TL;DR: Deploying hundreds of industrial switches manually creates administrative overhead and invites configuration errors. Westermo's WeConfig software automates device discovery and applies bulk configuration across entire networks, cutting the manual labor hours required for large-scale rollouts while reducing the inconsistencies that come from repetitive, manual data entry.
Rolling out a handful of industrial switches is manageable with a laptop, a console cable, and an afternoon. Rolling out hundreds across multiple sites is an entirely different challenge. Every additional device multiplies the opportunity for typos, mismatched settings, and overlooked configuration steps—problems that don't show up until the network is already in production.
For engineering teams responsible for critical infrastructure, these are not minor inconveniences. A misconfigured switch on a substation network or a wastewater pumping station can mean downtime, safety risks, or compliance failures. The question isn't whether large-scale deployments are hard. It's how to make them faster and more consistent without expanding the team doing the work.
This post looks at why manual configuration doesn't scale, and how WeConfig—Westermo's network configuration software—addresses the problem through automated discovery and bulk configuration.
Why doesn't manual configuration scale for large switch deployments?
Manual configuration works fine for a single switch. It breaks down fast once that number grows into the dozens or hundreds.
Each switch typically needs the same baseline settings applied: NTP server, SNMP trap destinations, DNS, default gateway, VLAN assignments, and resilience protocols like FRNT or RSTP. When an engineer configures these settings one device at a time, through a web interface or command line, the process is repetitive by nature. Repetitive manual tasks are where human error creeps in—a transposed IP address, a VLAN left unassigned, a skipped step repeated across twenty more switches.
There's also the time cost. Every device added to a manual rollout adds a near-identical block of configuration work. On a project with hundreds of industrial switches, that adds up to a significant number of labor hours spent on tasks that don't change from device to device—time that could otherwise go toward network design, testing, or other higher-value work.
"As networks expand in size and complexity, the need for easy, fast and secure configuration increases" (Westermo, WeConfig configuration page). That growing complexity is exactly what makes manual, device-by-device configuration increasingly impractical at scale.
How does WeConfig's automated discovery work?
WeConfig automatically discovers supported devices on accessible networks and visualizes their connections in a network topology map. Engineers can then use the software's configuration tools to apply settings across selected devices, reducing the need for repetitive device-by-device configuration.
This discovery capability removes one of the more tedious parts of large-scale deployment: manually identifying every switch on the network before configuration can even begin. For a rollout involving hundreds of devices across multiple sites, automated discovery means the starting point for configuration is established quickly and accurately, rather than through a manual device-by-device audit.
What does bulk configuration in WeConfig actually do?
Once devices are discovered, WeConfig allows teams to deploy configurations across many switches at once rather than repeating the same steps on each individual unit. WeConfig can deploy global parameters such as NTP server, SNMP Trap, DNS, and default gateway settings across the network.
WeConfig also supports safely deploying Layer 2 resilient configurations—including FRNT, RiCo, and RSTP—as well as VLANs and VLAN interfaces, across the network rather than switch by switch. Building a FRNT ring network or deploying new VLANs can be achieved in a couple of minutes' time using WeConfig.
For teams managing SHDSL links as part of their industrial network, WeConfig additionally supports configuring SHDSL settings and includes an SHDSL reach calculator, helping ensure connections are configured correctly from the outset.
The practical effect of bulk configuration is straightforward: settings that need to be identical—or follow a consistent template—across hundreds of switches are applied in a fraction of the time it would take to enter them manually on each device.
How does automation reduce configuration errors in large rollouts?
Configuration errors in manual rollouts tend to follow a predictable pattern. They happen when the same setting has to be entered repeatedly across many devices, and small inconsistencies—a missed VLAN tag, a different gateway address, an inconsistent naming convention—slip through because there's no single source of truth governing the process.
Bulk configuration addresses this at the root. When a setting is defined once and deployed across every targeted switch through WeConfig, there is no repeated manual entry step where a typo or oversight can occur. WeConfig allows engineers to apply shared network parameters consistently across multiple devices while accommodating device-specific requirements such as IP addresses, VLAN assignments, and redundancy roles. This reduces repetitive manual entry and helps minimize inconsistencies without sacrificing the configuration flexibility that complex industrial networks require.
This matters beyond the initial rollout, too. WeConfig can automatically back up every WeOS device in a project at a defined interval and compare the current configuration against the saved baseline. If something changes—a firewall rule, a port added to a VLAN, an insecure protocol enabled—WeConfig raises an alarm. That gives engineering teams a way to catch configuration drift after deployment, not just prevent errors during it.
How much manual labor does WeConfig save on large-scale deployments?
Using WeConfig for both initial configuration and ongoing maintenance can save hundreds of man hours over the lifetime of a network. That time savings comes from two sources: automating the repetitive work of discovering and configuring devices during rollout, and reducing the ongoing maintenance burden once the network is live.
WeConfig also makes network configuration and maintenance more efficient, simple and reliable. Many hours of work can be saved in the initial installation, as well as in ongoing maintenance throughout the life of the network. For teams responsible for hundreds of industrial switches, that reduction in manual labor hours is what makes large-scale deployment administratively sustainable—rather than requiring the engineering team to grow in step with the network.
WeConfig can also automatically generate a deployment report after configuration, including a network map and details on each device and link. This is particularly useful at system handover or site acceptance testing, where documenting exactly what was deployed would otherwise be another manual task.
Building deployments that scale with the network, not against it
Large-scale industrial switch deployments don't have to mean a proportional increase in administrative work. By automating device discovery and applying bulk configuration across the network, WeConfig shifts the deployment process away from repetitive manual entry and toward a consistent, repeatable workflow—one that reduces the labor hours and configuration errors that typically come with rolling out hundreds of switches.
For engineering teams planning their next large-scale rollout, the question worth asking is how much of that process currently depends on manual, device-by-device configuration—and what that's costing in time and consistency. Westermo's WeConfig page is a useful next step for teams wanting to see these discovery and bulk configuration capabilities in more detail.
If your team is planning a large-scale industrial switch deployment—or looking to bring greater consistency and efficiency to your critical infrastructure network—MICA Technologies can help. As an authorized Westermo representative, MICA Technologies brings deep expertise in industrial networking hardware and software, helping organizations across utilities, municipal systems, and industrial operations deploy and maintain networks where failure is not an option.
Frequently asked questions
What is WeConfig?
WeConfig is Westermo's network configuration software, designed to simplify the configuration and ongoing maintenance of industrial switches running WeOS (Westermo, WeConfig configuration page).
Does WeConfig work for both new installations and existing networks?
Yes. WeConfig can be used for both the initial configuration of a network and its ongoing maintenance after commissioning, with time savings applying across the full lifetime of the network (Westermo, WeConfig configuration page).
Can WeConfig detect changes made to a switch after it's deployed?
Yes. WeConfig can automatically back up every WeOS device in a project at a set interval and compare it against the saved baseline, raising an alarm if a change—such as a firewall rule update or new VLAN port—is detected (Westermo, "Secure your network with WeConfig").
What kind of settings can be deployed in bulk with WeConfig?
WeConfig can deploy global parameters such as NTP server, SNMP Trap, DNS, and default gateway settings, along with Layer 2 resilient configurations (FRNT, RiCo, RSTP), VLANs, VLAN interfaces, and SHDSL settings across multiple devices (Westermo, WeConfig configuration page).
Is WeConfig only useful for very large deployments?
No. While the labor-saving benefits of automated discovery and bulk configuration are most pronounced on large-scale rollouts of hundreds of switches, WeConfig also simplifies configuration and maintenance for networks of varying sizes (Westermo, "Secure your network with WeConfig").
Is WeConfig free to use?
WeConfig v2 offers core functionality, including device discovery, network visualization, and Layer 2 configuration, without requiring a Professional licence. Advanced capabilities, including certain security, routing, and reporting functions, require WeConfig v2 Professional.