"Long distance, many nodes, difficult power supply, and strong interference"—if a device meets any one of these four characteristics, it is suitable for industrial PON.
| Dimension | Traditional industrial switches | Industrial PON |
| Transmission distance | A relay is required every 100 meters. | A single chain can reach over 20km. |
| intermediate nodes | An active switch is required (power supply and chassis are needed). | Passive optical splitter (no power supply required, maintenance-free) |
| Wiring complexity | Tree-like/ring-like structures, mostly network cables/fiber optic cables. | Minimal wiring, point-to-multipoint (P2MP) |
| Anti-interference | Copper wires are susceptible to EMI. | Fiber optics are completely immune to electromagnetic interference |
| Applicable Logic | Localized high performance and precision control (such as robotic arms) | Wide-area coverage and multi-point aggregation (such as park surveillance) |
