Network Computing Editorial Review of the IDS-710HP-XT PoE Switch

An independent product review testing the capabilities of our IDS-710HP-XT Industrial PoE Switch. Originally posted by Network Computing here.

The growing demand for industrial Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches is being driven by many factors including the adoption of IoT devices, outdoor IP surveillance systems and the new high-performance Wi-Fi 6/7 access points. Perle Systems is a specialist in this area and its latest IDS-710HP family can go where other PoE switches fear to tread.

Available in three models, the top-end IDS-710HP-XT on review is designed to work in an extended operating temperature range of -40C to 70C for assured reliability across extreme fluctuations. Sheathed in a metal fan-less chassis with an IP20 ingress protection rating, the switch includes 35mm DIN rail attachments and Perle also offers optional panel/wall mount kits.

A generous 450W power budget makes the switch supremely versatile as it can support any type and class of powered device (PD) along with single and dual-signature connections. It can supply up to 100W for 802.3bt PoE++ Type 4 devices or 90W simultaneously on five ports, making it ideal for external IP cameras with remote PTZ functions and heaters.

The IDS-710HP-XT offers eight PoE-enabled copper Gigabit ports and dual SFP slots supporting copper Gigabit or fibre Gigabit/2.5GbE transceivers. Fibre connections are a valuable feature as they are immune to the high levels of electromagnetic interference (EMI) frequently found in industrial environments.

Power redundancy is available as the switch’s terminal block supports dual inputs from separate supplies. We found it simple to deploy as we cabled it to a Phoenix Trio DIN-compliant PSU and pressed the switch’s reset button to initiate its Fast Setup mode.

Just connect a PC to the port with the rapidly flashing LEDs, load a web browser and follow the wizard to set up your default VLAN and DHCP services along with secure CLI and web admin access. Don’t be fooled by its minuscule dimensions as the IDS-710HP-XT offers a wealth of features that are all easily accessible from its web console.

Standard Layer 2 features are abundant and include static and LACP link aggregation groups along with support for up to 256 VLANs plus GVRP support for dynamic VLAN creation. For VoIP networks, you can create voice VLANs to separate, prioritise and authenticate this traffic for assured call quality.

Security is a high priority as 802.1x port authentication is provided and admin access can be controlled using RADIUS and TACACS+. The switch supports HTTPS web access, secure CLI sessions using SSL/TLS, the stronger SNMPv3 and the PROFINET and Modbus TCP Industrial Ethernet protocols.

That big power budget means you can deploy plenty of PDs but if you’re worried about exceeding it, priorities can be applied to each port. Assign low, high or critical priorities to each one and if the total draw reaches the power threshold, those with the lowest priorities will be turned off first.

Support staff will approve of the PD power reset feature as they can remotely restart attached devices. Select a port from the configuration menu, disable PoE services and enable them again to force the device to reboot.

Management options are outstanding as along with the local web console, you can manage multiple switches using Perle’s free Network Assist web application, which provides auto-discovery services. Organisations with geographically distributed switches can manage them all using the PerleView cloud portal which facilitates remote access to devices along with scheduled firmware updates and alerting services.

The IDS-710HP-XT is superbly built, rich in features and excellent value too, as Perle includes all features, functionality and on-going software maintenance in the base price of the product. Businesses that need to deploy secure and reliable PoE services in extreme or hazardous environments need look no further.

Product Tester: – Dave Mitchell, Director at Binary Testing

Independent network testing lab specializing in delivering sophisticated testing, evaluation, and reporting services to today’s global IT markets. With over 35 years' experience in key sectors of the IT networking industry, we bring an unrivalled depth of knowledge and expertise enabling us to provide state-of-the-art product evaluation and validation services.