What Is Single Pair Ethernet?

We have become familiar with ethernet as the description for a localised area network (LAN) of computers. It describes a wired connection between a family of computers such as those in a university, office or business operation. It connects multiple devices, such as routers, computers and switches, via a simple interface and a few cables so all members of the network can communicate with each other.

Ethernet History

The first ethernet system was launched in 1980, with a capacity of 10 megabits per second (Mbps). In 1995 this was updated with the release of fast ethernet, which could achieve 100Mbps. This was rapidly followed by gigabit ethernet, capable of 1000Mb (or 1Gb) per second. Fast Ethernet uses two pairs of twisted copper wires (or conductors), and gigabit ethernet uses four pairs, as one-half of the cabling carries a simultaneous power supply. This power is required at the operating end of a network to enable the computers and other network devices to function.

Power at source can be transmitted through one-half of the conductors, but only up to a limited amount, which is why most network devices have an independent power supply at the receiving end to power the terminals. With the greater advances of the IoT and the IIoT, more power is desirable to enable the increasingly connected array of industrial applications.