A No-Nonsense Guide to Industrial Ethernet & Secure Remote Access
How long does it take your team to diagnose a PLC fault when the only expert who knows that machine is a thousand kilometres away? For too many factories, the answer is “way too long”—and every single hour the line is down comes with a painful price tag.
A recent analysis showed an hour of downtime can cost anywhere from $36,000 in consumer goods to a staggering $2.3 million in an auto plant. And when you hear that big manufacturers report an average of 27 hours of unplanned stoppages every month, you see why smart, secure networks are no longer a “nice-to-have.” They’re a must-have.
This is your no-fluff guide to closing the gap between your machines on the floor (OT) and your office network (IT) using Industrial Ethernet. We’ll walk you through the practical steps, show you the real-world payoff, and point you to the right JJ-LAPP gear—from tough-as-nails ETHERLINE® cables to our ETHERLINE® ACCESS VPN-ready switches—that make it happen.
1. Why This Matters (Like, Really Matters)
So why is everyone talking about Industrial Ethernet? Because it solves some of the biggest, most expensive problems in modern manufacturing.
See What’s Happening, Right Now.
Forget the slow, clunky fieldbus lines of the past. Industrial Ethernet is the superhighway for your plant’s data. It’s so essential that in 2024, 74% of all new industrial network connections were Ethernet-based. And that firehose of data means you can turn raw machine performance into live dashboards, spotting problems before they become shutdowns.
Be Ready for Whatever’s Next.
Need to add a few new vision sensors for quality control? Or maybe an AI-powered predictive maintenance box? Instead of running a whole new set of wires, you just patch into the Ethernet backbone you already have. The market for this tech is exploding for a reason—investing now means you’re ready to upgrade easily later.
2. The Usual Headaches (And How to Fix Them)
Making the jump to a unified network has some classic challenges. Here’s a quick look at the most common ones and how to knock them down.
| Challenge | Why It’s a Pain | The Practical Fix | The JJ-LAPP Assist |
| Old PLCs on old networks | Your most important data is stuck on a lonely island. | Use a protocol gateway. It’s like a translator that gets your old serial gear talking to modern Ethernet/IP. | UNITRONIC® Gateways that translate Modbus, CANopen, and more. |
| Cybersecurity risks | Ransomware could shut you down for days; auditors can fine you. | Adopt a “Zero Trust” security model. As cybersecurity experts at CISA advise, you must verify everything, use a VPN with multi-factor authentication (MFA), and wall off your OT network. | ETHERLINE® ACCESS VPN routers with a built-in firewall and MFA support. |
| Harsh plant floors | Oil, heat, and electrical noise cause random errors and shutdowns. | Use cables and connectors designed for it: double-shielded, oil-resistant, and rated for industrial abuse. | ETHERLINE® Cat.6A FLEX cables, SKINTOP® glands, and SILVYN® conduits. |
| Fear of installation downtime | You can’t just stop production for a week to rewire. | Don’t! Do it in stages, line by line, during planned maintenance. Use pre-made cable harnesses to speed it up. | JJ-LAPP’s plug-and-play harnessing service can slash your installation time. |
3. Your Toolkit for the Job
You need the right gear. Here are the building blocks for a rock-solid industrial network.
- ETHERLINE® Industrial Ethernet Cables This is the physical backbone. We have everything from Cat.5e to Cat.7A, with special jackets that resist oil and are flame-retardant to meet plant safety rules.
- ETHERLINE® ACCESS Industrial Switches This is the brain. These switches are built to handle extreme temps (–40 to +75 °C) and have critical security features like VPNs and firewalls built right in.
- EPIC® DATA Connectors & SKINTOP® Glands These are your connection points. They make a waterproof, dustproof seal (IP67/68) and are easy to terminate in the field, which is a lifesaver when you need a fast repair.
- UNITRONIC® Protocol Gateways This is your translator for older equipment, connecting your legacy machines to the main network without having to replace them.
4. Your Step-by-Step Game Plan
Here’s how you can tackle this project methodically.
| Step | What to Do | Recommended JJ-LAPP Kit |
| 1. Audit | Map out everything you have: PLCs, I/O points, network ports, firewalls. | A network tester and a site walk-down with a JJ-LAPP engineer. |
| 2. Design a Secure Network | Plan your “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) between OT and IT, set up your VLANs, and choose a VPN protocol. | ETHERLINE® ACCESS managed switch + VPN router. |
| 3. Run the Wires | Lay your main shielded Cat.6A lines and terminate them with rugged M12 or RJ45 connectors. | ETHERLINE® Cat.6A FLEX & EPIC® DATA connectors. |
| 4. Retrofit Old Gear | Use gateways to bridge your old serial PLCs to the new Ethernet network. | UNITRONIC® Gateways. |
| 5. Roll Out Remote Access | Set up multi-factor authentication, user roles, and logging. Practice your emergency response plan. | ETHERLINE® ACCESS VPN wizard. |
| 6. Train & Hand Over | Teach the operations team how to use the new dashboards and basic cyber hygiene. | JJ-LAPP technical workshop. |
5. Quick-Fire FAQs
- “But is giving remote access actually safe?”
- Yes, but only if you do it right. Following the Zero Trust guidance from cybersecurity agencies like CISA is key: encrypt all traffic, demand multi-factor authentication for every login, and keep the OT network segmented from everything else.
- “Will this upgrade shut down my production?”
- It shouldn’t. The trick is to do it in phases. Start with one small area on a weekend, make sure it works perfectly, then repeat the process. Using pre-terminated harnesses from JJ-LAPP can cut the actual swap-out time by up to 40%.
- “Can my PLC from 1998 talk on this new network?”
- Almost certainly, yes. We can connect it with a UNITRONIC® serial-to-PROFINET converter. For really weird, ancient protocols, we can use other gateways to get the data out.
Putting It All Together: A Real-World Win
When you need reliability on a massive scale, the right cabling is non-negotiable. For the new Terminal 3 baggage-handling system at Frankfurt Airport, automation specialist SEAP Automation was tasked with building out the entire complex control system.
The project was enormous, requiring a network that could move thousands of suitcases per hour with near-perfect accuracy. To connect the hundreds of control cabinets and sensors, SEAP Automation trusted LAPP to supply the crucial connectivity backbone. In total, they installed around 85 kilometers of LAPP cable, including a combination of ÖLFLEX® control cables, UNITRONIC® data network cables, and high-speed ETHERLINE® industrial Ethernet cables. It’s a perfect example of how a robust, integrated network is essential for today’s mission-critical infrastructure.
Conclusion
Bridging the OT-IT gap with industrial Ethernet isn’t some futuristic moon-shot. It’s a structured, achievable upgrade you can start planning in your very next maintenance window. The payoff is crystal clear: fewer 2 AM panic calls, much faster fixes, smarter data, and the peace of mind that comes from a secure, modern network.
Ready to get started? Book a free 30-minute network walk-down with a JJ-LAPP engineer to find the quick wins in your plant or explore ready‑to‑ship Ethernet connectivity kits in the JJ‑LAPP eShop.