White Paper: A Guide to Industrial Communication Protocols

Industrial automation – the control of machinery and processes by autonomous systems using technologies like robotics and computer software – is one of the major forces driving Industry 4.0. This automation is being driven by high-speed communications between devices and software. For the wide variety of industrial automation devices to communicate, a standard communication protocol must be employed. Essentially, industrial protocols are communications protocols that ensure connectivity between machines, devices, and systems as part of an industrial network.  This white paper explores three of the major communication protocols:

• Industrial Ethernet
• Fieldbus
• Wireless