Industrial routers for wind turbines, wind parks and farms

Are you looking for a simple, reliable and secure solution for the maintenance and monitoring of wind parks and farms?

Here at INSYS icom we have in-depth knowledge of the problems and challenges faced by the constructors of wind power systems and the operators of wind farms. With our industrial routers and our software we therefore offer reliable solutions for networking, remote maintenance and remote operation that will keep pace with future requirements and accordingly give effective long-term service.

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Industrial routers & VPN service

for networking, monitoring and remote maintenance

Highlights

CRITIS compliant
Reliable
Highly available

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Wind farm monitoring
Challenges
Stakeholders
Reference projects
Solutions
Products

Wind farm monitoring

Ensure smooth operation with remote monitoring:

As the number of wind turbines in operational management increases, so does the need for centralised remote monitoring and maintenance for service processing and economic operation. The days of dial-up connections in the event of a fault or fault messages via SMS and email are a thing of the past, at least in most wind turbines, or are being replaced.

Real-time data transmission:

For this purpose, modern industrial routers are used to establish a secure communication link with high bandwidth via DSL, fibre optics, LTE or LTE450. The plants, which are distributed around the globe, can thus be connected centrally to control systems and monitoring systems or can be accessed by remote desktop programs. Real-time data transmission enables 24/7 monitoring and control.

Challenges in the operation of wind farms

Too many of components

Operators of wind farms are familiar with the task of putting an existing plant into operation with components from different manufacturers. In practice, a variety of different components and solutions are involved that are neither coordinated nor compatible with each other, and therefore do not provide a basis for networking. Often the components used are also no longer up to date, so that a general overhaul is the most sensible alternative.

High maintenance costs

The problems experienced by plant operators are shared by those responsible for installation and maintenance. In most cases such systems are maintained manually and are therefore vulnerable to errors. This in turn means high support costs and the need for specialist personnel. Costs for unnecessary service calls due to false alarms are a serious issue here. Security vulnerabilities that can arise from manual maintenance cause additional risks.

Critical infrastructure (CRITIS) conformity

Due to increasing threats from the cyber space, regulators both nationally and internationally are increasingly demanding activities to increase the resilience of critical infrastructure. This includes increased diligence in the selection of components from trusted suppliers, the obligation to update, and reporting and information requirements.

Technical management, direct marketing and networking in wind farms

Wind farms require a reliable 24/7 connection to grid operators and direct marketers. In addition, ongoing monitoring is essential to profitable operation.

Investors and owners expect full transparency and high returns. Technical operators of wind farms and wind turbines require an effective concept on how to reduce operating costs sustainably and in the long term.

More and more parties involved need a capability for remote maintenance and monitoring, for example to access the transformer station, the generator or the nacelle.

The expansion of renewable energies needs to take place in harmony with nature. For this reason wind energy is subject to many additional regulations that have been created for the improved protection of people and nature: for example, compliance with appropriate night-time warning lights, protection of birds and bats, reduction of shadow flicker and protection against ice shedding.

Uniform networking in the increasingly complex world of wind turbines and wind farms aims to provide all participants with access to the Internet for remote maintenance and monitoring.

Market leaders in the wind energy sector: INSYS icom

INSYS icom has over 30 years of experience with industrial data communication in critical infrastructure environments. With our solutions consisting of industrial routers, VPN service and device management, we offer secure and advanced solutions up to Plug&Play for wind turbines. Everything from a single source. Everything made in Germany.

Our value proposition for you

Simple

Our industrial router solutions are easy, quick and trouble-free to install.

Reliable

We offer durable quality products in proven and tested industrial quality that function reliably and – in combination with our solutions – enable constant availability and low operating costs.

Secure

Our solutions, which are designed entirely in Germany and produced in Europe, enable the highest level of IT security – even for critical infrastructures.

Open

We offer you an open system for future-proof integration into SCADA, ERP and the cloud. A solution with which you will remain independent and flexible and which grows with your requirements.

You too can write your own success story with us!

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Our solutions for your wind power installation

Industrial routers- flexible, robust, secure!

Rely on the flexibility of our VPN routers, which can connect redundantly to the Internet via 4G, LTE450 (from 2023), DSL or fibre optics. Ethernet, analogue and digital IOs as well as serial interfaces (e.g. Modbus) are available for connecting the very heterogeneous control technology in the installation.

INSYS icom routers are specially designed for use in industry. They make a strong impact in everyday operations due to their reliability, robustness and particularly low failure rate.

Remote access, remote maintenance
and 24/7 SCADA
Monitoring

Enjoy the advantages that come with a comprehensive VPN service: you can use it to design and control access to your networks and wind turbines as required, and to detect faults at an early stage. Remote access is possible around the clock thanks to online networking with your SCADA system.

Simple commissioning and secure operation

On-site installers and control cabinet manufacturers will also benefit from this solution. The professional device management software from INSYS icom makes the commissioning of the routers much easier and enables automated processes. As a result, you don’t need to pass on any security-relevant information to your service providers and you retain control over the entire management of the installed routers in a way which is secure, auditable and always up to date.

Plug&play Internet and remote access for all companies involved

The icom Connectivity Suite VPN service enables plant operators, investors, grid operators and direct marketers to remotely access and communicate with the wind farm. Access to individual sections of the installation can be fine-tuned and defined on a user-specific and role-specific basis. Data traffic between the companies is completely insulated. The service is operated and monitored 24/7 by INSYS icom.

Fault-free communication even in the event of a lightning strike or cable disconnection

INSYS is the only provider on the market with such a versatile router:: thanks to the modularly designed “MRX” DIN rail router, every wind farm can connect to the Internet. No matter what technology is available on site, the plug-in cards for the 4G, DSL (ADSL/VDSL), fibre optic (SFP) or LTE450 (from 2023) technology leave no wish unfulfilled.

The plug-in cards ensure maximum availability of communication, for example, in the event of a connection loss due to a cut in the DSL cable during excavation work. If this occurs, the system automatically switches to fall-back solution. This provides a double safeguard.

Construction of a fibre optic network with ring topology and RSTP protocol

The construction of a fibre-optic network in ring topology among the wind turbines offers two major advantages:

the fibre optic ring maintains communication in the event of a cable disconnection due to excavations or lightning strikes. In the process, the RSTP protocol prevents circulating broadcasts in the network ring.

In addition, fibre optics are potential-free and thus not vulnerable to overvoltage caused by lightning. The network components in the systems are therefore less at risk of being damaged by lightning.

Keeping industrial routers secure and CRITIS-compliant

Wind farms may be part of critical infrastructures and are often located in remote places. To protect them from IT security risks, regular updates are required and recommended by the regulatory authorities.

With icom Router Management, INSYS offers a central service for the administration and control of routers. Firmware updates, certificate renewal and password changes can thus be automated. The devices receive all the updates that are released in a two-month cycle and remain CRITIS-compliant.

Solutions portfolio: remote access, redundant internet connection, fibre optic ring and IT security.

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Our products for your solution

The benefits to you

Analysis & debugging tools

Tools for analysing the network: ping/icmp, tcpdump, traceroute, …

Interfaces

In addition to Ethernet, analogue and digital IOs as well as serial interfaces (e.g. Modbus) are available.

Durch die flexiblen MRcards schafft der modulare Router MRX mit bis zu 17 Ethernet-Ports, seriellen Schnittstellen oder digitalen und analogen I/Os viele verschiedene Anwendungs-Schnittstellen.

Import of .ovpn files

Direct import of VPN configurations from direct marketers.

Stateful Firewall

Finely adjustable stateful firewall.

Sub-networks

Segmentation of the system networks into several sub-networks for increased IT security.

Web proxy function

Access to web interfaces, e.g. of video cameras without VPN client from a smartphone, tablet or browser.

Parallel VPN tunnels

Several independent VPN tunnels (IPsec, OpenVPN) can be established simultaneously.

Compliance with standards

Compatibility with all common network products and protocols, e.g. Cisco, Fortinet, Juniper.

All products and services are regularly tested by an independent body. Find out more here.

Ready for the winds of change and fast solutions? We’ll be happy to advise you!

+49 941 58692-444

info@insys-icom.de