Fleet-Wide Integration: Connecting Diverse Maritime Assets with VERSITRON’s PoE+ Switches

Maritime vessels operate in one of the most demanding environments on Earth. Maritime systems depend on uninterrupted, high-speed data exchange to coordinate missions, monitor environments, and maintain contact with shore-based command centers. A leading maritime defense contractor was seeking a secure and interference-free communication infrastructure that could withstand harsh marine conditions while ensuring seamless ship-to-shore communication.

Challenges & Requirements

• Harsh Marine Conditions: Maritime vessels are subjected to extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +75°C, salty air, humidity, vibration from heavy equipment and rough seas. Thus, network equipment demanded ruggedized construction to endure these conditions without failure.
• Interference-Free Operation: With a multitude of electronic systems onboard, such as radar systems, radio transceivers, and other high-powered electronics, electromagnetic interference (EMI) posed a serious threat to network performance. EMI disrupted copper-based Ethernet networks, leading to severe data loss or latency. Hence, a system with minimal susceptibility to EMI was essential.
• High-Speed Connectivity: Maritime vessels depend on reliable, high-bandwidth communication between various onboard systems including navigation, surveillance, and mission-critical sensors. Therefore, secure and reliable network equipment is needed to support gigabit speeds and low latency to ensure mission-critical responsiveness.
• Scalability: The vessel operator required a network solution that would help establish seamless communication between different fleet vessels, from smaller patrol boats to large carriers. This network solution must support a range of devices, from VOIP phones to IP cameras, while leveraging the current infrastructure.
• Reliability: The project demanded equipment that ensured high network uptime, as downtimes could compromise mission outcomes.

Solution

The deployment process involved close collaboration between VERSITRON’s engineering team and the networking team of the maritime contractor. Our team provided custom configurations to meet the requirements of specific vessels, including tailored SFP modules for various distances up to 100 km over single-mode fiber. These switches were integrated into existing architecture to connect devices across command centers, deck, and sensors forming backbone of high-speed connectivity.

Implementation Details

• Our team strategically deployed 10-port and 28-port PoE+ switches across multiple compartments and deck levels of multiple vessels. For instance, 10-port switches were installed in smaller patrol vessels while 28-port switches were installed in large carriers to connect extensive device networks. Combo ports supporting both SFP and RJ45 offered additional flexibility for hybrid setups.
• All switches were designed in compact form and housed in rugged enclosures rated for extreme marine conditions of -40°C to +75°C, ensuring stable performance in vibration-heavy, high-moisture environments. These rugged enclosures supported DIN rail or wall mounting, optimizing space in the cramped zones of maritime vessels. These mounting configurations helped networking teams at vessels to simplify maintenance and installation, critical for limited downtime windows.
• All our PoE+ switches are equipped with Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) fiber optic uplinks supporting single-mode and multimode fibers. These SFP optic uplinks enabled high-speed data transmission across the vessel while remaining immune to electromagnetic interference, even in the presence of radio equipment and radar technology devices.
• Complying with IEEE 802.3at standards, these switches enabled centralized power delivery to devices, such as IP cameras, wireless access points, and VoIP phones, over a single Ethernet cable, reducing cabling complexity.
• Our managed PoE+ switches, offering advanced features like VLANs for network segmentation, QoS (Quality of Service) for critical data prioritization, and port mirroring for real-time monitoring, helped isolate sensitive communications and ensured efficient bandwidth allocation for mission-critical applications.
• Redundant power inputs and failover configurations were implemented across the network architecture to ensure mission-critical uptime. Additionally, alarm functions were implemented to alert crew about power or port failures, enabling rapid troubleshooting.

Results & Benefits

• Fiber-backed PoE+ switches helped improve ship-to-shore communication, supporting gigabit speed transmission of video, voice, and sensor data for command-and-control operations. These switches helped improve situational awareness and coordination during missions, with 30% reduced latency compared to legacy copper-based systems.
• Fiber optic connections helped stabilize data flow between essential onboard systems by eliminating interference issues. Various tests showed a 95% reduction in packet loss, ensuring reliable data transmission during peak radio and radar activity.
• VERSITRON’s PoE+ switches, especially designed for industrial environments, operated flawlessly under harsh marine conditions in temperatures ranging from -40°C in Arctic patrols to +75°C in tropical waters. After 18 months of deployment, zero failures were reported. The rugged design has helped improve equipment lifespan and reduce maintenance costs by 20%.
• The single-cable PoE+ setup has helped the contractor simplify onboard wiring, reduce cabling by 40% and installation costs by 25%. Utilization of Ethernet cabling to power devices like VoIP phones and cameras has helped minimize maintenance efforts in hard-to-reach areas of the vessel.
• Real-time monitoring across the vessel using embedded management systems has allowed the crews at client end to detect and resolve network issues proactively, achieving 99.9% uptime across deployments.
• Features like automatic power-down for unused ports have helped reduce power consumption by 15%, which is critical for vessels with limited onboard power resources.
• All our switches support advanced protocols, future-proofing the network for IoT integrations and 5G networks.

Testimonial

“I would say, working with VERSITRON was a game changer for our maritime fleet. Their PoE+ fiber switches have completely transformed our onboard network infrastructure. Despite extreme marine conditions and heavy EMI from radar systems, we've experienced zero failures and near-perfect uptime in 18 months. We are experiencing crystal-clear ship-to-shore communications at this time. The fiber-backed design has drastically reduced latency and packet loss, improving ship-to-shore communication and mission coordination. With reduced maintenance and cabling costs, this upgrade exceeded our expectations for performance, reliability, and scalability. VERSITRON’s support throughout deployment was exceptional. Their team nailed our needs, making our operations sharper. They are the real deal!

— Donovan. J, Lead Systems Engineer, Maritime Defense Contractor

Summary

VERSITRON’s PoE+ industrial switches with fiber optic uplinks have helped the maritime fleet establish dependable, fast communication systems. This infrastructure upgrade has helped our client to construct a network that is safe, effective, and scalable, supporting complex maritime operations and ready for future technology upgrades. For more information on VERSITRON’s PoE+ switches and fiber optic solutions, visit www.versitron.com or contact our team at 1-800-537-2296.

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