Category Archives: Communication Protocols

The IEC 60870-5-104 (IEC 104) protocol is one of the most important standards for modern SCADA and telecontrol systems.It extends the earlier IEC 60870-5-101 serial protocol by enabling communication over Ethernet and TCP/IP networks, allowing utilities and industries to operate over LAN, WAN, or even public IP networks with reliability and scalability. This article explains — in plain… Read More: How IEC 60870-5-104 Works Over Ethernet — Complete Technical Guide »

Reliable communication in IEC 60870-5-104 depends heavily on properly tuned timeout parameters. The standard defines several timing constants — t0, t1, t2, and t3 — which control connection setup, data acknowledgment, and link supervision between the controlling station (master) and the controlled station (slave/RTU). Misconfigured timeouts can cause link resets, delayed data updates, or even total communication failure.… Read More: Adjusting Timeout Values (t0–t3) in IEC 60870-5-104 — Complete Guide »

IEC 60870-5-104 is one of the most widely used SCADA communication protocols in power and industrial automation. One of its most critical yet misunderstood components is time synchronization, achieved using the CP56Time2a format. Accurate time coordination across remote terminal units (RTUs), intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), and control centers ensures that every event, command, and alarm can be correctly… Read More: IEC 60870-5-104 Time Synchronization (CP56Time2a) — Complete Technical Guide »

In the realm of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, the IEC 60870-5 protocol suite is a fundamental standard for telecontrol and remote communication in power systems and industrial automation. One of the core technical distinctions within the IEC 60870-5-101 profile is between balanced and unbalanced transmission modes. These modes define how communication is initiated and managed… Read More: Balanced and Unbalanced Transmission in IEC 60870-5-101 »