The industrial network landscape has changed significantly in the last few decades and the distribution of the number of newly installed nodes in relation to the protocols used is constantly changing. In addition, the need to interconnect multiple network sections increases the number of needed protocol conversions. The netTAP family is the right solution to cover all these changes and offers one of the largest number of combinations on the market. A single device variant of that family is able to handle multiple protocols that require the same physical network interface. The simple change to the firmware enables, on the one hand, that the desired conversion of the gateway can be adapted to future changes, and, on the other hand, reduces stockholding costs.
The FDT / DTM technology based software and all-in-one solution SYCON.net works as a configuration and diagnostic tool for the entire netTAP family. The software enables fast and easy configuration of the devices and adds the possibility to collect status information of both industrial networks. The used protocols themselves are preprogrammed and are loaded into the device as firmware during commissioning along with user-specific conversion rules. LED indicators are visualizing status information for rapid on-site diagnostics.