Hi Jota
If you are using ACE as your surface link, you can use a standard Ethernet switch (most routers will not work) to extend the link distance. There are a few things to note with this: Firstly, if you have a ‘managed’ switch, you will need to turn off any features that can interfere with the ACE traffic. These include Spanning Tree Protocol, Tagged Egress Packets, and Broadcast Storm Protection. Secondly, if you are using a standard Ethernet switch, the ACE link will not run at 120 meters per cable; 80 meters would be a good starting point per cable, but you will need to test your final setup to make sure you are happy with the reliability of it. If 80 meters per link is not long enough, you can use another switch to extend the link again.
If you are using EtherSound, and running a separate control link, you can extend the ES link using one of the switches recommended on their website (https://www.ethersound.com/technology/compatibility.php?o=switches) at the distances they recommend, and extend the control network link using switches with up to 100 meters per link (again, you will need to test the reliability of this for yourself). If you have two Gigabit switches that support VLANs, you could combine the ES and control networks, and run them down one Gigabit link.
There are lots of options, but as Christian said, Fibre is really the way to go if you want very long connections. The simplest way to achieve this is to buy simple ‘media converters’ like the one Christian linked to. A more complex system might use a managed Gigabit switch with optical ports to combine several network links onto the same fibre.
– Jeff, A&H
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