Belden Press Kit Hannover Fair

At this year’s Hanover Fair – 4-8 April 2011 – Belden will present a number of innovations. One of these is the Hirschmann™ HiLCOS 8.50 WLAN firmware. Installable on all access points and clients of the BAT series, this is currently the only firmware on the market that supports fully-integrable and easy-to-manage WLAN networks in both Profinet and EtherNet/IP networks.

Press releases:

Integration of access points and clients in Profinet and Ethernet/IP networks

Belden has announced the release of HiLCOS 8.50, a new version of its established WLAN firmware from the Hirschmann™ product range. Like its predecessors, this firmware is fully compliant with the European 5 GHz standard (EN 301893 V1.5.1). New to this firmware version, however, is that it permits access points and clients to be integrated into Profinet and Ethernet/IP networks without requiring additional management software, thus allowing flexible administration. In the future, HiLCOS 8.50 firmware will be offered as a standard for all devices in the Hirschmann™ BAT54 and BAT300 series. In addition, the firmware will also be available as a free-of-charge download from "www.e-catalog.beldensolutions.com" enabling customers to update older access points and clients.

New certifications for WLAN devices for Belden’s range of Hirschmann™ products

Belden's WLAN access points and clients belonging to the Hirschmann™ BAT54-Rail and BAT300-Rail series of products now have both ATEX IEC/EN 60079 Zone II and ISA 12.12.01 Class 1 Div 2 certification. Equipped with suitable protective cases, they can be used anywhere in the world in potentially explosive environments such as oil, gas or mining industries. Mountable on top-hat rails, these devices are also flexible enough for a wide range of applications, such as installation in control cabinets or distribution boxes. What's more, in combination with BAT WLC controllers, they can be centrally configured and managed.

Tailor-made solutions from a single source

Belden is one of the leading providers of WLAN technology for industrial use. Belden’s comprehensive range of Hirschmann™ products – from access points, clients and controllers right through to antennas, accessories and special management software – is ideal for building one-stop, tailored solutions for local installations as well as large-scale networks. These products have already been successfully installed in a large number of projects for factory automation and in the energy and transport sectors. The flexibility WLAN brings to mobile connectivity has a positive impact on costs. And today’s wireless networks that are based on this technology can certainly hold their own with cable-based Ethernet networks in terms of performance.