The demand for remote maintenance of machines and industrial applications is growing exponentially. Weidmuller’s award-winning industrial security routers have provided a secure solution for these applications with virtual private network (VPN) access, network address translation, and stateful firewall functionality. Weidmuller is using these security routers as the basis of their cloud-based remote maintenance VPN service, u-link. u-link provides a quick secure access to plants and machines all over the world from the cloud making remote maintenance easier and more efficient. This translates to a massive reduction of cost related to downtime. To help aid in COVID-19 relief efforts Weidmuller is including a Standard use license with all their routers and allow their customers free use of the U-Link system when bundled together until September 30, 2020.
Weidmuller’s u-link cloud-based solution incorporates an intuitive web-based interface, (the u-link Portal) to allow for easy configuration for the customer’s specific application. The u-link cloud is used as a meeting point, securely connecting the user’s PC running the u-link VPN software, with the u-link enabled security router. Once the security routers are added to the u-link portal, users can access network devices, i.e. switches, programmable logic controllers (PLC’s), and other Ethernet-capable automation devices for trouble-shooting, maintenance, or PLC program changes.
Up to 50 security routers can be added to the u-link Portal for free with the dtandard version now included as a bundle handling up to 12GB/month. Customers already using the Weidmuller security routers need only to install the latest version of the security router firmware for the u-link functionality. License upgrades are also available for 150, 300, 500, and unlimited number of security routers. The U-Link system is now also approved for remote access use in China and allows for three simultaneous VPN connections.
U-link can be customized to suit any user’s needs, no matter how simple or complex the application may be. Managing users, groups and access rights, adding security routers and other user-defined devices can be easily done without in-depth information technology expertise. The combination of the u-link cloud-based service and Weidmuller’s hardened industrial security router provides customers secure, easy, and efficient access to marine applications, machines, and plants worldwide.
