Installation guide

Network Infrastructure for EtherNet/IP™

7-80

Selecting Components

7 Selecting Components

This detailed look at the component features behind successful EtherNet/IP networks can

be used as a checklist to help ensure the chosen components can provide the right

functionality and withstand their industrial environments. Included here are connectors,

wire and fiber-optic cabling, switches, routers, and equipment housings.

7.1 Sealed Connectors: Key to Successful Operation

Standard RJ-45 connectors, also called 8-way modular connectors, are not designed to operate in many

industrial environments. Lower Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) cable types, also called

balanced cables, may not provide adequate protection from industrial electrical noise levels and the

potentially high amount of cross-talk. In high-vibration applications, additional mechanical securing

means may also be required. For “outside the panel” connections, commercial-off-the-shelf RJ-45

connectors are not sealed to meet the IP65 and IP67 specifications for EtherNet/IP. Therefore, The

EtherNet/IP™ Specification

includes an industrial version of the RJ-45 connector rated to meet IP65 and

IP67. An M12 4-pin “D”-coded connector also is included to provide a smaller connector form factor.

Connectors play an important role in any EtherNet/IP network, and if they are going to be used in harsh

industrial environments, they need to be sealed to keep out moisture and chemicals, and they have to be

able to withstand high vibration. While EtherNet/IP uses standard RJ-45 connector technology, about the

only locations in which these connectors can be used is inside sealed equipment cabinets where they are

protected from plant-floor environments or in the relatively safe environments of control rooms.

7.1.1 Approved Sealed Version of RJ-45 Connectors

If an application requires cable and connectors to be exposed to liquid or dust contaminates, then the

connectors need to be protected from chemicals, dust, solvents, oil, etc. RJ-45 (8-way modular)

connectors and bulkheads sealed to meet IP65 and IP67 standards ratings are used to protect the wiring

and plug connector pins from these contaminants. The IP65 and IP67 ratings specify that the connectors

can withstand immersion in water at a depth of 1 meter (3.28 ft) for 30 minutes without incursion. IP65

and IP67 sealed RJ-45 (8 way modular) connectors are shown in Figure 7-1 and Figure 7-2 and have the

following features:

• Bayonet-style flange

• Standard RJ-45 jack

• Seal at face of jack

• Accommodation for PCB mount, flange mount, or bulkhead mount

ODVA, The CIP Networks Library, Vol. 1 and 2, The EtherNet/IP™ Specification. Ann Arbor: ODVA, Inc., 2006.