An airport terminal must be equipped to handle myriad tasks including passenger traffic, ticket purchases and check-in, luggage transfers, security checkpoints, and more. In addition, terminals also need to manage basic utilities, runway signals, and power dispatch systems. All of these tasks require coordinating a great deal of information and equipment over a communication network. A central control room typically handles all the control signals for multiple operations within an airport.

The control room of the new international terminal of a major Chinese city needed to connect various devices via different media interfaces including Ethernet, RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485, depending on the application and distance from the control room. In addition, the Chinese airport needed a total communication solution that would incorporate runway signal controls and power source monitoring. High standards for security and architectural stability were also required for the airport's applications.

The Chinese airport decided to use Moxa's NPort® 5232-I for the network infrastructure and the CP-138U-I to transmit serial communication signals locally. This allowed the control center to gather power control signals via multiport serial boards (CP-138U-I) and remotely monitor power meter data by using an Ethernet-to-serial device (NPort® 5232-I). Moreover, both the CP-138U-I and NPort® 5232-I provide reliable optical isolation protection. Moxa's Ethernet solutions were selected because the client wanted a network that satisfied the following requirements:

Power control signal transmission between remote sites and the control center over Ethernet for long distance applications

Power control signal transmission between remote sites and the control center using multiport serial boards for short distance applications

Isolation protection

Minimal additional wiring effort

A total solution that easily integrates an existing Ethernet infrastructure and serial communication locally and remotely

Industrial-grade optical isolation protection to guarantee communication reliability

Good technical support and product quality.