Today's Automation News Headlines from Automation.com

December 20, 2011 - AutomationDirect’s line of Stride Ethernet products now includes industrial-grade managed Ethernet switches have redundant power inputs with surge and spike protection and auto-crossover. Built with aluminum housings, all models are designed for an operating temperature range of -40 to +75 °C. The Stride managed Ethernet switches’ proprietary Real-Time Ring technology provides the fastest recovery of all the redundancy options on the switch.

Most models feature multiple 10/100BaseT RJ45 Ethernet ports; additional models include ST or SC type fiber optic connections. Gigabit managed switches are also available, with 10/100/1000BaseT RJ45 ports and advanced combination SFP ports that accept noise-immune fiber optic links.

DIN-rail mountable, managed Ethernet switch prices start at $445 and are backed by a two-year warranty. Small form-factor pluggable (SFP) industrial Ethernet fiber transceivers have also been added. The compact, hot-swappable transceivers feature LC fiber connectors to add fiber connectivity at Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet speed. Transceiver prices start at $78.