8 Port Lite-Managed Industrial Network Switch

First, you should determine if its an unmanaged or managed switch:

• If unmanaged, its plug and play.
• If managed, you’ll need to know how to reach the switch’s web interface.

To access the managed switch’s web interface, you’ll need to determine the switch’s IP address:

• The default IP address for Maple Systems managed Network Switches is 192.168.100.254

Once you’ve determined the IP address:

• Connect your PC or laptop directly to the switch via Ethernet
• Open a browser and enter the switch’s IP address directly into the URL and press Enter

If you’re using managed switch, your browser should open up to either:

• MapleLink (Managed Switch)
• MapleLink Lite (Lite-Managed Switch)

With straightforward configuration menus, both MapleLink and MapleLink Lite let you quickly set up your lite or fully managed network switch. The integrated topology map of connected devices and neighboring switches gives you key information such as IP address and link status. All the while, our unmanaged and premium unmanaged switches are plug and play for easy and quick installation.

Tutorial: Lite-Managed Industrial Network Switch Setup and Configuration Overview

The default IP address for our Fully-Managed and Lite-Managed Network Switches is 192.168.100.254.

Here is a tutorial we created showing the setup and configuration of one of our Lite-managed Industrial Network Switches.

An Industrial Network Switch is a type of switch designed to operate in harsh environments typically found in industrial settings. It is built to withstand factors like temperature extremes, humidity, vibration, and electrical interference, which are common in factories, power plants, and other industrial locations. These switches are optimized for industrial control systems, offering high reliability and performance. They support features like Power over Ethernet (PoE), network redundancy, and long-distance communication, ensuring uninterrupted data transmission in mission-critical applications.

Industrial network switches come in four main types: Managed, Lite-Managed, Premium-Unmanaged, and Unmanaged. Each type offers different levels of control and functionality, depending on the needs of the network.

1. Managed
   • Configurable switch with lite-managed features and more like DHCP Client/Relay/Option82, LACP, MAC-based VLAN, IGMP Snooping and more!
2. Lite-Managed
   • Configurable switch with advanced features like Port Configuration, Syslog, 802.1p QoS, ACL, and more!
3. Premium Unmanaged
   • Simple plug and play switch with some advanced features like Port Priority, and industrial QoS.
4. Unmanaged
   • Simple plug and play switch with minimal features like Storm and Flow control.

Commercial switches rely on a single power supply to power the switch, while industrial switches typically run off DC power, and have redundant power inputs. This allows the weakest link (the power supply) to have a hot standby back up, insuring maximum up time.

Industrial switches are designed for harsh environments, featuring an IP rating for dust and water resistance, as well as ESD, EMI, power surge, over-voltage, and power spike protection to withstand extreme conditions. These switches are built to endure temperature fluctuations, vibration, and moisture, making them ideal for factories, outdoor, and industrial settings. In contrast, commercial switches are typically used in controlled office or business environments, offering standard performance without the extensive protection found in industrial models. While commercial switches are more affordable and easier to manage, industrial switches ensure durability and reliability in more demanding environments.

Some Industrial switches are also designed for specific use cases like maritime, subway, or railway stations. These switches would be accommodated with their respective certifications.

YES! We have several products that support PROFINET!

Maple Systems Network Switches support IEE.802.1P Quality of Service (QoS), which is the core mechanism PROFINET uses to ensure real time packet priority.

• Detecting 802.1p priority tags in PROFINET RT frames
• Prioritizing PROFINET traffic above standard Ethernet traffic
• Maintains low latency and low jitter during heavy network load
• allows traffic classification and custom QoS rules.

Maple Systems CODESYS Enabled HMIs support PROFINET IO Master functionality where you can seamlessly connect to multiple major brand PROFINENT IO Slave devices, enabling easy selection and rapid deployment of field devices for enhanced communication and control.

• Divers Device Communications
• Easy setup via CODESYS
• Real-time, stable performance
• Multi-protocol Integration

Maple Systems Advanced and High-performance HMIs can communicate with Siemens SIMATIC –S7-1200/S7-1500 PLCs using the PROFINET interface connector on the CPU. Up to 3 HMIs can be connected to one PLC. We’ve created instructions to follow showing how this works:

• Controller Information Sheet

A layer 2 network switch operates at the Data Link Layer of the OSI model. Read more information about the OSI Model. Layer 2 network switches forward data based on MAC addresses. They are responsible for directing traffic within a local area network (LAN).

Layer 2 switches do not inspect IP addresses, and their main focus is on MAC-level communication.

A layer 3 network switch operates at the Network Layer of the OSI model. Read more information about the OSI Model. Layer 3 network switches forward data based on IP addresses.

Unlike layer 2 network switches, layer 3 switches route traffic between different subnets. These switches combine the features of a traditional router and a layer 2 network switch. Layer 3 switches enable faster data forwarding with reduced latency compared to traditional routers.

Yes, you can daisy chain Maple Systems network switches to scale a network. Daisy chaining is a simple way to connect switches in series, similar to the petals of a daisy.  It’s generally recommended to daisy chain no more than three to four switches.