Banner Releases its New R70 Ethernet Data Radio for Industrial Networking

Banner Engineering Corporation designs and manufactures industrial automation products for a range of industries such as semiconductor, automotive, packaging, electronics, assembly and robotics, agriculture, pharmaceutical, medical, and more. Banner’s product offering includes industrial networks and smart I/O, measurement solutions, connectivity technology, sensors, barcode and vision, and machine safety. Recently, Banner released its new industrial Ethernet communications extension device, the R70 Ethernet Data Radio. The radio is intended to help manufacturers embed the IIoT within their operations.

Banner’s R70 Ethernet Data Radio connects machines in noisy and remote sites without the need for cable runs. Image used courtesy of Banner 

 

Industrial Ethernet Communications

Industrial Ethernet communications are an important part of manufacturing. They are used to connect machines across a factory floor or on a remote site. 

There are many methods of extending industrial Ethernet communications. These methods include fiber optics, copper cables, power line communication, and radio.

Fiber optics is a popular method of extending industrial Ethernet communications. The technology uses glass or plastic to transmit data through light pulses. Copper cables are also used for data transmission over long distances with less interference from other signals. Power line communication is another option for transmitting data over long distances without additional infrastructure.

Radio can be considered more advantageous for extending industrial Ethernet communications compared with fiber optics. Radio waves can travel through the air and can pass through walls, making it a more flexible option for in-building, industrial wireless networks. Radio frequencies are also less susceptible to interference from other radio signals, which can be a major problem when using fiber optics in an industrial environment.

 

The R70 Ethernet Data Radio

Banner’s R70 radio is designed for hassle-free set-up and negates the need for cable runs to hard-to-reach areas of the factory floor. The radio can transmit industrial Ethernet signals and send data back to Ethernet switches from wired Ethernet devices such as the DXMR90 Controller. The R70 also allows the set up of point-to-multipoint wireless Ethernet network configurations. Data can be transmitted from the floor to data visualization dashboards for operations or management through the cloud.

Concerning reliability, Banner’s R70 radio comes with an ingress protection (IP) rating of IP65. This rating means that the radio is protected from the ingress of dust and low-pressure water jets, water spray, and condensation.

The DXMR90 Controller uses data from the R70 radio for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Image used courtesy of Banner 

 

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) Technology

The rugged R70 radio ensures smooth and secure data transmission through the use of the Advanced Encryption Standard and FHSS technology.

This frequency hopping technology is a modulation technique that spreads the transmission over many frequencies. This is done by the transmitter and receiver to avoid interference from other devices. The transmitter hops between frequencies in a pseudorandom order, transmitting on one frequency for some time before hopping to another frequency.

FHSS is used as a robust method of radio transmission, especially in noisy environments such as inside buildings or near high-tension power lines.

Banner’s R70 Ethernet Data Radio is ideal for extending communications to remote areas of industrial facilities, injection molding machines peppered throughout a factory floor, exterior gate and fence monitoring, as well as monitoring rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units with DXMR90.