Industrial

Network

Developer

Introduced

Openness

Topology

AS-I

AS-I
Consortium

1993

AS-II C
market item

Bus, ring, tree star

ARCNet

Datapoint

Physical
Media
2-wire
cable
Coax,
twisted
pair, fiber

Max
devices
124

Max
distance
100m
300m (1)
600m (4)
120m (5)
1825m (6)

1975

ANSI spec

Star, bus,
distributed star

1995

Multiple
vendors

Trunkline/dropline

Twisted
pair (3)

127

8-305m (7)

1996

Multiple
vendors

Linear, tree, star,

ring or combination

Coax,
fiber

99

20Km (8)

255

Communication
methodology

Transmission
properties

Max
data
packet
size

Master/slave polling

EMI resistant

Peer-to-peer

More info

na

4.7 ms

As-interface.com

19.53 Kbps10Mbps

507 bytes

Application
layer
dependent

Arcnet.com

10-1000 Kbps

8 bytes

<1ms

Can-cia.de
Bosch.de

5Mbps

512 bytes

2ms

Controlnet.org
AB.com

ControlNet

CAN In
Automation,
Phillips
ControlNet
Consortium

DH+

Allen-Bradley

1984

Proprietary

Linear trunk;
Trunkline/dropline

Twinaxial

64

3Km
@ 57.6Kbps
1Km
@ 230Kbps

Multi-master,
Peer-to-peer

57.6Kbps230Kbps

180 bytes

na

AB.com

DH485

Allen-Bradley

1992

Proprietary

Linear trunk;
Trunkline/dropline

4 wire
twisted
pair

32

1.2Km
6m/drop

Multi-master,
Peer-to-peer

19.2Kbps

180 bytes

na

AB.com

DeviceNet

Allen-Bradley

1994

Multiple
vendors

Trunkline, dropline
w/ branching

Twisted
pair (3)

64

500m
6Km (1)

Master/slave, Multimaster, Peer-to-peer

125-500Kbps

8 bytes

2ms
master/slave
polling

ODVA.org
AB.com

Ethernet

DEC, Intel,
Xerox

1976

Multiple
vendors

Bus, star

1024

185m (4)
100m(1)(5)
400m (6)

Peer-to-peer,
Broadcast

10-100Mbps

1.5K
bytes

Application
layer
dependent

IndustrialEthernet.com

Ethernet IP

ControlNet &
DeviceNet
Consortium

1996

Multiple
vendors

Bus, star

1024

185m (4)
100m(1)(5)
400m (6)

Producer/Consumer
object model

10-100Mbps

1.5K
bytes

na

Controlnet.org
AB.com

Fieldbus
Foundation

2000(2)

Multiple
vendors

Star

Twisted
pair, fiber

Unlimited

100m (5)
2Km (6)
@100Mbps

Client/server
Publisher/subscriber
Event notification

100Mbps

Variable

<5ms

Fieldbus.org

Fieldbus
Foundation

1995

Multiple
vendors

Star, bus

Twisted
pair, fiber

240

1.9Km
@
31.25Kbps

Client/server
Publisher/subscriber
Event notification

31.25Kbps

128 octets

<100ms

Fieldbus.org

Interbus-S

Phoenix
Contact
Interbus Club

1984

Multiple
vendors

Segmented w/ T
drops

Twisted
pair, fiber

256

400m/seg
12.8Km total

Master/slave w/ total
frame transfer

500Kbps

512 bytes

1.8ms

Interbusclub.com

LonWorks

Echelon

1991

Open

Bus, ring, loop, star

32,000

2Km
@ 78Kbps

Master/slave
Peer-to-peer

1.25Mbps

228 bytes

20ms

Modicon

na

Propietary

Linear

64

500m

Peer-to-peer

1Mbps

Variable

na

Modicon

1978

Open

Line, star, tree w/

segments

Twisted
pair

250

350m

Master/slave

300bps38.4Kbps

254 bytes

na

Modicon.com
Modbus.org

Profibus
DP/PA

Siemens

DP: 1994
PA: 1995

Multiple
vendors

Line, star, ring

Twisted
pair, fiber

127

100m
@ 12Mbps
24Km (6)

Master/slave
Peer-to-peer

DP: 8Mbps
PA: 31.25Kbps

244 bytes

<2ms typical

Profibus.com

Remote I/O

Allen-Bradley

1980

Proprietary

Linear trunk

Twinaxial

32

6Km

Master/slave

57.6 -230Kbps

128 bytes

12ms
@ 230Kbps
40ms
@ 57.6Kbps

AB.com

Smart
Distributed
System

Honeywell

1994

Multiple
vendors

Trunkline/dropline

Twisted
pair (3)

64

500m

Master/slave,
Peer-to-peer,
multicast, multimaster

125K-1Mbps

8 bytes

<1ms, event
driven

Honeywell.com

Seriplex

APC

1990

Multiple
vendors

Tree, loop, ring,

multidrop, star

500+

150+m

Master/slave, peer-topeer

200 Mbps

7,680 per
transfer

1.32 ms
@ 200Kbps

Seriplex.org

WorldFIP

WorldFTP

1988

Multiple
vendors

Bus

256

40Km

Peer-to-peer

31.25Kbps (5)
1-6Mbps (6)

128 bytes

2ms @ 1Mbps

Worldftp.org

CANopen

Foundation
Fieldbus
high-speed
Ethernet
Foundation
Fieldbus
H1

Modbus
Plus
Modbus
RTU/ASCII

Thin coax,
twisted
pair, fiber,
thick coax
Thin coax,
twisted
pair, fiber,
thick coax

Twisted
pair, fiber
Twisted
pair

4 wire
shielded
cable
Twisted
pair, fiber

Master/slave, peer-topeer, multicast, multimaster

Producer/Consumer
device object model

Cycle time

Echelon.com
Lomark.org
Modicon.com
Modbus.org

Notes
(1) Using repeaters/routers
(2) Initial product testing
(3) Signal & power
(4) Coax
(5) Twisted pair
(6) Fiber
(7) Data rate dependent
(8) Between two nodes w/o repeaters

Sources
Rockwell Automation Commercial Engineering
World Bus Journal, April 2001
Synergetic Resources