IP Relay

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- Features
- Applications
- Download
- Topology
- Specifications
- Software
- FAQ & Support
- Ordering

The typical application of the IP relay is using the serial console for remote control and reset of ethernet-enabled devices using relay switch. You can easily connect an IP camera and interrupt its power in case of any problems. You can also easily connect an additional relay for controlling a 230V device. The relays need to be controlled using commands sent over Ethernet. If you also need the box to check functionality of the connected devices, we recommend the IP WatchDog, which can watch over 2 servers using serial port, PING command, or WWW page availability testing.

Big product picture

Basic features

• Ethernet Network - RJ45 (10BASE-T - IEEE 802.3)
• RS-232 serial port (RxD, TxD, CTS, RTS), Virtual Serial Port driver for Windows 2000/XP is free
• Two independent, Ethernet controlled relay, Channel 1 and Channel 2 can be configured as:
  • NO (Normally Open) - a closing contact, which is opened after power-up
  • NC (Normally Closed) - a break contact, which is closed after power-up
  • PO (Power On) - power voltage led out over break contact (the voltage is present after power-up)
  • PF (Power Off) - power voltage led out over closing contact (the voltage is not present after power-up or reset)
    
• A simple windows software, the IPRC, can be used for outputs controlling with a single mouse click.
• Typical configuration
  • Relay 1: Controls break contact on the power-source output. This can be used as a power source for an IP camera, power relay or for example microwave modem power source.
  • Relay 2: Controls closing contact, this is used for connecting the RESET switch.
     
• Secure access with a predefined IP address range and a 128-bit TEA encryption
   
• If you also need a RS-232 terminal server, you can control the relays using our HW VSP (Virtual Serial Port) software for Windows 2000/XP.
• Simple and well-documented M2M (Machine to Machine) communication protocol, many examples of communication for various programming languages - MS Visual Basic, Delphi, Borland C++, JAVA, PHP a and others..
• Simple and quick installation

Typical applications

IP Relay is a device designated to be used mainly in industry and telecommunication. The relay's contacts can be also modified for your needs, in the standart version one contact is used for interrupting power source, the other is used for parallel connecting to a RESET switch, both relays are controlled over Ethernet. 

This is a typical IP Relay configuration, where Channel 1 (Ch1) controls IP camera power and Channel 2 (Ch2) is used for remote server reset.
The power source is meant for connecting the controlled device's power supply. When the IP-realy is powered up, this "Supply" output is automatically enabled, so the power supply for the connected device doesn't depend on the Ethernet connection.

Usage examples

• Remote monitoring of  IP camera system's failure
• Remote control of the network configuration
• Remote control and restarting of micowawe connections.
• Remote devices control (ventilation, door opening..)

One built-in serial port can be used for remote access using RS-232 console, but it also can be used as a virtual serial port (for example "COM 8") using the HW Virtual Serial Port driver.

You can order the IP Relay in the DIN molding version, or a modification with 8 inputs and 8 outputs (the I/O Controller). If you are not sure wheather the IP Relay can be used in your application, please contact us...

Download & Datasheets

IP Relay - flyer - a brief product flyer (2 pages) IP Relay - a detailed datasheet   IPRC (a simple web based relay control software for Windows) HW VSP (Virtual Serial Port) Hercules (a configuratin and setup utility forWindows) SW routines examples : Delphi, C++, JAVA, PHP and more..
Application note AN21 – Controlling of IP Relay using program NetCat IP Relay contains except RS-232 serial port also another two relay, which switching on/off can be controlled over Ethernet (TCP/IP). This application note describe how to control ethernet i/o relays from the Windows command line sending right sequence using program NetCat.

System topology scheme

• TCP/IP – NVT
  After powering up, the device listens on the given port and awaits TCP client connection. When the client connects, data from the Ethernet are sent to the serial line and vice versa. If the client is not connected and data are coming from the serial line, they are stored in a buffer (cca 16 kB) and transmitted immediately after establishing a connection.
  
  Both ethernet relays can be controlled by NVT type M2M (Machine to Machine) protocol. The protocol extends the implemented RFC 2217 (controlling the serial port via Ethernet). The device does not have a WWW interface. To control the device you can also use a IPRC program, Hercules Utility or programmer examples for JAVA, Delphi, Borland C++, Visual Basic, PHP and others.
  
  It can be also used in the TCP/IP Client/Server mode - IP Relay keeps the TCP server function but when any data are received from the serial line, it is stored into the buffer, the IP relay switches into a TCP Client mode and tries to establish a TCP connection on the predefined IP address of the opposite side.
   
• HW VSP
  With the help of HW VSP (version 1.9 and higher) you can create a virtual serial port (e.g. COM 5), which will be redirected to a relay’s RS-232 port. Relay's remote output is then controlled from the “IP Relay” tab of the HW VSP program.
    
• UDP
  UDP connection allows the data transfer to the RS-232 only, not controlling the device.
  

Technical specifications

• Ethernet: RJ 45 - 10BASE-T / 10 Mbit/s
• 2x built-in relays
  • The built-in ethernet relay can connect max. 50V / 1A, this can be easily modified by connecting another power relay for controlling a 230V device.
  • Standart configuration:
    - Relay 1: disconnects power supply
    - Relay 2: controls a switching contact
         
• Device configuration
  • RS-232 Setup (over serial line using any 9600 8N1 terminal)
  • UDP Config (the basic parameters can be configured using our windows application Hercules)
  • TCP Setup (remote configuration using a TCP terminal)
      
• Connection security and controlling the web based relays:
  • You can limit access to the device using a predefined IP address range.
  • TCP connection can be secured using a 128-bit TEA algorithm (implementation examples)
      
• Hardware:
  • Metal box dimensions: 25 x 82 x 90 [mm]
  • The device can be fitted on a DIN molding
  • We can supply side brackets for wall-mounting upon request.
      
• Network modes:
  • UDP - supports only RS-232 data transfer
  • TCP/IP Client/Server
    Sends data to the serial port, supports TCP Server and TCP Client mode, supports RFC2217 (remote serial port control over the Ethernet network)
    The ethernet i/o relays are controlled using NVT (Network Virtual Terminal = 7-byte commands).

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Port 1 - DB9F
RS-232 Interface 1   - Not used 2 TxD --> Transmit Data 3 RxD <-- Receive Data 4   - Not used 5 GND --- System Ground 6   - Not used 7 CTS <-- Clear to Send 8 RTS --> Request to Send 9   - Not used	Relay pins description Pin Contact Supply Receive Data 1 CH1 A PWR (+) External power supply 2 CH1 B GND (-) Power supply ground 3 CH2 A PWR (+) External power supply 4 CH2 B GND (-) Power supply ground   DIP Functions DIP 1 ON   = RS-232 SETUP mode OFF = Run ethernet mode DIP 2 D4 External input, ON = Log. 1 DIP 3 Not used DIP 4 Not used

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M2M (Machine to Machine) Communication protocol

The built-in relays are controled using NVT commands. This is a 7-byte sequence, which is sent to the opened TCP/IP connection and if accepted, it is confirmed with a similar 7-byte sequence sent back. This TCP connection is similar to the TP connection to the RS-232 port, but when using the NVT (which is a standard TELNET) the data from serial port are not interrupted when sending the commands. You can read more about NVT and our RFC2217 compatible extension on the Network Virtual Terminal page. Detailed list of relay's controling commands you can find in product manual.

The ethernet relays cannot be controlled directly from a WWW page, but we have an example of a PHP script, which can control the relays using an application running on the server. You can also control the ethernet i/o relays directly from your PC using IPRC, tab from HW VSP (Virtual Serial Port) or using the Hercules software. Another way to control the relays is a FLASH application or JavaScript.

Device extensions, comming soon...

The following options will either be implemented in the following firmware version, or in the next device version. Special functions marked as "customer solution" were realized for some of our customers and we can supply the upon request...

• IP Relay containing 1 input and 1 output for contact. This is designed for connecting a PIR sensor (motion detector). This can be connected additionally to the IP camera, which can sometimes have problem detecting motion in case of many moving shadows etc..
• Built-in 4x Ethernet port 10/100 Mbit switch - Ideal for applications, where you don't have enough free ethernet ports or cables, or you cannot use a stand-alone switch or hub - customer solution..
  
• We are currently developping IP Relay version, which can be controlled over SNMP. .

Questions and suggestions

If you are interested in any of these modifications, need help implementing them in your projects, or if you want a specific customer solution, feel free to contact us

Useful SW

• IPRC (IP Relay Controller)
  

  IP Relay Control is software intended for easy testing and using IP relays of the HW Group production. It allows controlling the relay contacts via NVT commands in the graphical environment. IPRC is a small utility which does not require installation and besides the IP relay controlling it also allows simple management of more devices and easy realization of the Reset function.

  IP Relay Control supports device naming (up to 255 characters) according to the specific IP address, so you can easily identify any device in your network. This is useful especially for large networks, where you don't have to remember each device's IP or MAC address.

  IP Relay Control also contains the logging function of the performing operations which writes, in text format, into the log file the individual operations, performed by the IP relay devices together with time information. This serves to verify, in return, if the status change was or was not evoked by the IP relay. .

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  IP Relay Controller             
• Hercules SETUP Utility
  This utility will help you testing a setting up the device. .
  
   
  • RS-232 terminal
  • TCP/IP Client terminal
  • TCP/IP Server terminal
  • UDP terminal
  • UDP Config
  • Test mode (TCP/IP NVT commands + TEA)
  
  This utility is completely free to use and distribute..
  
  Hercules Setup Utility            
  
    
• HW Virtual Serial Port
  Virtual serial port driver for windows is a software tool for adding a virtual COM port to your windows system. All the data from this port is then redirected to another HW interface.
  
  You can control the relays using the "Binary I/O" tab.
  • Unlimited, free Virtual Serial Port for any TCP/IP device.
  • Designed for Windows 2000, XP.
  • If the device supports RFC 2217 (NVT), you can setup all the serial port parameters (speed, parity, stop bits).
  • The driver works as a "TCP client", but it can be also used in "TCP server" mode.
  • Logging all the communication into a file, to make debugging easier.
  • You can create more virtual serial ports on one system using command line parameters
  • The software can be run o a windows startup and hidden to the system tray.
  
  
  
  
• Borland C++ communication example
  A simple TCP/IP device communication example, written in Borland C++ Builder 6.00. It demonstrates a simple Client terminal with basic NVT (Network Virtual Terminal) commands = Are You There and I/O functions extension.


• Delphi Charon 1 - NVT communication example
  A simple TCP/IP device communication example, written in Borland Delphi 5. It demonstrates a simple Client terminal with basic NVT (Network Virtual Terminal) commands = Are You There and I/O functions extension.


• MS Visual Basic example
  Simple routines for NVT commands and a TCP/IP device over Winsock in MS Visual Basic 5.0. Simple I/O commands are implemented, but without TEA.
  
• Java NVT simple Code Example
  A very simple I/O pins control written in JAVA. The application is not password protected, so you can modify it as you wish.
  
• PHP - working with the I/O Controller
  A simple remote I/O pins control. User requests a www page from the server, which opens a connection to the predefined IP and port, reads and displays the values on the final www page.
  

FAQ & Support

Q: Can the relays be controlled using a WWW page?
A: No, this IP relay version supports only M2M (Machine to Machine) protocol (NVT + RFC2217). If need a version that can be controlled using a WWW page, please use IP WatchDog.

Q: Why isn't the device not with a 230V plug?
A: You need lots of certificates for this kind of device in the EU, which will make the device much more expensive. 65% of applications do not use the 230V reset anyway.

Q: Can I change the relay channels configuration (Ch1 and Ch2)?
A: No, the configuration is set in the factory, if you need other than the preferred type, please specify it in your order.

Q: Can you reset a 230V device using the IP relay?
A: Of course. The "supply" contact can be used for connecting a power relay. You only need to connect 4 wires,so this should be very easy. We can provide you with the scheme and the right relay recommendation.

Q: Can the IP Relay be mounted on the DIN moulding?
A: Yes, you can order this version.

Q: Do you plan to publish any other software examples?
A:  Yes, you can find many software examples for Borland C++ a Delphi (also Visual Basic, JAVA and PHP) on the Support & Download page. There are more to come.

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Ordering

IP Relay is available in several different versions, which differ in configurations of relay's contacts on both channels (more in table). This configuration cannot be changed by user, so choose carefully which one you need for you application. 

Samples are ready for promptly distribution! We have several pcs in the stock at all times.

Check our prices in the PriceList .

IP Relay - standard version

• IP Relay in the metal box [600 102]
  Configuration of output channels according to the type of set. 
• LapLink cable [600 063]
  Serial communication cable (2x DB9F) for setting up the device over RS-232 
• Power adaptor European version [600 080]
  (possible USA version [600 081] or UK version [600 082])
• Printed manual
• CD with all the necessary software in the /IP-relay/ directory
  • IPRC software for Windows 2000 / XP on the CD, or the latest version on the Internet.
  • Virtual Serial Port for Windows 2000 / XP on the CD, or the latest version on the Internet.

Note: If you need other than European adaptor, please mark it into OrderForm and we will send you USA or UK version instead of the European one.

Device versions

IP Relay is available in several different versions, which differ in configurations of relay's contacts on both channels (more in table). This configuration cannot be changed by user, so choose carefully which one you need for you application. 

>> Pricelist >>

Optionally accessories & related products

• 2x "L profile" size "A" for fixing on wall [600 023]
• Power adaptor - USA version - 12V / 0,5A [600 081]
• Power adaptor - UK version (Great Britain) - 12V / 0,5A [600 082]
• DIN Rail box set  [600 025]
  
• DIN Rail Relay - 1x switch contact 10 A [600 084]
• DIN Rail Relay - 2x switch contact 10 A [600 085]
  

Related WEB page & products

• AN21 – Controlling of IP Relay using program NetCat
  This application note describe how to control ethernet i/o relays from the Windows command line sending right sequence using program NetCat.
• PortBox
  Conversion of a serial line to Ethernet and vice versa (Server or Client/Server mode) with RS-485 support and protocol enhancements. Data is transmitted over the Ethernet using the TCP/IP or UDP/IP protocols.  
• HW Virtual Serial Port
  Free Virtual Serial Port driver for Windows is a software tool, which adds a virtual Comm port to the system, for instance COM5, and all the data from this port is re-directed to another TCP/IP device on the Ethernet network.  
• Ethernet I/O Controller
  Conversion of a serial line to Ethernet and vice versa (Server or Client/Server mode) with RS-485 support and protocol enhancements. Data is transmitted over the Ethernet using the TCP/IP or UDP/IP protocols.  
• Charon I module
  Embedded serial line to ethernet converter module, you can connect measuring devices, SNMP interface, thermometers etc...
• IP WatchDog
  Remote monitoring Ethernet and serial (R-S232, RS-485) devices provided by tracking the serial communication, ICMP ping function or requesting the WWW page. By the means of these functions it can RESET up to two monitored devices, such as servers, routers, access and security systems.