The Contemporary Controls EISK5-100T/H Skorpion Diagnostic Switch is a 5-port unmanaged Ethernet switch that deliberately disables MAC address learning so that every directed, multicast, and broadcast frame is flooded to all ports. This makes the switch behave like a repeating hub at the application layer while retaining all the per-port benefits of a switched architecture: 10/100 Mbps auto-negotiation, Auto-MDIX, full-duplex links, store-and-forward, and link integrity per segment. The result is a low-cost alternative to the "port mirror" feature of a managed switch — attach Wireshark or any protocol analyzer to any port and capture every frame on the local network. A writable side label lets the installer document each cable run on the unit.
Hub-Mode Traffic Flooding
- ›No MAC address learning — all frames go to all ports
- ›Wireshark / sniffer on any port sees all network traffic
- ›Captures directed, multicast, and broadcast frames
- ›Equivalent to a managed switch's "port mirror" function
- ›Per-port collision domain isolation (unlike legacy hubs)
5 Copper Ports, Plug-and-Play
- ›5 × 10/100 Mbps shielded RJ-45 ports
- ›Auto-negotiation of speed (10/100) and duplex (half/full)
- ›Auto-MDIX accepts straight-through or crossover cables
- ›Store-and-forward operation, non-blocking wire-speed
- ›Per-segment link integrity monitoring
- ›ANSI/IEEE 802.3 compliant
Flexible Power Options
- ›Wide-range input: 10-36 VDC or 24 VAC ±10%
- ›Power draw: 3 W DC or 7 VA AC
- ›Redundant power: DC + DC, AC + DC, or DC + AC backup
- ›Reverse-polarity protection on inputs
- ›Removable 4-pin power connector for fast servicing
Compact Industrial Build
- ›Only 26 mm (1 inch) wide on the DIN-rail
- ›Rugged aluminium enclosure with metal DIN clip
- ›Writable side label for cable documentation
- ›Per-port "L" LED: green=100 Mbps, yellow=10 Mbps, flashing=data
- ›Per-port "D" LED: green=full duplex, off=half duplex
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Operating Mode | Diagnostic / hub-mode — floods all received frames to all ports (no MAC address learning) |
| Primary Use Case | Protocol analysis with Wireshark or other sniffers; field debugging; embedded development |
| Ports | 5 × 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX, shielded RJ-45, Auto-MDIX |
| Data Rate | 10/100 Mbps, auto-negotiated, half or full duplex |
| Switching Architecture | Store-and-forward, non-blocking; per-port collision domain isolation |
| Address Learning | Disabled (intentional — this is what enables the diagnostic mode) |
| Flow Control | PAUSE function (full-duplex), backpressure (half-duplex) |
| IEEE Standard | ANSI/IEEE 802.3 |
| Power Input | 10-36 VDC (3 W) or 24 VAC ±10%, 47-63 Hz (7 VA) |
| Power Redundancy | Backup input supports DC or AC; reverse-polarity protected |
| Power Connector | 4-pin removable terminal block (COM / HI / HIB / chassis) |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +60°C (+32°F to +140°F) |
| Storage Temperature | -40°C to +85°C |
| Humidity | 10-95%, non-condensing |
| Protection Rating | IP30 |
| Mounting | TS-35 DIN-rail |
| Dimensions (W × D × H) | 26 × 70 × 100 mm (1.0 × 2.74 × 3.94 in) |
| Shipping Weight | 1 lb (0.45 kg) |
| Enclosure | Rugged aluminium, with integrated metal DIN-rail clip |
| Wire Size (Power) | 16-22 AWG solid, 16-18 AWG stranded |
| Regulatory | UL 508 Listed (Industrial Control Equipment), c-UL Listed, CE Mark, FCC Part 15 Class A, RoHS |
| UL 508A Compatibility | Directly acceptable as UL 508 Listed Industrial Control Equipment in UL 508A panels |
| Warranty | 5-year limited (Contemporary Controls) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "diagnostic" or "hub mode" and when would I use it?
A standard switch learns the MAC addresses of devices on each port and forwards traffic only to the destination port. This is great for performance but bad for protocol analysis: a sniffer plugged into a spare port sees nothing except broadcasts. The EISK5-100T/H disables MAC address learning entirely, so every frame received on any port is flooded out all other ports. A protocol analyzer (Wireshark, Microsoft Network Monitor, tcpdump, etc.) attached to any port will see all the traffic on the local network — no managed-switch port-mirror configuration required.
How is this different from the regular EISK5-100T?
Both are 5-port 10/100 Mbps Skorpion switches in the same compact 26 mm DIN-rail housing, with identical UL 508 listing, redundant power capability, dual L/D LEDs per port, and 5-year warranty. The only functional difference is MAC address learning: the regular EISK5-100T learns and switches traffic intelligently; the EISK5-100T/H deliberately does not learn and floods all traffic to all ports. AC power draw is also slightly higher on the /H (7 VA vs 6 VA) due to the constant flood activity.
Can I leave the EISK5-100T/H permanently installed in production?
Yes. Per Contemporary Controls' own guidance, the Skorpion Diagnostic Switch can either be permanently installed for ongoing diagnostic access or swapped for a regular EISK5-100T after commissioning. Permanent installation lets you tap into network traffic at any time without unplugging anything — useful for troubleshooting intermittent issues. The trade-off is reduced effective throughput on busy networks (because every frame goes to every port), so consider production traffic patterns when deciding.
How do I capture traffic with Wireshark on this switch?
Connect your sniffer PC running Wireshark to any open port on the EISK5-100T/H, set the network adapter to promiscuous mode in Wireshark's capture options (or just start a capture — Wireshark usually defaults to promiscuous on the selected interface), and start capturing. You'll see every frame transmitted by every device connected to the switch. No MAC filtering, no port-mirror configuration, no managed-switch web UI to log into. Useful for BACnet/IP debugging, BBMD verification, Modbus TCP transaction tracing, and verifying device discovery sequences.
Will it work for time-critical industrial protocols (PROFINET RT, EtherCAT, etc.)?
Use caution. Protocols that rely on cyclic real-time communication (PROFINET RT, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP CIP Sync, time-sensitive networking) may be affected by the additional broadcast traffic that hub-mode flooding introduces, especially on busy networks. The EISK5-100T/H retains store-and-forward operation and per-segment isolation, but every device sees every frame from every other device, which can disrupt timing-sensitive applications. For BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP, and similar non-real-time protocols this is generally fine. Test in your specific environment before depending on it for production debugging of real-time protocols.
Can the EISK5-100T/H be installed in a UL 508A control panel?
Yes. The EISK5-100T/H is UL 508 Listed and c-UL Listed for Industrial Control Equipment. UL 508-listed components are directly acceptable for use in UL 508A panels without invalidating the panel listing, as long as the device is supplied from a Class 2 limited-energy source per the panel's circuit requirements.
Does it support VLANs, QoS, or other managed-switch features?
No. This is an unmanaged switch with no IP address, no web interface, no firmware to set up, and no Layer-2 management features. It does not implement IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging, QoS prioritization, or Spanning Tree Protocol. VLAN-tagged frames will pass through unmodified (because all frames flood to all ports), but the switch itself does not differentiate them. If you need VLAN-aware diagnostic access, a managed switch with port mirroring is the right tool.
What do the per-port LEDs indicate?
Every port has two LEDs. The "L" (link/rate) LED glows green for an established 100 Mbps link, yellow for 10 Mbps, and flashes when data is being transmitted or received. The "D" (duplex) LED glows green when the link is in full-duplex mode and is off in half-duplex (where it briefly flashes on collision). A separate green Power LED confirms supply status.
- Sub-Category:
- Diagnostic Switch
