connectivity globally. Visitors are encouraged to engage with alliance members to explore the potential applications of this technology across various sectors.

For further details and to secure your free visitor ticket, please visit the official Hannover Messe website: Tickets & Exhibitor Passes (hannovermesse.de).

After our successful debut at the Hannover Messe 2023, we were even able to surpass our success at this year’s SPS trade fair!

Together with a large number of partners from the global community, we presented the latest innovations in the field of Single Pair Ethernet (SPE). The range of technologies presented, from sensor solutions to test centers, underlined the versatility and maturity of SPE technology.

The numerous detailed technical discussions confirmed that SPE is firmly established in the market as a technology of the future. We were able to immerse ourselves directly in in-depth discussions on product and technology topics, enabling us to highlight new ideas and solutions for our prospective customers.

The increased interest in membership showed the steady growth and increasing importance of the Single Pair Ethernet Alliance.

The full review with moving images here.

With almost 120 visitors, almost twice as many visitors as last year came to the SPE Forum in Ludwigsburg. This top-class event provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in Single Pair Ethernet technology. Weidmüller participated in the forum with three presentations and was thus able to underline its expertise. The Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance was represented with a spacious stand and was able to show the current state of development with live demonstrations and products. It became very clear that the Single Pair Ethernet technology is on the verge of a market breakthrough and is very interesting for many companies.

We are also looking forward to next year, where this event will certainly make headlines again.

From today we meet at this year’s SPS!

From 14 to 16 November, the annual industry event for the automation sector in Nuremberg will present the entire spectrum of smart and digital automation solutions for a digitalised industrial world. Following the SPS creed – Bringing Automation To Life – we will be representing with our own booth, presenting application solutions and answering questions about SPE.

Our board member Simon Seereiner explains what the representatives of our more than 60 member companies have planned for this year’s SPS in his video. Tim Kindermann and Thomas Keller reveal more details about our appearance at SPS in their invitation videos.

Further information about SPS and ticket options can be found here. 

Click here for the video of Simon Seereiner, Tim Kindermann and  Thomas Keller.

We’re looking forward to this year’s edition of the one-day professional event around the key technology for digital data in the future: the Forum, organized by WEKA Fachmedien, brings together representatives of the most forward-thinking global companies to discuss the possibilities and challenges in making SPE the standard for many connectivity solutions.

The Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will be presenting altogether 6 keynotes by various members at the event. The topics of the talks range from an outlook at the current market position of SPE to its potential in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), with a strong focus on actual existing solutions and use cases or promising applications in various fields.

The full schedule for the Single Pair Ethernet Forum and tickets are available here.

See you in Ludwigsburg!

The second Single Pair Ethernet Forum by the trade magazines LANLine and Markt & Technik will take place in Ludwigsburg at Oct 26 2023. Our experts will be present once more to provide you with insight around the topic of Single Pair Ethernet (SPE).

With about 70 participants, five expert presentations as well as many good discussions, last year’s first forum was already a complete success for the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance. We also have some contributions planned for 2023:

• Use Cases and Market Potentials of Single Pair Ethernet in Industry. Speakers: Tim Kindermann (Phoenix Contact) and Simon Seereiner (Weidmüller).

• Connectors for Single Pair Ethernet. Speakers: Thomas Keller (Rosenberger) and Simon Seereiner (Weidmüller)

• Correlation Coupling Attenuation and Burst using the Example of SPE Application 100BASEt1. Speakers: Ralf Tillmanns (Weidmüller) and Bernd Mund (BDA-connectivity)

• SPE Multidrop Applications beyond the Spec – Increased Number of Nodes and extended Cable Reach on 10BASE-T1S. Speaker: Matthias Karcher (Microchip)

• The Comprehensive System Architecture for Single Pair Ethernet. Speakers: Frank Moritz (Sick), Karl Lehnhoff (EBV) and Simon Seereiner (Weidmüller).

At the event, our experts will provide knowledge on all aspects of the technology, highlight its market potential and give examples of how and in which areas Single Pair Ethernet can already be employed profitably today. In addition, applications can be viewed live with SPE applications to see SPE in action.

The Single Pair Ethernet Forum will take place on Thursday, October 26th at the Forum am Schlosspark in Ludwigsburg.

Further info about the event’s program and registration can be found here.

During Hannover Messe, some of several experts were invited to the VIP stage of the LANline editorial team to talk about Single Pair Ethernet.

The videos can be found here.

Rosenberger participated for the first time with its own booth at SPS Italia, which took place in Parma from May 23 to 25. Thomas Keller, member of the board, and Riccardo Santovito, Rosenberger Italia, also presented the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance here and showed the enormous potential of Single Pair Ethernet products for future Ethernet connections.

The German Digital Factory Journal has invited Simon Seereiner and Thomas Keller from “Single Pair Ethernet” to the current 16th episode of their “Kassiopeia und die Future Fab” podcast.

Like the entire magazine for Industry 4.0 and IoT, the DFJ podcast is about the future of factories and processes – from an unusual perspective: At the start of each episode, the “Emotional AI” Kassiopeia reports live from a factory in the year 2050. Afterwards, her statements get a reality and feasibility check by the invited guests. The podcast is intended to make you smile and think as well. Previous episodes have been about the Metaverse or hydrogen technology – now it’s our turn with the topic of Single Pair Ethernet!

The DFJ podcast is available for free on all major platforms and can be heard here. Sorry, German language only!

Hannover Messe, the single most important international event for all industrial transformation technologies, is coming up again in April – with Single Pair Ethernet is already considered one of the top issues for the five days of the fair. And this year, the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will be there with its own booth!

With currently more than 50 member companies who inspire and support each other, the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance is already a strong association.

Therefore, our booth will be designed as an open, cross-company and cross-industry hub for the free exchange on our common topic of heart: The establishment of Single Pair Ethernet as an international standard for all areas where Ethernet connections are replaced or newly established.

For partners and interested parties, the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance has exclusively reserved a contingent of free tickets, for which a code can be retrieved here.

Details about our booth will be announced in the run-up to the fair, but this is already certain:

SPE is the future and we are looking forward to a personal exchange with you!

Applications around the “Internet of Things” are becoming ever more popular – thus, the requirements for bandwidth and integration capability in All-IP networks are also growing. A new white paper by the cable experts from our member company Draka shows that SPE cables are the means of choice for innovative IIoT or BIoT applications. Among other things, the study compares the design as well as the primary and secondary performance criteria of legacy or SPE cables and looks at their backward compatibility – with detailed, stunning results!

The entire white paper is available to view and download from our website:

To the whitepaper

With the SPS in Nuremberg and the electronica in Munich, two major events took place in November in southern Germany.

The SPESA was represented by numerous members and was thus able to bring the Single Pair Ethernet technology closer to the interested visitors in different ways. In addition to the stands of our members, representatives of SPESA were also active in the forum program at electronica. Simon Seereiner from Weidmüller, Marcel Leonhard from Telegärtner, Verena Neuhaus and Tim Kindermann from Phoenix Contact and Laurent Manhès from Microchip gave presentations on various aspects of the new network infrastructure at the Electrical Connectors Forum.

All presentations met with great interest among the visitors, which also applies to the topic of SPE at the exhibition stands.

We would like to thank the visitors for the many discussions and the interesting exchange!

What a premiere! For the first time since the digital foundation of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance, 18 representatives of 16 member companies met in face-to-face on the sidelines of the SPE Forum in Munich.

Many of the partner companies brought SPE products to the meeting, so that an intensive technical exchange took place in the form of a small exhibition. This demonstrated the member companies’ deep technological understanding of SPE technology. The meeting was rounded off by various presentations in which different aspects of the technology were discussed. These focused on current topics in standardization and user organizations, conformance testing and the interoperability of SPE devices, as well as current trends in building automation.

The general enthusiasm of the participants showed once again that personal exchange is an essential element to further develop SPE technology. This was also underlined by the joint evening event in the city of Munich. We are looking forward to the next personal meeting among the members.

The electronica trade fair in Munich is just about to start and of course the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will present its competence in the field of Single Pair Ethernet again this year. The supporting program will again feature the Electrical Connectors / Measurement Technology Forum. The supporting program aims to focus on knowledge transfer and professional exchange, which is why we are pleased to contribute with our expert presentations in the field of Single Pair Ethernet.

Specialist experts from SPESA will talk about the following exciting topics:

1. Market potential of Single Pair Ethernet and its use cases, Tim Kindermann from Phoenix Contact and Simon Seereiner from Weidmüller
2. Applications of SPE in building automation, Marcel Leonhard from Telegärtner
3. ONEPAIR connectors – The integrated portfolio for Single Pair Ethernet, Verena Neuhaus from Phoenix Contact
4. Single pair Ethernet: Getting 100 meters with 100 Mbit, is that possible?

We kindly invite you to our presentations and are looking forward to a lively technical exchange with you. Please come by!

Click here for the exact schedule.

With about 70 participants on site and many lively technical discussions, the first Single Pair Ethernet Forum, organized by WEKA Fachmediengruppe, was a complete success for the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance.

We are pleased that we were able to contribute to the success of the event with five technical presentations on various topics around Single Pair Ethernet, held by seven experts of SPESA. For example, the descriptive keynote was given by the two board members Simon Seereiner and Tim Kindermann on the topic “Market potential and use cases for Single Pair Ethernet”.

Other exciting presentations by members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance followed:

• Bianca Ulmschneider gave a fascinating insight into the application of SPE in building automation.
• David Bessonen discussed the framework of SPE conformance testing and the interoperability of SPE devices.
• Ralf Tillmanns and Ralf Peteranderl showed test results on shielded and unshielded lines at 10 BASE T1-S.
• Finally, Bruno Escher addressed the topic of backward compatibility of SPE applications to existing fieldbus systems.

The event was topped off by a technical exhibition in which active SPE applications from SPESA members were shown for the first time. Participants of the forum were able to see the first SPE switches and sensors in action in a live demonstration.

The great interest and the interesting exchange with the participants underlined the great potential of SPE in various application areas. We are already looking forward to supporting the next SPE forum in 2023 with interesting topics again.

Meet us in person at SPS in Nuremberg from November 8-10 and at electronica in Munich from November 15-18. Many companies of the SPE System Alliance will present the latest highlights and exciting applications around SPE there. We look forward to seeing you there!

Overview of all booths at the SPS and electronica

This year with more verve than ever: visitors and exhibitors alike are looking forward to opportunities for personal contact and networking.

For us at the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance, networking has more than one meaning: As a technology alliance, we network globally and with various user organisations – and on the other hand, we aim to advance the network infrastructure for the Industrial IoT.

We’d love to chat with you about joining the Alliance. So, drop by and connect with us – and your company to the IIoT!

Our members look forward to welcoming you at these events:

02.10.-06.10.22: Light and Building in Frankfurt

08.11.-10.11.22: SPS in Nuremberg

15.11.-18.11.22: electronica in Munich

When the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance was founded in 2020, eight leading technology companies joined forces to create and promote a common market standard for SPE. Today, we are proud to present another great company as a new member of our group: WAGO!

WAGO is a global manufacturer of components for electrical connections and electronic components for decentralized automation. Well known for its cage clamp and push-wire connector products, the company has approximately 8600 employees altogether, 4000 of which are based in the German facilities in Minden and Sondershausen.

Marco Henkel, Vice President Technology Management at WAGO: “We are pleased to have found a network of companies in the SPESA that – like us – is confident in the performance of the technology and the considerable potential for gains in use for many applications and for our customers.”

Welcome to the team, WAGO!

Single Pair Ethernet has great potential to close the current connectivity gaps in many LAN systems, says Matthias Gerber, Market Manager LAN Cabling at Reichle & De-Massari. In our new “Member Statement” video, Gerber also explains why he is convinced that SPE is an innovative solution for building automation and other areas – and how R&M, as a member of SPESA, plays an important role here.

Go to our new “Member Statement” video

Written by our experts from alliance member companies such as Weidmüller, Rosenberger, Fischer Connectors, Sick or Draka Comteq, the document provides an overview of today’s possibilities and opportunities of SPE in a variety of application areas.

The paper highlights use cases in a wide range of environments – from factory, process, building and cargo ship automation to offshore wind farms or smart cities.

Download and read our white paper here.

From July 4-6, 2022, the 16th Connector User Congress took place in Wuerzburg, Germany. Europe’s largest trade event of its kind provided 391 participants with a long-awaited opportunity for personal exchange on the diverse range of topics related to electrical connectors. Members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance inspired attendees with presentations and workshops about its innovative SPE solutions.

Connectors have become one of the central building blocks in modern electronics. Whether factory automation or e-mobility, connectors are used wherever values such as data speed, sustainability or energy efficiency are crucial. Single Pair Ethernet has emerged as a megatrend – which is why the first day of the Connector Congress focused on SPE.

As SPESA ambassadors, Tim Kindermann (Phoenix Contact), Frank Moritz (Sick) and Thomas Keller (Rosenberger) presented the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance forecast model, which predicts around 50 million SPE nodes in factory automation alone by 2030. The diverse applications of new SPE-M12 hybrid connectors in IIoT devices were pointed out by Eric Leitjens (TE Connectivity) and Verena Neuhaus (Phoenix Contact) in a joint presentation.

The SPESA workshop “Hands on SPE: IDC, continuity IP20 –> M8 –> M12” also attracted great interest. Verena Neuhaus and Tim Kindermann (Phoenix Contact) presented connectors and application samples from various manufacturers and designs that make full use of the advantages of miniaturized SPE cabling. Afterwards, the 51 participants discussed how existing fieldbus and Ethernet cabling systems can be integrated into new SPE infrastructures.

All participants were highly satisfied with the 16th Connector User Congress. Verena Neuhaus drew a positive conclusion of the event: “The interest in SPE remains very high. Due to its potential for the industrial communication infrastructure, the topic is being hotly debated, as we were also able to see in our workshops. Which – just like the entire, perfectly organized event – went really quite well.”

On October 12, WEKA Fachmedien presents the Single Pair Ethernet Forum in Munich. Several members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will give keynote speeches on topics such as the market potential and use cases of SPE, the backwards compatibility of SPE to existing two-wire fieldbus systems or the use of Single Pair Ethernet in modern building automation. Join us for a full day of professional insight into tomorrow’s fascinating digital infrastructure!

To the program

Fast and consistent communication from the sensor/actuator level to the cloud: Single Pair Ethernet is a substantial element in the intelligent communication architecture of modern automation systems. All our members have the same opinion, including founding member Rosenberger.

Folke Michelmann, Executive Vice President, Business Area Medical & Industries tells you in this short clip how SPE will develop the future and why Rosenberger is a member of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance.

Take a look!

Do not forget! Next Monday the Connector User Congress (Anwenderkongress Steckverbinder) starts in Würzburg. On the same day, the five exciting and informative lectures of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will take place.

In addition, members of our Alliance will be represented with stands at the leading connector congress. Has there ever been a better time to get in touch in person?

Click here to go directly to the event.

Don’t miss our first episode of the Single Pair Ethernet Round Table Discussion! We’re pleased to welcome some of our SPESA experts in the first episode to discuss why SPE is unstoppable and what’s behind the prediction of 50 million SPE nodes by 2030. Be sure to tune in!

We are looking forward to the Connector User Congress (Anwenderkongress Steckverbinder) in Würzburg. Are you too?

The first day of the leading connector congress, on 4 July, is clearly dedicated to the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance. In five lectures, our experts will inform you about the topics:

• Multidrop applications with Single Pair Ethernet
• Backwards compatibility of SPE technology with older bus systems
• Market potential of SPE
• SPE shielded or unshielded for 10 BASE t1S
• Connectors for General Purpose Ethernet at ODVA

As you are of course Single Pair Ethernet enthusiasts, we will certainly see you at this event. We look forward to meeting you in person!

Click here to go directly to the event.

The time will soon come! On 4 July, the Connector User Congress (Anwenderkongress Steckverbinder) will start in Würzburg. The leading congress on trends and the use of modern connectors is a must in the electronics industry. Experts will impart specific know-how and provide insights into the latest trends and developments.

Of course, the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance is not to be missed! With several partner booths and no less than five presentations, we will participate in the congress and would like to inform and inspire you about various aspects of Single Pair Ethernet technology.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Click here to go directly to the event.

During the Hannover fair we were able to talk to many of you personally. But we would also like to keep you up to date on the latest developments in the field of Single Pair Ethernet and of course our alliance beyond of the trade fairs. And now the time has come: The first Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance Newsletter is here!

In the first issue we report, among other things, on the cooperation with TIA SPEC, show you interesting video formats and you will receive our exclusive whitepaper “Multidrop SPE Technology”.

You don’t want to miss all this and the upcoming issues? Then register here for free.

Single Pair Ethernet is one of the mega trends in industrial data transmission. This conviction is shared by all our members, including founding member Phoenix Contact. Torsten Janwlecke, COO & President Business Area Device Connectors, tells you in a short clip why SPE will change the IIOT and why Phoenix Contact is a member of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance.

Take a look!

Single Pair Ethernet will establish as the network infrastructure for the Industrial IoT. This conviction is shared by all our members, including founding member Weidmüller. Jörg Scheer, executive vice president, tells you in a short clip where this conviction comes from and why Weidmüller is a member of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance.

Take a look!

Single Pair Ethernet is here to stay. We are on track for 50 million SPE nodes in 2030 in Factory Automation alone. A sophisticated forecasting model from the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance indicates this, and we will push this development sustainably. Join us as we create the future of Industrial Ethernet!

More informations

Calling all product managers and developers of Single Pair Ethernet infrastructure components to take a look at our new whitepaper! The 15-page technical paper was written by members of the Single Pair Ethernet Alliance. It outlines multidrop SPE, providing a comprehensive explanation of the current status of the technology and its use cases.

To the Whitepaper

Members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance present the alliance and SPE technology in this Expert Talk. Find out more about the versatile application possibilities of the new digital infrastructure and its advantages compared to conventional Ethernet solutions. Our experts will also inform you about the current status of standardization and cordially invite you to become part of the global technology alliance yourself.

Click here for the Expert Talk

This year’s VDE ITG conference (the “Cologne Cable Conference for Communication Cable Networks”) unfortunately had to take place online due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, about 60 people spent an afternoon at this online event to learn about the latest developments in Single Pair Ethernet.
The System Alliance supported the successful event with numerous presentations from their ranks.

Verena Neuhaus (Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG) reported on the advantages of SPE in industrial communication. In her presentation, she went into the current situation of the IEEE standards for SPE, showed the development of the standards for SPE connectors and demonstrated the advantages of the connectors from IEC 63171-2 and -5 for industrial applications.

Ralf Tillmanns (Weidmueller Interface GmbH & Co. KG) showed a consideration and analysis of components and SPE channels below 1 MHz.

The presentation was about the evaluation of existing components and channels below 1 MHz in return loss. The results show that an exact consideration of the termination of the component or channel to be tested must be observed. Furthermore, when considering channels, it should be noted that erroneous results can occur in the lower frequency range. Factors such as the size of the component to be tested compared to the wavelength, imaginary parts of the cable in the impedance play a corresponding role here.

Bernhard Mund (BDA), Dr. Christian Pfeiler (Draka Comteq Germany GmbH), Thomas Schmidt (Rosenberger), Thomas Hähner (Nexans France) reported on the EMC parameters of single-pair Ethernet cables.

The presentation dealt with the EMC properties of SPE cables in comparison of modelling and measurement, especially in the lower frequency range, which are of course very important for use in harsh industrial environments. Through the round robin test organized by the Working Group Cable with different cable types and their measurement in 5 laboratories, a good agreement, reproducibility and confirmation of the new limit values for the shielding effectiveness at low frequencies (Low Frequency Coupling Attenuation) could be shown for the first time.

Dr. Christian Pfeiler (Draka Commteq Germany) then gave a joint presentation with Yvan Engels on the status of standardisation with regards to single-pair cabling and cables. Here the arc was drawn from application-neutral cabling with the supplements to 11801 to component standardisation. The status of cable standards in the IEC 61156 series was then directly related to the previous presentation on EMC properties.

Bruno Escher and Andreas Wassmuth (Draka Commteq Germany GmbH & Co KG) then reported on the Compatibility of SPE cables for legacy IIoT and BIoT bus systems. Based on theoretical considerations of the transmission parameters for existing bus systems (including RS 485, Profibus, BacNet), test results for the use of SPE components in these bus systems were then presented. It was shown that SPE components are suitable for use in existing bus systems and thus represent a very good migration option for future use with Ethernet components.

The final panel discussion, moderated by Sebastian Glatz of the ZVEI – Fachverband Kabel und Leitungen, with the participants Simon Seereiner (SPE System Alliance), Yvan Engels (Consultant), Andreas Wassmuth (Prysmian Group) and Rainer Schmid (Harting Pushing Performance), was introduced by a keynote speech by Simon Seereiner (Weidmueller Interface GmbH & Co. KG). In this presentation, Simon Seereiner showed the advantages of Single Pair Ethernet in different applications. The focus was on showing the many possible applications of SPE in the last mile. These use cases were developed in one of the numerous working groups by members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance. A video with these use cases can be found on the website of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance (link).

Conclusion:
A successful event in which the numerous applications of Single Pair Ethernet technology were intensively discussed. The consensus of all participants showed that the Single Pair Ethernet technology will be a necessary addition to the family of Ethernet systems in the direction of “All-IP” communication and that it is only a question of time until this technology will become widely accepted. However, it also became clear that only a holistic view of the “eco-system” and the use cases will enable a rapid introduction.

The members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance will continue to support the VDE ITG conference with competent presentations.

In line with the idea that Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) could be the technology that finally fulfills an old promise – to become a uniform basis for all data communication in (almost) all use cases and areas – System Alliance members actively helped shape this year’s LANline TECH Day.

In a professional setting, broadcast live from the Phoenix Contact Dialog Days Studio, attendees learned about the benefits of SPE in industrial communication:

Ethernet has in many cases supplanted fieldbuses in the industrial plant sector. But the technology, which is tailored to typical IT applications, often hits its limits. Long cable lengths, durability and miniaturization are what industry requires, not increasing transmission rates. Single Pair Ethernet is developing as a solution to become one of the megatrends in industrial data transmission.
Leading companies from the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance highlight areas of application for this new technology. The availability of components and the advantages of an internationally standardized cabling system are also presented. With the new SPE interfaces, device manufacturers can accommodate twice as many interfaces in the same installation space as they previously could with conventional RJ45 sockets. This means the interface can very easily supplement existing infrastructures while fully achieving its cost-saving potential.

BRIEF, INTERESTING AND TO THE POINT – LANline TECH Day brings you up to date with the latest developments in a highly informative and practical way.

The well-known speakers and the editorial support provided by the independent trade journal LANline ensure the high quality of TECH Days.

Two years of SPE System Alliance: standards and strategies for IIoT

With Single Pair Ethernet, the field level with sensors and actuators can be integrated into the smart factory simply, space-saving and cost-efficiently, and the continuous data flow from the edge to the cloud can be realized. With transmission rates of 10 Mbit/s at a transmission length of up to 1,000 m up to 1 Gbit/s at a transmission length of 40 m, the two-wire technology – instead of eight or four with classic Ethernet – is completely sufficient even for sophisticated sensor technology. And compared to the RJ45 connector, a doubling of the port density is possible, allowing for significantly more compact designs of devices.

In order to create a common market standard and establish SPE solutions in the industries, the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance was founded two years ago.
In the first step, members of the alliance realized two internationally standardized connector variants. These include a uniform, compact connector face that allows new, space-saving designs. SPE also enables more transparent IIoT architectures: according to research by the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance, operating costs can be reduced by at least 18%.

The first products and solutions for factory automation, process industry and building automation are now on the market and will be presented at SPS by Alliance member companies. For example, Phoenix Contact will show prototypes of two M12 versions with only one data pair: an SPE-M12 connector and an SPE-M12 hybrid connector.

Technical Constribution

It was a pleasure for the members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance to speak at the Anwenderkongress Steckverbinder 2021 live on site in Würzburg together. Verena Neuhaus from Phoenix Contact and Simon Seereiner from Weidmüller presented the topic “Use cases for Single Pair Ethernet: The advantages of SPE in industrial communication”.

Karl Lehnhoff presented “Possible and available SPE PHYs and switches” with a focus on Broadcom, Microchip, NXP and Onsemi out of the EBV Elektronik Linecard.

Frank Moritz from Sick gave an insight view on Single Pair Ethernet in Sensor System. He addressed the benefits of SPE for Sensors in different industry specific applications.

Especially the lively discussion afterwards with the approximately 150 participants on site showed that the interest in SPE continues to grow. Use cases and application examples of the Single Pair Ethernet technology attracted a lot of interest and are important to illustrate the relevance of the innovative SPE Technology. We are looking forward supporting the next event with comprehensive knowledge and up to Date information on the Single Pair Ethernet Technology.

At the accompanying exhibition, further members of the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance, as Phönix Contact and the Rosenberger Group showcased their SPE systems and solutions.

TIA’s Single Pair Ethernet Consortium (SPEC) will partner with the Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance to educate the global market about the benefits that Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) technology will bring to different applications. Through this collaboration, the two associations hope to accelerate market adoption of SPE technology and bring clarity and confidence to the market by harmonizing communications, education and global standards development.

SPE is generating a lot of interest among automotive, industrial and building automation applications because of its ability to cost effectively transmit power and data over a single pair of copper wires over distances as long as 1000 meters. SPE cabling’s small size, light weight and extended reach make it an ideal technology to support the billions of connected devices and sensors being installed to support Internet of Things (IoT) and building automation systems

“SPE technology is a potential game changer for Industry 4.0,” said Simon Seereiner chairman of the System Alliance. “To help with adoption, it’s important to define the technology ecosystem within the global market. Working with TIA SPEC our two organizations can present a unified message.”

“Standardization of OT and IoT is critical to obtaining widespread adoption,” said Ronna Davis, Chair of TIA SPEC. “By enabling the entire OT network to be supported by Ethernet and replacing disparate legacy protocols with a universal language, SPE lays the foundation for more functional and secure network. SPEC’s mission is to speed awareness of SPE technology, build ecosystem support, and provide the proof of concept and support that companies need to make the transition. Working in partnership with the SPE System Alliance will help us all accelerate the adoption of this transformative technology.”

About TIA’s Single Pair Ethernet Consortium

TIA SPEC was formed to nurture the adaption and growth of single pair networks in a standards-compliant ecosystem. SPEC’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of next generation Operational Technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity by creating a collaborative forum for network and building automation technology leaders interested in utilizing Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and providing case studies, proof of concepts, white papers and reference architectures.

About TIA

Poised at the intersection of the network and communications technologies, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) brings together communities of interest across — Technology, Government Affairs, Standards, and Business Performance — to shape solutions, facilitate programs, and provide products and services that enable high-speed networks and accelerate next-generation Information and Communications Technology (ICT) innovation across all markets.