Ethernet, wireless or serial factory automation networks
Wiring displacement remains a primary driver for traditional serial device networks, which rely less on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based IT technology than other network types. However the compelling wiring savings delivered by traditional serial device networks is increasingly overshadowed in some quarters by the growing movement toward a single network technology, typically Ethernet, throughout the plant or enterprise, says the study.
Industrial Ethernet’s standard hub-and-spoke topology offsets any potential for wiring savings, but its rising popularity in spite of this shortcoming is indicative of