RS now offers Phoenix Contact's pioneering new NearFi technology

NearFi plug-and-play contactless couplers for industrial applications enable the real-time transmission of power and Ethernet data across air gaps of a few centimeters, providing critical convenience, versatility, ruggedness, reliability, and time and cost savings.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RS, a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, offers Phoenix Contact's pioneering new NearFi contactless power and data transmission technology, which is designed to save time and money by eliminating costly, wear-prone pluggable connectors and slip rings — and the expensive unplanned downtime they cause — in industrial environments.

Practically speaking, NearFi technology is akin to near-field communication (NFC) but scaled up and supercharged for far greater functionality and application suitability.

Like NFC, NearFi is a contactless technology that enables the real-time wireless transmission of inductive power and data across an air gap of a few centimeters. But while NFC technology is limited to maximum data and power transmissions of 424kbit/s and 1W, which is insufficient for transferring large files or providing continuous power, NearFi technology delivers data transmission speeds up to 100Mbps and can transmit up to 50W of power over the air.

It's also protocol independent and capable of full duplex transmission, and it uses a synchronous, bit-oriented transmission method for real-time contactless communication — rather than the packet-oriented transmission method that other current radio transmission technologies rely on — which results in near-zero latency. The only power and data transmission technology with lower latency than NearFi technology is a physical cable. So, unlike NFC, NearFi couplers function just like Ethernet cables.

Other advantages of Phoenix Contact's new NearFi couplers include electromagnetic compatibility and plug-and-play functionality, the combination of which enables quick, easy, and cost-effective installation and implementation with no frequency planning, networking expertise, or configuration required. They can also reliably transmit power and data while rotating at up to 1,400 RPMs — which makes them well suited for slip rings and other rotating equipment in the food and beverage, wind energy, robotics, medical, and automated manufacturing industries — and while separated by non-metallic materials, like wood, glass, and plastic. This enables their use in clean room applications in semiconductor, food, and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations and sealed enclosures in virtually every industrial market segment.

NearFi couplers' novel characteristics also make them ideally suited for use in maintenance-intensive robotics applications, rotary tables, workpiece carriers, and automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) and well-positioned for use in future developments, including time-sensitive networking (TSN) and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA), which, when combined, can create deterministic, real-time communications systems optimized for modern automation and IIoT applications.

The new NearFi couplers have compact, rugged, and durable IP65-rated housings equipped with LED indicator rings and are currently available in versions designed to transmit power or both power and data. They can also accommodate up to 5mm of lateral misalignment and several degrees of angle offset, depending on whether you're doing power or data, which offers a fair amount of mounting freedom.

"We're thrilled to offer our proprietary new NearFi couplers through RS," said Danny Walters, Product Marketing Specialist – Wireless and Surveillance at Phoenix Contact USA. "RS customers are exactly the type of customers we had in mind when developing NearFi technology. Industrial customers are inundated with challenges, including supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, rising costs, operational inefficiencies, unplanned downtime, modernization and digitalization, environmental concerns, and harsh environments. And several of these challenges are provoked by the traditional pluggable power and data connectors and slip rings that NearFi couplers are designed to replace. So, the convenience, versatility, ruggedness, reliability, and time and cost savings that NearFi technology delivers has a measurable impact on their operations."  

RS offers an extensive range of Phoenix Contact's innovative industrial electrification, automation, and networking solutions, including the new NearFi couplers for contactless power and data transmission, which wireless and surveillance specialist Danny Walters, recently discussed at length in the RS Expert Advice interview, "NearFi: A supercharged NFC-like technology for industrial applications." 

For more information about these and other Phoenix Contact products available at RS — ranging from other connectivity solutions, including couplers, connectors, and wire and cable products, to a wide variety of circuit protection products, PLCs and HMIs, industrial controls, industrial data communications solutions, power products, sensors, and tools and hardware — please visit the links embedded here and check out Phoenix Contact's other contributions to the RS Expert Advice series.

For assistance identifying, procuring, deploying, and maintaining Phoenix Contact NearFi couplers, please contact your local RS representative at 1.866.433.5722 or reach out to the RS technical support team.

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About Phoenix Contact
Since 1923, Phoenix Contact has created products to connect, distribute, and control power and data flows. Our products are found in nearly all industrial markets. Sustainability and responsibility guide every action we take, and we are proud to collaborate with our customers to empower a smarter and better world for future generations. Together, we are creating a sustainable world based on our passion for technology and innovation.

For more information about Phoenix Contact or its products, visit www.phoenixcontact.com, call technical service at 800-322-3225, or email [email protected].

About RS 
RS is a high-service global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, enabling them to operate efficiently and sustainably. 

We operate in 36 markets, stock over 830,000 industrial and specialist products, and list an additional five million relevant for our industrial customers, sourced from over 2,500 suppliers. This extensive range supports our customers across the industrial lifecycle of designing, building, and maintaining equipment and operations. We enhance their experience through a tailored service model, leveraging our efficient physical, digital, and process infrastructure sustainably. We combine a technically led and digitally enabled approach with an exceptional team of experts; ultimately, it's our people that make the difference. Our purpose, making amazing happen for a better world, reflects our focus on delivering results for people, planet, and profit. 

RS Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with stock ticker RS1 and in the year ended 31 March 2025 reported revenue of £2,904 million. For more information, please visit https://www.rsgroup.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).

About RS in the Americas 
In the Americas region, RS stocks more than 250,000 industrial and electronic products from more than 700 trusted suppliers. These solutions cover categories extending from automation and control equipment to interconnect, passive, active, and electromechanical components and include more than 90,000 high-quality, competitively priced RS PRO products. For more information, please visit https://us.rs-online.com or connect with us via social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Editorial Contact & Media Inquiries:
Erica Goode, RS Director of Marketing – U.S. and Canada
[email protected]  

SOURCE RS