The customer's existing Corporate LAN can be used to provide Layer 2 connectivity between Airmatics equipment installed in different areas of a site.

This allows Airmatics equipment to communicate across multiple locations without requiring dedicated Ethernet cabling between those locations, while keeping the Airmatics Private LAN completely segregated from all other customer network traffic.

Definitions

LAN
Local Area Network.

Corporate LAN
The customer's existing Ethernet network infrastructure.

Airmatics Private LAN
The private Ethernet network used exclusively by Airmatics devices.

The Airmatics Private LAN must always remain segregated and isolated from all other network traffic and devices. The Airmatics Private LAN uses its own DHCP services and must not be exposed to external network traffic or share a network segment with non-Airmatics devices.

VLAN
Virtual Local Area Network.

For Airmatics applications, the VLAN is used solely to extend the Airmatics Private LAN between defined locations while maintaining isolation from the Corporate LAN.

From the perspective of Airmatics devices, the VLAN behaves as though a dedicated physical Ethernet network exists between the defined locations.

Purpose

This article describes how to use a customer's existing Corporate LAN to provide Layer 2 connectivity between Airmatics equipment installed in different areas of a site where separate Ethernet cabling is impractical.

The Corporate LAN is used solely to transport Airmatics Private LAN traffic between defined locations whilst maintaining complete segregation from all other customer network traffic through the use of a dedicated VLAN.

Typical Use Cases

Use this architecture when:

1. Airmatics equipment is installed in multiple plant areas.
   
2. Existing site fibre or copper network infrastructure already exists between those areas.
   
3. Running dedicated Airmatics Ethernet cabling between locations is difficult or undesirable.
   
4. The customer's IT team can provide a dedicated VLAN between the required locations.
   

Architecture Overview

In this configuration:

1. Airmatics TAGs connect to a local Fortress Hub.
   
2. The Fortress Hub connects to a customer-provided VLAN port.
   
3. The customer Corporate LAN transports the segregated Airmatics Private LAN traffic between locations.
   
4. The segregated VLAN traffic is presented to Airmatics equipment at the remote location.
   
5. Airmatics devices continue to operate on their own isolated Airmatics Private LAN.
   
6. Cloud connectivity remains via the CloudGate cellular connection.
   

Network Design Requirements

The customer must provide:

1. A dedicated VLAN port at each required Airmatics location.
   
2. Layer 2 VLAN transport between all required locations. No inter-VLAN routing, Layer 3 gateway, firewall rules, NAT, or routed connectivity is required for Airmatics communications.
   
3. VLAN segregation and isolation from all other Corporate LAN traffic.
   
4. Physical network connectivity between the defined VLAN endpoints.
   

VLAN Configuration

Ports connected directly to Fortress Hubs must be configured as:

1. Access (untagged) ports.
   
2. Assigned exclusively to the Airmatics Private LAN VLAN.
   

Routing Requirements

The Airmatics Private LAN is extended between locations using a dedicated Layer 2 VLAN only.

Inter-VLAN routing must not be enabled and is not required for operation.

No communication is required between the Airmatics VLAN and any Corporate LAN subnet.

The Airmatics Private LAN must remain isolated from the Corporate LAN. The dedicated VLAN is used only to transport Airmatics Private LAN traffic between the defined locations.

Installation Procedure

Validation Checks

Verify that:

1. All Airmatics devices are online.
   
2. Devices receive network configuration from CloudGate.
   
3. Device communications are stable.
   
4. Cloud connectivity is operational through the CloudGate cellular connection.
   

Troubleshooting

Support Boundary

1. Airmatics hardware.
   
2. Fortress Hub operation.
   
3. CloudGate operation.
   
4. Airmatics device communications.
   
5. Verification of Airmatics device visibility and connectivity.
   

1. 
   VLAN creation and configuration.
   
2. Assignment of VLAN ports at the required locations.
   
3. Transport of Airmatics Private LAN traffic between VLAN locations.
   
4. Corporate LAN infrastructure.
   
5. Switch administration and maintenance.
   
6. Site network availability.
   

Key Principle

The customer's Corporate LAN is used solely as a transport mechanism.

The solution relies only on Layer 2 switching. The customer's network is not required to route traffic between VLANs or provide Layer 3 services to Airmatics equipment.

At no point is the Airmatics Private LAN merged with, exposed to, or operated as part of the customer's Corporate LAN.

The two networks remain logically separate and isolated, with the Corporate LAN merely carrying VLAN traffic between defined Airmatics locations.

This distinction is critical and should be clearly understood by customer IT personnel, distributors, commissioning engineers and support personnel before implementation.

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Visual Indication of the setup

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Recap

Here's a quick summary of the architecture:

✅ Corporate LAN – Used solely to transport the Airmatics Private LAN between defined locations.

✅ Dedicated VLAN – Provides the Layer 2 connection between the required Airmatics locations.

✅ Fortress Hub – Connects the local Airmatics equipment to the customer-provided VLAN port.

✅ Airmatics Private LAN – Remains isolated and uses its own DHCP services.

⚠️ No Layer 3 routing – Inter-VLAN routing, gateways, NAT and firewall rules are not required for Airmatics communications.

⚠️ Network isolation – The Airmatics Private LAN must never be merged with or exposed to the customer's Corporate LAN.

The customer's Corporate LAN simply provides the transport path between defined Airmatics locations, while the Airmatics equipment continues to operate on its own isolated Private LAN.