Start with the application, not the product
Define the requirements first: form factor, port count, redundancy, certifications, temperature range. Then select the product that meets all requirements.
21.4 Product Selection Guide
The previous chapters covered each product family in depth. This section consolidates that knowledge into a practical selection guide. Start with your application requirements and follow the decision path to the right product.
Selection Decision Flow
Section titled “Selection Decision Flow”Application-to-Product Mapping
Section titled “Application-to-Product Mapping”| Application | Environment | Recommended Product |
|---|---|---|
| Simple machine cell, no management | Standard | SPIDER III Standard Line |
| Simple machine cell, USB config | Standard | SPIDER III Premium Line |
| Entry-level managed, PoE | Standard | LEMUR (HiEOS) |
| Lite managed, PROFINET/EtherNet/IP | Standard | GECKO |
| Full managed, TSN, future-proof | Standard | BOBCAT |
| Full managed, 10G uplinks | Standard | MSP |
| Seamless redundancy (HSR/PRP/DLR) | Standard | RED |
| Full managed, modular, IEC 61850 | Standard | RSP or RSPE |
| Full managed, HSR/PRP, IEC 61850 | Standard | RSPE35 |
| Railway rolling stock | EN 50155 | BXS or BXP |
| Outdoor / IP67 / M12 | IP67 | OCTOPUS |
| Aggregation layer, 30 ports | Rack | GREYHOUND 103/105/106 |
| Aggregation layer, 60 ports | Rack | GREYHOUND 100 |
| Core switch, 88 ports | Rack | DRAGON MACH4x00 |
| Cell firewall, simple | Standard | EAGLE One |
| NGFW with DPI | Standard | EAGLE40 |
| Unidirectional data transfer | Standard | Rail Data Diode |
| Industrial WLAN, IP67 | IP67 | BAT450-F or BAT867-F |
| Hazardous location | ATEX/IECEx | SPIDER III (ATEX) or RSPE (ATEX) |
| Substation | IEC 61850-3 | RSPE35 or GREYHOUND 100 |
HiOS Software Level Selection
Section titled “HiOS Software Level Selection”| Level | Features | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| HiEOS | Basic L2, RSTP, MRP client, PoE | Entry-level, no advanced features needed |
| L2S | Full L2, MRP, RSTP, VLAN, SNMP | Standard factory automation |
| L2A | L2S + 802.1X, IGMP, advanced QoS, GVRP | Security-conscious deployments |
| L3S | L2A + static routing, OSPF, RIP, VRRP | Multi-subnet OT networks |
| L3A | L3S + multicast routing (PIM-DM, PIM-SM) | Large networks with multicast |
| HiSecOS | Stateful firewall, DPI, IPSec VPN | EAGLE40 security routers |
Certification Quick Reference
Section titled “Certification Quick Reference”| Certification | Standard | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Railway rolling stock | EN 50155 | BXS, BXP, OCTOPUS, BAT450-F |
| Railway fire protection | EN 45545 HL3 | BXS, BXP |
| Substation | IEC 61850-3, IEEE 1613 | RSPE35, GREYHOUND 100, MACH1000 |
| Hazardous location (EU) | ATEX Zone 2 | SPIDER III, RSPE, EAGLE One |
| Hazardous location (Int.) | IECEx Zone 2 | SPIDER III |
| Hazardous location (NA) | ISA12.12.01 Div 2 | RSPE, GREYHOUND, EAGLE One |
| Marine | DNVGL | RSPE, GREYHOUND, EAGLE One |
| UL safety | cUL508 / cUL61010 | Most products |
Key Takeaways
Section titled “Key Takeaways”Certifications are variant-specific
Not all variants of a product family carry all certifications. Verify the order code includes the required approval suffix before ordering.
HiOS software level determines features
Choose the software level based on the features you need. L2S covers most factory automation. L3S adds routing. HiSecOS is for EAGLE40 firewalls only.
References
Section titled “References”- Hirschmann. (2024). Belden/Hirschmann Essentials 2024. Belden.
- Belden. (2024). Product Catalog — Industrial Ethernet Switches. https://www.belden.com/brands/hirschmann