PROFINET & Ethernet/IP
Diagnostics and Repairs

Discover Hidden Problems
on Your Industrial Network

Are you familiar with the health of your PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, EtherCAT or Ethernet networks?

Especially in large installations, fault finding can be a very time-consuming job. Detect and localise problems on your network in time so that you can deal with them before your production is brought to a halt.

When to Analyse Industrial Networks

Is your network experiencing intermittent problems?
Do you want to prevent unexpected network failures and unplanned downtime?
Are you installing a new industrial network or having it delivered by a supplier?
Are you managing a large number of PROFINET networks? Is this making it hard for you to get a clear insight into their health?
Are you operating a PROFINET network on your key production line, where prolonged unplanned downtime is unacceptable?

These are situations that call for network diagnostics. And even if your networks are in good condition, network diagnostics should be part and parcel of your preventive maintenance.

Having monitored thousands of networks, we will be happy to monitor yours also

We have been researching and monitoring PROFINET networks since 2010. Our experienced professionals have received training in many parts of the world. Today, we are proud that we can share our knowledge with our customers and provide first-class PROFINET training for them.

We have analysed thousands of PROFINET networks and tens of thousands of PROFINET stations, so we know how to monitor them as effectively as possible.

FOXON offers

Consultancy services

Feel free to consult us about designing new networks as well as revitalising existing ones. Making networks more robust is not only about replacing cables or connectors. Contact us to discuss how to increase network reliability and what exactly you need for that.
Network commissioning

When commissioning a new network, our job is to determine if the network commissioning criteria for reliable networks outlined below have been met. This involves checking all the connections as well as the functionality of the network. In particular, we check/test:
- The placement and arrangement of network cabling
- Copper and fibre optic cables
- The wiring and connectors
- The grounding
- The organisation of segments
- The functionality of the ring and the redundancy
- The transmission rate
- Watchdog settings
- The data communication itself
- The power supply
- Nodes
- And more
You will get all the results in a PDF report, so you will gain a deep insight into the health of your network.
Preventive network checks

We recommend performing a preventive check on every network at least once a year. Even though your production line is running and the PLC is not reporting any faults, your network still may not be 100% healthy. This is not an uncommon situation. You, therefore, need to know as soon as possible if your network is not in top shape.

Networks must be analysed when they are in full operation. Otherwise, we are unable to detect any potential electromagnetic interference. If you would like us to analyse your network during production line downtime, we can only assess the condition of the cabling and the quality of the communication. We cannot identify any electromagnetic interference or its impact on the network.

After every analysis, we will prepare a PDF report for you.
Emergency diagnostics and repairs

We offer emergency diagnostics and repairs to any plant that is experiencing network failures and needs to deal with them immediately. Please call us as soon as you can. Only then are we able to rearrange our busy schedule and help you make your network 100% healthy again.
Continuous network analysis

When it comes to key production lines, especially the ones running non-stop, every network failure means a substantial production loss. Repairs can take up to tens of hours.

With cleverly designed continuous network diagnostics, your production lines will be monitored 24/7. Your maintenance staff will be notified of any network problem, enabling them to deal with it in time. Without delay, you will order the necessary spare parts and arrange for repairs.
Remote network monitoring

Remote network monitoring is designed for those who, for some reason, cannot or do not want to take care of their networks themselves. You and we agree on servicing conditions and sign a servicing contract. We equip your networks with analysers for continuous network diagnostics and Ewon routers for remote access.

Whenever a network problem occurs, the system will inform us via email. Using the Ewon router, we will remotely connect to the analyser and discover what is wrong. If the situation requires the physical presence of a FOXON technician, they will travel to your plant and solve the problem on-site.
Training in PROFINET Basics and Diagnostics

Learn how to find faults on your PROFINET network and deal with them effectively. We will explain to you how PROFINET works and how to regularly check the health of your cabling and connectors.

The PROFINET Basics and Diagnostics course is regularly delivered as part of our FOXON Academy training program.

More about Training

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How to Go About It

One-off diagnosis

Continuous monitoring

One-off diagnosis

On PROFINET and Ethernet networks, the most common problems include wiring issues and damaged cables. To be able to assess the condition of your network, we need to have detailed information about it. This information will become available to us through the so-called active and passive diagnostics.

You can test your cables and connectors using the Navitek IE analyser. It evaluates the condition of cables and generates a test report for every measurement. This tester is a must for everyone who works with PROFINET networks because it:
- Pinpoints cable faults
- Identifies wiring issues (e.g. split pairs, opens, shorts and miswires)
- Generates test reports
- Enables you to set device name
- Allows you to reset a device to factory defaults
- Offers the device LED flash function for locating devices faster
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For active diagnostics, including information about network problems and analysis of individual stations, you can use the Italian PNT-PROFINET Tool software, which is now available also in Czech language. There is currently no other reasonably priced program on the market that will offer you such a broad range of information about the health of your networks.

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If you want to have a comprehensive overview of the condition of your network, you also have to perform passive diagnostics. To be able to do that, you need to use the PNT-PROFINET Tool in combination with the EtherTap TAP adapter. This will provide you with such information as port usage, packets lost, jitter and other details.

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Are you managing both PROFIBUS and PROFINET networks? Then you will benefit from the MERCURY industrial tablet, designed specifically for PROFIBUS and PROFINET diagnostics. It features all the necessary connectors and pre-installed software for the analysis of both PROFIBUS and PROFINET, so it has everything that you need.

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Continuous monitoring

When it comes to key production lines, especially the ones running non-stop, every network failure means a substantial production loss. With continuous diagnostics of PROFINET, Ethernet and Ethernet/IP networks, your production lines will be monitored 24/7. You will have access to online data through user-friendly visualisations. And, if something out of the ordinary is about to happen, you will get an alert notification, for example via email.

To those who need to permanently monitor their PROFINET and Ethernet networks, we recommend purchasing the ATLAS analyser for continuous active network diagnostics, from the Anybus Diagnostics brand (formerly PROCENTEC). On user-friendly dashboards, you will see such information as network topology, device list, port status and usage, cable length, data traffic and many other details. In 2020, in cooperation with PROCENTEC, we translated the ATLAS interface into Czech, so it is now much easier to use.

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To carry out passive diagnostics of PROFINET and Ethernet networks, you need to use the ATLAS analyser in combination with the EtherTap TAP adapter. The adapter will provide even a deeper insight into the health of your network. Ideally, it should be installed between the PLC control system and the rest of the network. The adapter can be connected for an unlimited time, so you will gain non-stop access to the following information – stations lost, port usage, packet types, jitter, etc.

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