The extended range of SPE also creates opportunities for system designers, allowing them to explore different approaches to power and data transfer at Ethernet speeds. Unlike traditional Power over Ethernet implementations that use two or four wire pairs, which Offner said can be “confusing for somebody in the field to fix,” SPE’s two-wire approach eliminates confusion about connections.
Process industry applications of SPE
While SPE was initially targeted at discrete manufacturing, its applications in process industries are expanding rapidly through Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer). Essentially, Ethernet-APL uses SPE as its foundation, with modifications to meet process industry requirements for intrinsically safe operation in hazardous environments.
“There isn’t really a difference between SPE and APL in the sense that SPE forms the foundation of what we do with Ethernet-APL,” Offner explained. The modifications for APL include shortened distances up to 200 meters and additional safety functionality for Zone 1, Division 1 applications, but the underlying SPE technology remains the same.
This unified approach is attracting traditional process sensor manufacturers like Pepperl+Fuchs and Endress+Hauser, who are adopting both technologies to serve different application requirements while using the same underlying 10Base-T1L standard defined in IEEE 802.3cg.
SPE’s security and TSN aspects
SPE also offers significant advantages for device management and security. Crawford pointed out that when sensors and smart devices communicate over Ethernet SPE, IT and OT administrators can more easily patch, monitor and update these devices from central locations. This scalability extends to cloud-based management, enabling better security posture management across distributed industrial networks.