In the rapid development of IIoT, industrial switches are key devices that connect various industrial equipment and networks. Their performance, stability, and reliability directly affect the operational efficiency and security of the entire industrial network. For people who need to do networking applications, it is crucial to choose a suitable industrial switch. This article will introduce in detail the matters needing attention when purchasing industrial switches from multiple aspects to reflect professionalism.
I. Clarify application scenarios and requirements

1. Environmental adaptability
   Industrial environments are often harsher than commercial ones, including high temperatures, low temperatures, humidity, vibration, electromagnetic interference and other factors. Therefore, when choosing an industrial switch, the first thing to consider is its environmental adaptability. Choose a switch with wide temperature range, high dust and water resistance, strong anti-electromagnetic interference ability to ensure stable operation in harsh environments.

2. Network topology and bandwidth requirements
   Understanding the network topology and bandwidth requirements is crucial when selecting an industrial switch. Different application scenarios may require different network topologies, such as star, ring, tree, and so on. At the same time, determine the required bandwidth and number of ports based on the type of data transmitted and traffic volume. Choose a switch with sufficient bandwidth and port count to meet current and future network expansion needs.
   II. Pay attention to performance and stability

3. Forwarding capability
   The forwarding capability is one of the important performance indicators for industrial switches. It determines the number of data packets that can be processed by a switch in unit time. When selecting a switch, it is necessary to pay attention to its forwarding rate and backplane bandwidth parameters to ensure that it can meet the forwarding requirements under high network load.

4. Reliability
   Industrial switches need to have high reliability to ensure that network interruptions will not occur due to failures in critical applications. Pay attention to the redundancy design of switches, such as power supply redundancy, port redundancy and link aggregation, so as to improve fault tolerance ability and recovery speed of system. At the same time, understand the reliability indicators such as MTBF mean time between failures and MTTR mean time to repair of switches to evaluate their overall reliability level.
   III. Consider safety and manageability

5. Security
   In the Industrial Internet of Things, data security is crucial. Choose industrial switches with comprehensive security features, such as support for VLAN segmentation, port isolation, and access control lists (ACLs), to improve network security. At the same time, pay attention to whether the switch supports SSL/TLS encryption protocols, IPSec and other security protocols to protect the security of data transmission.

6. Management
   Good manageability is one of the important characteristics of industrial switches. Choose a switch with an easy-to-use management interface and rich management features, such as Web interfaces, CLI command lines, SNMP protocols, etc., for remote configuration, monitoring, and maintenance. At the same time, consider the scalability and extensibility of switches to easily cope with future network upgrades and expansions.
   IV. Pay attention to compatibility and scalability

7. Compatibility
   When selecting an industrial switch, it is necessary to ensure that it can be compatible with existing network devices, operating systems and protocols. Understand the interface types of switches, such as RJ45 and fiber optic interfaces, supported protocols like Ethernet, VLAN, QoS, and their compatibility with other devices to ensure seamless integration into existing networks.

8. Extensibility
   With the development of industrial IoT, network size and number of devices may continue to increase. Therefore, when selecting an industrial switch, its scalability needs to be considered. Choose a switch with enough ports and expansion slots to easily expand the network size in case of future needs. At the same time, we should pay attention to the stacking technology and modular design characteristics of switches to improve network flexibility and scalability.
   Consider cost and after-sales service

9. Cost-effectiveness
   When purchasing industrial switches, it is necessary to consider cost-effectiveness comprehensively. Not only should we consider the purchase cost of switches, but also their operational costs, maintenance expenses, and future upgrades and expansions. Choose products that offer the best value for money to reduce overall costs while meeting your needs.

10. After-sales service
    Good after-sales service is an important guarantee for the long-term stable operation of industrial switches. Choose manufacturers and products that provide comprehensive after-sales services, including technical support, fault repair, spare parts supply, regular inspections, and other services. This helps reduce maintenance costs in the later stages and improve system availability.

The purchase of industrial switches needs to be considered from multiple aspects. Clarifying application scenarios and requirements, paying attention to performance and stability, considering security and manageability, focusing on compatibility and scalability, as well as taking into account factors such as cost and after-sales service are all important considerations during the purchase process. Only by selecting an industrial switch that meets actual needs, has stable and reliable performance, and is cost-effective can we ensure the stable operation of the Industrial Internet of Things system and efficient data transmission. I hope that the explanations in this article can provide useful references and help for people who need to use networking applications.