Communication protocols define how field devices—sensors, actuators, or robots—exchange data with controllers like PLCs or edge computers. They reduce wiring, save installation time, and lower error risks while enabling smarter, more reliable machines. With protocols, devices share diagnostics, I/O status, and performance data, supporting remote monitoring, AI-driven analytics, cloud services, and new business models that drive efficiency and service innovation.
PLCs first relied on RS232 serial links to connect devices like monitors or printers. In the late 1980s, fieldbus technology replaced complex parallel wiring with digital transmission, later standardized in IEC 61158. Since 1999, diverse fieldbus systems have been widely used, with Ethernet-based, partly real-time protocols forming the next generation. Today, cloud connectivity, data lakes, and IT/OT convergence define modern industrial communication—with security now a core concern.
Information Technology (IT) manages data and applications, such as information systems, office computers, and networks. Operational Technology (OT) monitors and controls physical devices like production equipment. IT/OT convergence integrates both, often via common protocols. However, the technologies differ: Industrial Ethernet must withstand harsher conditions like vibrations, dust, and heat, requiring greater robustness. It’s designed to prevent errors and quickly respond to disruptions, using protocols built for high data rates, collision management, and — most importantly — deterministic communication to ensure data is transmitted on time and production failures are avoided.
But what are the top 10 technologies shaping industrial automation today?