50 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet – Your Questions Answered

Our new Xtreme and Zenith camera families are the very first industrial cameras to be based on the QSFP28-50GigE and QSFP28-100GigE interfaces. Powered by the latest high-speed image sensors from Gpixel (Gsprint4521, GMAX3265, and GMAX32103), both families were launched to bridge a gap in the high-speed machine vision market. Because these new sensors deliver high sensitivity and very high data rates (the Gsprint4521, for example, provides in excess of 100Gbps data rates) they require the highest performance interfaces to deliver the full frame rate. For example, thanks to the Zenith’s QSFP28-100GigE interface we are able to offer an amazing 600fps at the full 21 megapixel resolution with the HZ-21000-G (Gsprint4521), and 30 fps at the full 103.7 megapixel resolution with the HZ-100-G (GMAX32103).

Most of you will be familiar with Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and 25 Gigabit Ethernet. Today we will answer any questions you may have about 50 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet.

What is 50GigE/100GigE

Both 50GigE and 100GigE are successors to the highly successful 25GigE technology. Logically, 50GigE is twice the speed of 25GigE and 100GigE is four times the speed of 25GigE. All are managed/produced by the IEEE 802.3 working group. The standard is used in applications such as telecom, data communications, industrial, military, etc, and now we leverage the benefits of this globally accepted cross-industry technology for machine vision applications.

Does GigEVision work for 50GigE and 100GigE?

Yes. GigEVision (the machine vision specific interface standard) regardless of its version supports 50GigE and 100GigE cameras. The later versions add some additional specific elements, which are not critical for the operation of Emergent cameras with various GigE Vision compliant software such as NI Labview, MVTec Halcon, Norpix StreamPix, Matrox MIL, Cognex VisionPro, etc.

What is the bandwidth of 50GigE and 100GigE?

The maximum bandwidth available for 50GigE is 50Gbps or 6,250 Mbytes/s and for 100GigE is 100Gbps or 12,500 Mbytes/s, which is the industry’s fastest single link solution.

What are the benefits of 50GigE and 100GigE?

The benefits of 50GigE and 100GigE are:

• Ultra high data/frame rates
• Many accessory and cabling options to cover any length
• Camera network support and accurate multi-camera synchronization methods including PTP support
• Multicast video technology
• Low CPU overhead, low latency, and low jitter
• Highest camera count per PC performance
• Very competitive cost/performance
• Industry acceptance due to IEEE and AIA standardization

Learn more about 50GigE and 100GigE

To learn more about 50 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet please download a free copy of our white paper. Topics include:

• What are the cable options and what is the max cable length?
• What are the cost implications?
• What is the power consumption?
• How does 50GigE and 100GigE compare with other interfaces?
• What operating systems are supported?
• How can I synchronize multiple cameras?
• What software can I use for my 50GigE or 100GigE camera?