SilverNet: Sustainable Connectivity

May 17, 2024

Chris Ballard, Managing Director, SilverNet takes you through the technical specifications that distinguish SilverNet’s industrial switches and all new STREAM 60GHz

In this interview, Chris Ballard, the Managing Director of SilverNet, delves into the innovative world of SilverNet’s industrial switches and introduces the groundbreaking STREAM 60GHz Wireless Link. Founded in 2005, SilverNet has been at the forefront of designing and manufacturing robust, reliable wireless and switching systems in the UK, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Ballard highlights SilverNet’s unique approach to creating products that not only meet the high bandwidth requirements of modern applications but are also designed with longevity and recyclability in mind.

From discussing the technical specifications that set SilverNet’s products apart from the competition to explaining how SilverNet supports its customers in overcoming deployment challenges, Ballard provides comprehensive insights into the company’s commitment to quality, innovation, and environmental sustainability. This interview sheds light on SilverNet’s efforts to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving networking technology landscape, ensuring robust and reliable connectivity for their clients while minimising environmental impact.

Please introduce the history and heritage of SilverNet?

SilverNet is a UK manufacturer founded in 2005. We have been delivering reliable and rugged wireless and switching systems ever since. We care about the environment so design our equipment to last and not to be disposable – generally our radio links have a 10+ year MTBF meaning it usually costs less overall as there are less failures and replacements.

Can you elaborate on the key features and technical specifications that distinguish SilverNet’s industrial switches from other products in the market?

Generally switches are very similar as you need to maintain inter vendor compatibility, however we do have some smart features in our switches that stand us apart, such as port monitoring so if data stops passing then the PoE can be disabled for 10 seconds. This can be a gamechanger in hard to access installations and we also include our free NMS SilverView so users can easily monitor and manage their equipment.

How does the STREAM 60GHz Wireless Link cater to the high bandwidth requirements of modern applications, and what are its primary use cases?

STREAM is IP67 weather rated and designed to last in harsh conditions. Its mounting brackets are Sea Salt Certified and very adaptable to make installation a breeze. It has a wireless capacity of 2.5Gbps x 6 or 1Gbps x 12 channels available meaning for multiple link installations in an area interference is barely a problem. Primarily STREAM is used where security or reliability is a key concern, as it is industrially hardened and we have AES+ 256 over the air data encryption.

In terms of deployment, what are the typical challenges customers face when setting up the Generation 4 Pro Range, and how does SilverNet support them in overcoming these challenges?

The PRO Range has been available since 2009 and deployed all around the world in some very harsh environments. These days using 5Ghz in town centres can be challenging but with SilverNets sensible system design and implementation the challenges can be overcome. Add our NMS SilverView to the mix and you have a formidable end-to-end connectivity solution.

The SilverView NMS software is a significant value addition for SilverNet’s customers. Could you discuss its core functionalities and how it enhances the management and monitoring of SilverNet’s networking solutions?

We discovered very early on its great having reliable equipment, but once you have more than a couple of links installed it becomes difficult to know how they are performing. Hence, we developed SilverView, our own in-house NMS that you can use to monitor and manage all SilverNet equipment. In addition, if you have onvif compliant cameras we can also monitor these. From an engineer’s perspective this makes life so much easier on a typical project. SilverView also has a built-in data tester to simulate traffic across a network and stress test its performance prior to hand over….

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