This is a translated post from our partner. Original post.

We rarely talk about the importance of grounding devices, in the case of devices used in an industrial or even office environment, the lack of grounding or improper wiring will greatly reduce the reliability or lead to malfunctions.

Grounding the router helps prevent noise from Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and decrease the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields. From our experience, grounding can provide a high level of protection against communication interference.

It is especially important to ground a device where industrial machinery is operating, as strong electromagnetic fields will be generated by industrial machinery like high-power electric motors, relays, switches, radio transmitters etc. Furthermore, it will be much better if the static discharges between the devices are equalized through the ground instead of the Ethernet ports. (Keep in mind that an outdoor device may also require grounding or lightning protection to meet safety standards.)

There are other reasons why grounding is important:

  • The absence of grounding will void the device warranty
  • Grounding should always be carried out before commissioning & configuring connectors

Robustel routers have several options for ground connecting, which is indicated by an icon on the housing of the device:

  • One of the grounding option is a dedicated screw on the router housing.

  • The other option is through the power connector.