The cabling for the new Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) network technology is now ready to use. R&M has launched the first complete SPE system on the market. It comprises connectors and connection modules, installation cables, and patch cords for building automation networks.

Single Pair Ethernet will become a key technology in smart building, explains R&M Market Manager Matthias Gerber. SPE cabling is paving the way to seamless building automation with Ethernet and building

management based on the universal Internet Protocol (IP). SPE cabling links the smallest digital terminal devices and sensors in buildings with data networks and the Internet, resulting in the Internet of Things (IoT).

Largest area of application: digital ceiling Single Pair Ethernet extends the concept of local data networks (LAN) and structured cabling systems. For signal and data transmission, only two copper wires are required instead of eight or one wire pair instead of four. SPE cables are thinner and the connectors smaller than their counterparts on the LAN cabling side. This is why a large number of small devices can also be connected without any problems with SPE cabling.

Initially, the largest area of application is ceiling cabling, in other words, the digital ceiling, says Matthias Gerber. Starting from floor distributors or service nodes in the ceilings, SPE cabling can spread a long way. The SPE system from R&M offers a transmission range of 600 meters.

SPE can network countless digital terminal devices, e.g. smart LED lights, remote-controlled monitors and scoreboards, temperature, light and climate sensors, controllers for heating and ventilation, electronic cash registers, and self-service terminals. R&M sees the possibility for a wide range of applications in hospitals, hotels, malls, industrial parks, office centers, administrations, and similar cases.

In addition to data and signals, SPE cabling can also transport electricity and thus supply terminal equipment with power. In many cases, this eliminates the need for separate wiring for the power supply.