Heaptalk, Jakarta – The data center installation mastery, Fluke Networks announced the LinkIQ-IE Cable+Network Industrial Ethernet Tester designed to troubleshoot network cabling, the leading cause of Industrial Ethernet failures. As Ethernet-based technologies have come to dominate automation networks, the need for easy-to-use tools to troubleshoot these networks is growing rapidly. Combining Fluke Networks’ state-of-the-art cable measurement technology and basic tests for Industrial Ethernet switches, the LinkIQ-IE speeds the discovery of network failures.
Maintenance and support of Industrial Ethernet are becoming critical as it becomes the dominant technology for automation. In their annual survey, HMS, a provider of industrial communications solutions, found that 70% of newly installed factory automation nodes employ Industrial Ethernet. Research from Indu-Sol, a leading industrial network support organization, finds that more than half of their Industrial Ethernet service calls result from cabling-related issues. Clearly, the ability to test and troubleshoot this cabling is critical to supporting industrial automation.
In Indonesia, the Ministry of Industry also encourages the industry to transform towards digital in line with the development of the industrial era 4.0. This strategic step is to improve efficiency in terms of cost, energy, and time so that national industries can be more globally competitive. Therefore, it is expected that the presence of Fluke Network through LinkIQ-IE products can help the industry perform better.
“Troubleshooting Industrial Ethernet problems too often involves the use of complex tools such as protocol analyzers or trial-and-error approaches such as running bypass cable in the hope of solving the problem,” said Walter Hock VP of Product for Fluke. “We designed the LinkIQ-IE to provide answers to key troubleshooting questions in seconds through an easy-to-use gesture-based interface and a price that puts it in the reach of factory teams.”
Walter continues that this partnership will lead Fluke to be the worldwide leader in certification, troubleshooting, and installation tools for professionals who install and maintain critical network cabling infrastructure. Combining reliability and unmatched performance ensures jobs are done efficiently, from installing the most advanced data centers to restoring service on the factory floor.
Fluke Networks LINKIQ is designed to isolate and locate these types of issues. Locating cabling or switch configuration issues quickly enables the networking professional to return the network to its desired high-performance state quickly. Correct cabling is even more critical at today’s higher network speeds where multi-gig and 10G technologies are being deployed.
“With the ability to display switch port, VLAN, and PoE information, LinkIQ-IE is a great addition to our toolkit,” said James Sinn, Owner of Sinn Development, n Oakville, Ontario-based provider of design, installation, and troubleshooting services. “And the cable tests are essential as well. The first thing I did with LinkIQ-IE was to test the cabling for a face shield production line. It instantly showed me that the cause of the problem was a disconnected shield that made the cable susceptible to the EMI from a nearby machine tool with a large induction motor.”
The LinkIQ-IE is based on a single-test approach that automatically provides the appropriate measurements based on the other end of the cable. For an open cable, it shows the length and pairing. If it’s terminated with the supplied remote, the test result shows the maximum data rate the cable can support – up to 10 Gb/s. If the cable is connected to a switch port, LinkIQ-IE will show the switch’s name plus the port name, speed, and duplex. If PoE is advertised, it will display the power and class (up to 90 W or Class 8) and then load the switch to verify Flue can deliver the power.
The LinkIQ-IE features an RJ-45 type connector and includes cabling and adapters simplifying connection to M12-D, M12-X, and M8-D connectors commonly used in industrial applications.
The benefit to any organization using networking technology based on copper twisted pair cabling is greater network uptime, resulting in better productivity, less user frustration, and the organization this readily translates to the bottom line with revenue. With critical networks, one outage due to poor cabling can result in many thousands of lost productivity. In preventing one outage, LINKIQ can pay for itself very quickly.
