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How to select a VoIP solution

Selecting a VoIP solution for an organization encompasses an array of decision making regarding cost and serviceability.

Cost Considerations

Small businesses often don’t have the same options in adopting new technologies as large businesses do. Funds and resources restrict decision making for small businesses. VoIP can offer significant cost reduction and a number of other features that are otherwise unaffordable. Traditional phone services cost a small business around three times more per employee. VoIP service providers recognize this emerging market in SMB and now offer packages tailored to SMBs. The initial investment in VoIP remains the most important challenge.

  • There are four cost sources:
  • IP phone terminals
  • Core infrastructure for call handling
  • Service
  • License fees (ongoing)

To read full blog click 'How to select a VoIP solution'

Sneakers

Learn the important aspects of RS-422/485 system design

Learn the important aspects of RS-422/485 system design. A must read by Product Designers. White papers explains:

- System configuration
- Cabling selection
- Transient protection
- Software
- Device selection

Download the White Paper from Black Box

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New Foundation Fieldbus System Engineering Guidelines

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced the release of a major revision to its AG-181 System Engineering Guidelines. AG-181 is a comprehensive guide that includes best practices and recommendations for a complete FOUNDATION fieldbus installation, from engineering and design through commissioning, startup, operations, and maintenance. The guide includes recommendations on topics from selecting cable to wiring installation, grounding, implementing plant asset management systems, and best practices for project management.

The new edition of AG-181 has been reformatted and reorganized to make it easier to read and access information. Some content has been rewritten to include more up-to-date information. This includes sections covering the Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept (FISCO) fieldbus design rules, cable length, surge protection and segment scheduling. A section on the use of existing wiring has also been added.

According to Larry O'Brien, global marketing manager for the Fieldbus Foundation, the FOUNDATION fieldbus System Engineering Guidelines is "one of the automation industry's best-kept secrets" that belongs in the library of almost every process control engineer. It is a highly valuable resource for the growing number of end users, system integrators and engineering firms involved in the implementation of FOUNDATION fieldbus.

"One of the things we try to do at the Fieldbus Foundation is put information into the hands of those who need it around the world. We want people to become proficient in the use of our technology, from engineering and design to installation, maintenance, and operations," said O’Brien. "Our System Engineering Guidelines document contains the distilled wisdom of many of the world's leading fieldbus technology experts, from those in the engineering and construction world to end users, systems integrators, educators, and suppliers. It offers many good pointers on how to do your fieldbus project right the first time, and is an essential part of the toolbox of any FOUNDATION fieldbus professional. If you already have the older version, the latest update will look more streamlined and contains several new sections, as well as rewrites of old sections."

The FOUNDATION fieldbus System Engineering Guidelines is separated into 11 sections, each covering different aspects of the fieldbus project lifecycle. Specific topics include: General Considerations, Fieldbus Definitions, Fieldbus Project Requirements, Host System Requirements, Software Configuration, Field Device Requirements, Segment Components, Network/Segment Design Guidelines, Site Installation Guidelines, Acceptance Testing, and Documentation Requirements.

O'Brien indicated that the FOUNDATION fieldbus System Engineering Guidelines provides accurate and current fieldbus information in a vendor-neutral format, and is revised periodically to reflect changes to FOUNDATION technology. He said, "There is no better guide to implementing FOUNDATION fieldbus available today."

To obtain the FOUNDATION fieldbus System Engineering Guidelines (Document Reference No. AG-181), visit the Fieldbus Foundation's Technical References.

Sneaker Release Dates 2019

Bridging the Intrinsically-Safe Fieldbus Disconnect

Engineers have long struggled with how to use Fieldbus in hazardous areas. The installation of Intrinsically-Safe (I.S.) fieldbus has typically required the use of installation schemes mixing wiring methods such as Division 1 and Division 2 (Zones 0, 1, 2). However, new concepts such as the High-Power Intrinsically-Safe Trunk allow for the use of fieldbus in hazardous areas without complex installation. This white paper reviews the different methods of fieldbus installation in hazardous areas and breaks down the advantages and drawbacks of each.

Click 'Bridging the Intrinsically-Safe Fieldbus Disconnect' to read article from Moore Industries

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Power over Ethernet technology for industrial Ethernet networks

White paper by Amplicon: Ethernet networking has grown beyond office and home usage to become a very successful protocol suite used in many industrial networks. Industrial Ethernet’s accomplishments can be attributed to its heritage in the commercial marketplace where most innovations and the evolution of the protocol suite took place; Power Over Ethernet (PoE) technology is no exception.

PoE was developed soon after offices began to adopt Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems, VoIP phone systems allow offices to integrate their data and voice networks together and reduce calling costs, but early incarnations of VoIP phone hardware had the disadvantage of requiring a power supply for each headset - compared to traditional analogue phones which are commonly supplied with power and signal via the telephone wire. This motivated the development of a similar system for VoIP phones which have an Ethernet connection, and PoE was born! Using PoE as a technology for powering end devices other than VoIP phones was an obvious step; the technology has quickly been adopted for many other applications such as remote wireless access points, IP based cameras and devices that are commonly found in industrial Ethernet network deployments.

Read in detail 'Power over Ethernet technology for industrial Ethernet networks'

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