IEC 60870-5-104 (commonly called IEC 104) is the standard protocol for SCADA communication in power utilities, water systems, and other critical infrastructure across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It takes the application layer of IEC 60870-5-101 (the serial telecontrol standard) and maps it onto TCP/IP. This gives you the same proven data model — single-point indications, measured… Read More »
IEC 61850 transformed substation automation. It replaced hardwired copper connections with standardized Ethernet-based communication between intelligent electronic devices (IEDs). GOOSE messages trip breakers in under 4 milliseconds. MMS connects IEDs to SCADA systems. Sampled Values stream real-time voltage and current measurements. But this transformation came with a trade-off. By moving protection and control communications onto Ethernet, substations inherited… Read More »
Modbus was built in 1979 for a world where industrial networks were physically isolated. There was no internet, no remote access, and no reason to worry about authentication or encryption. The protocol was designed for reliability and simplicity — not security. That was fine for decades. But today, industrial control systems are increasingly connected to corporate networks, cloud… Read More »
Modbus TCP/IP brings the simplicity of the Modbus protocol onto modern Ethernet networks. Instead of serial cables and RS-485 wiring, you use standard Ethernet infrastructure — switches, routers, and Cat5e/Cat6 cables. The protocol works the same way as Modbus RTU at the application level. You still read holding registers, write coils, and use the same function codes. The… Read More »
Modbus RTU over RS-485 is the most common serial communication setup in industrial automation. It connects PLCs, sensors, drives, meters, and other field devices on a simple two-wire bus. The protocol itself is straightforward. But getting it to work reliably depends on getting the details right — wiring, termination, addressing, baud rate, parity, and register mapping all need… Read More »
Every OPC UA interaction starts with a simple concept: a client asks, a server answers. But beneath that simplicity sits a carefully layered architecture that handles discovery, security, sessions, subscriptions, and more — all defined in the IEC 62541 standard. This guide explains how the OPC UA client-server architecture works from the ground up. Whether you’re developing an… Read More »
OPC UA gives machines a common language. But a common language isn’t enough if everyone uses different vocabulary. A packaging machine and a robot arm both “speak” OPC UA — but how they describe themselves, their data, and their capabilities needs to follow a shared standard too. That’s what companion specifications do. They define standardized data models for… Read More »
If you’ve heard the term “OPC UA” thrown around in meetings about factory automation, Industry 4.0, or IIoT — and you’re not sure what it actually means — you’re in the right place. This guide explains OPC UA in plain language. No jargon walls. No assumption that you already know the protocol stack. Just a clear explanation of… Read More »
PROFINET is an Industrial Ethernet communication standard that connects factory controllers to field devices — sensors, actuators, drives, remote I/O — over standard Ethernet infrastructure, with real-time performance down to 31.25 microseconds. What Problem PROFINET Solves In the 1980s and 1990s, factories used dedicated serial fieldbus cables to connect controllers to field devices. PROFIBUS was the leading standard… Read More »
PROFIBUS faults fall into two categories: installation faults (wiring, termination, grounding — things that were never right) and operational faults (things that worked and then stopped). The approach to each is different. For installation faults — commissioning a new network or adding devices — start at the physical layer and work up. You cannot fix a protocol issue… Read More »