Communication Module
Expansion module adding an industrial network interface, communication port, or additional protocol to a controller or I/O station.
A communication module connects a controller, I/O system, or other automation device to an additional network. It may provide industrial Ethernet, serial interfaces, CAN, fieldbus, or a manufacturer-specific protocol.
Key characteristics include number and types of ports, protocol roles, simultaneous connection capacity, throughput, galvanic isolation, and diagnostic functions. In real-time applications, synchronization and deterministic data exchange are also important.
Selection criteria include controller-platform compatibility, protocol versions, network topology, redundancy, communication-security functions, and required certifications.
This subcategory includes Ethernet, serial-interface, CAN, and industrial-network communication modules for controllers and I/O systems.
Communication Module
General6
Commercial or technical designation of a manufacturer's product family sharing a common design and compatible characteristics.
Range of tasks and systems for which the manufacturer recommends the component.
Primary function of the device and its intended use as defined by its design and the manufacturer's documentation.
Permissible installation location of the product: indoors, outdoors, in a technical area, or as part of equipment.
Environmental conditions under which installation and operation of the product are permitted.
Permissible spatial orientation of the component during installation and operation.
Dimensions4
External horizontal dimension of the product between its outermost lateral points.
External vertical dimension of the product from its lowest to its highest point.
External distance between the foremost and rearmost surfaces of the product.
Mass of the product itself, excluding transport packaging, additional accessories, and external equipment.
Capacity and Layout33
Number of integrated physical Ethernet communication ports.
Number of integrated physical RS-485 communication interfaces.
Physical and architectural forms through which the automation system can be expanded.
Physical or communication connection methods used between the base system and expansion modules or stations.
Minimum configurable station or node address where numeric node addressing is used.
Maximum configurable station or node address where numeric node addressing is used.
Indicates that modules communicate through a rack, base, terminal or equivalent internal backplane bus.
General architecture of the internal backplane or module bus.
Number of electrically distinct field-potential groups provided or supported by the product.
Maximum number of dedicated power-feed modules supported within one station.
Number of separate field or module-bus power feed points provided by the product.
Number of electrically separated field-supply segments provided or supported by the product.
Number of integrated physical RS-232 communication interfaces.
Number of integrated physical RS-422 communication interfaces.
Number of integrated physical CAN communication interfaces.
Maximum number of simultaneous outbound Modbus TCP client connections.
Maximum number of simultaneous incoming Modbus TCP server connections.
Maximum number of Modbus RTU remote devices that can be handled by the product when operating as a master or client.
Maximum number of remote PROFIBUS devices supported by the product when operating as a DP master.
Maximum total number of simultaneous CIP connections supported by the product.
Maximum number of simultaneous implicit EtherNet/IP I/O connections.
Maximum number of simultaneous TCP connections available to EtherNet/IP communication services.
Maximum number of transmit Process Data Objects supported by the product.
Maximum number of receive Process Data Objects supported by the product.
Maximum number of simultaneous OPC UA Client sessions accepted by the integrated OPC UA Server.
Maximum total number of active OPC UA Subscriptions supported by the integrated Server.
Maximum total number of OPC UA MonitoredItems supported by the Server.
Maximum number of OPC UA namespaces supported or exposed by the implementation where declared.
Maximum number of MQTT broker connections that can be configured or maintained simultaneously.
Maximum number of MQTT topics configured for publishing data.
Maximum number of simultaneous MQTT subscriptions supported or configurable.
Maximum number of MQTT application messages retained in the manufacturer-defined local offline buffer.
Number of physical serial ports that can be configured for more than one electrical serial standard.
Materials and Finish8
Primary material from which the product is manufactured.
Grade, alloy, class, or technical designation of the product's primary material.
Primary visually perceived colour of the product's external surface.
Designation of the product's primary surface colour according to the RAL colour system.
Type of final surface finish of the product determining its appearance and service properties.
Technological surface treatment applied to modify its protective, mechanical, or decorative properties.
Type of protective, functional, or decorative coating applied to the surface.
Material or chemical basis of the coating applied to the surface of the product or one of its parts.
Mounting and Installation16
Installation arrangement permitted by the product design, such as wall-mounted, flush-mounted, floor-mounted, or another specified mounting type.
Method used to mechanically secure the product to a support, surface, or load-bearing structure.
Type of surface or supporting base to which the product may be fixed.
Number of holes provided in the product for mechanical fixing.
Diameter of the hole provided for a fixing element used when mounting the product.
Geometric shape of the hole intended for mechanical fixing of the product.
Distance between the centres of mounting holes in the horizontal direction.
Profile type of the DIN rail installed in the product or specified for compatible mounting.
Distance between the centres of mounting holes in the vertical direction.
Horizontal dimension of the mounting pattern between the outermost fixing points of the product.
Vertical dimension of the mounting pattern between the outermost fixing points of the product.
Size designation of the screw, bolt, or other threaded fastener used for mounting the product.
Designation of the thread provided in the product's mounting holes or fixing elements.
Tightening torque recommended or permitted for fasteners during product installation.
Indicates whether the required fasteners are included with the product.
Indicates use of mechanical keying to prevent installation of an incompatible module or terminal unit.
Electrical Parameters69
Type of electrical current for which the product's main supply circuit is intended.
Voltage value assigned to the product by the manufacturer for specified application conditions and characteristics.
Rated RMS value of alternating voltage assigned to the product by the manufacturer.
Rated direct voltage assigned to the product by the manufacturer.
Maximum voltage at which continuous operation of the product is permitted under the conditions declared by the manufacturer.
Minimum voltage at which the manufacturer guarantees the intended operating mode of the product.
AC frequency assigned to the product for normal operating conditions.
Supported serial communication baud rates for interfaces such as RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 or equivalent serial buses.
Supported data-word lengths for serial communication.
Parity modes supported by the serial communication interface.
Supported number of stop bits in serial communication frames.
Minimum configurable logical address on a supported serial communication network.
Maximum configurable logical address on a supported serial communication network.
Supported nominal Ethernet physical-layer link speeds.
Nominal electrical input voltage for which the power conversion device is designed.
Minimum continuous input voltage within the manufacturer-declared operating input range.
Maximum continuous input voltage within the manufacturer-declared operating input range.
Maximum manufacturer-declared input current under the specified operating conditions.
Maximum active electrical power drawn by the device from its input source under manufacturer-declared conditions.
Manufacturer or industry designation of the local or remote expansion bus.
Maximum or nominal manufacturer-declared data rate of the expansion bus.
Manufacturer-declared cyclic update time of the expansion bus under specified conditions.
Maximum manufacturer-supported cable length of the expansion bus. Stored in millimetres; the UI may display metres.
Nominal internal system or backplane supply voltage provided to connected modules.
Maximum aggregate current available to connected modules through the internal backplane or module bus.
Maximum aggregate electrical power available to modules through the internal backplane supply.
Maximum backplane or system-bus current available to one module position.
Maximum backplane electrical power available to one module position.
Nominal supply voltage for the logic, electronics or internal system side of the device.
Minimum permissible continuous voltage of the system or logic supply.
Maximum permissible continuous voltage of the system or logic supply.
Maximum current drawn or required from the system or logic supply.
Maximum electrical power required from the system or logic supply.
Electrical current type accepted by the field-side supply circuit.
Nominal voltage applied to the field-side power circuit.
Minimum permissible continuous field-side supply voltage.
Maximum permissible continuous field-side supply voltage.
Maximum aggregate field-side supply current that the product or station can carry.
Maximum aggregate power available or transferable through the field-side supply circuit.
Maximum current that can be introduced through a field or station power-feed point.
Maximum operating voltage permitted at a field or station power-feed point.
Indicates local visual indication of one or more system or field power-supply states.
Maximum continuous current carried by one field-supply segment.
Physical transmission media supported by the Ethernet interfaces.
Physical connector types provided or supported for Ethernet communication.
Ethernet half-duplex and full-duplex operating modes supported by the interface.
Indicates automatic detection and correction of straight-through or crossover copper Ethernet wiring.
Maximum manufacturer-supported Ethernet cable length for the declared physical interface. Stored in millimetres; UI may display metres.
Packet-forwarding architectures supported by the integrated Ethernet switch.
Indicates support for a manufacturer-approved Ethernet network redundancy mechanism.
Network redundancy and rapid-recovery protocols supported by the Ethernet interface or integrated switch.
Indicates local indication of Ethernet physical-link status.
Indicates local indication of Ethernet transmit or receive activity.
Indicates support for copying traffic from one or more Ethernet ports to a monitoring port.
Indicates support for Ethernet frames larger than the standard frame size.
Maximum Ethernet frame size supported by the interface or integrated switch.
Connector types used for RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 or comparable serial communication interfaces.
Hardware or software flow-control modes supported by serial interfaces.
Maximum manufacturer-supported serial communication cable length under the declared conditions.
Indicates galvanic isolation between the serial communication interface and relevant internal circuitry.
Two-wire or four-wire electrical operating modes supported by the RS-485 interface.
Maximum number of RS-485 nodes supported on one manufacturer-declared bus segment.
Nominal CAN physical-layer bit rates supported by the interface.
Maximum manufacturer-supported number of CAN nodes on one bus segment.
Maximum manufacturer-supported CAN bus length under the declared bit-rate conditions.
Indicates galvanic isolation between the CAN interface and relevant internal circuitry.
Minimum manufacturer-declared cyclic PROFINET I/O update time.
Minimum manufacturer-declared cyclic EtherCAT process-data update time.
Electrical serial interface standards selectable on configurable serial ports.
Protection and Safety32
Degree of enclosure protection against access to hazardous parts and ingress of solid objects and water, designated by the IP code.
Class of enclosure resistance to external mechanical impacts designated by the IK code.
Mechanical impact energy that the product or enclosure can withstand in the specified test.
Enclosure type or rating under the NEMA system characterizing the conditions and types of external influences against which protection is provided.
Indicates whether the declared ingress protection of the enclosure has been verified by certification or testing.
Indicates that access to network, web, API or remote configuration functions can require authenticated user credentials.
Indicates support for encrypted data communication through one or more manufacturer-supported communication services.
Transport Layer Security protocol versions supported for protected network communication.
Indicates that user permissions can be differentiated by user role or authorization level.
Indicates that security-relevant events such as authentication failures or configuration access can be recorded.
Indicates that the device verifies the integrity or authenticity of executable firmware during startup.
Indicates that firmware update packages are cryptographically authenticated before installation.
Indicates detection of excessive current or power demand on the internal module or backplane supply.
Indicates galvanic isolation between separate field-potential groups.
Manufacturer-declared dielectric test voltage between isolated field-potential groups.
Indicates integrated overload protection of the field-side supply circuit.
Indicates integrated short-circuit protection of the field-side supply circuit.
Indicates protection of the field-side DC supply against reverse polarity.
Indicates protection of the system-side DC supply against reverse polarity.
Indicates monitoring or diagnostics of system-supply undervoltage.
Indicates monitoring or diagnostics of field-supply undervoltage.
Indicates galvanic isolation between field-side circuitry and the system, logic or internal bus.
Manufacturer-declared dielectric test voltage between field-side circuitry and system or logic circuitry.
Indicates galvanic isolation between independent field-supply segments.
Indicates galvanic isolation between the Ethernet physical interface and relevant internal circuitry.
Manufacturer-declared dielectric test voltage associated with Ethernet interface isolation.
Manufacturer-declared dielectric test voltage associated with serial-interface isolation.
Manufacturer-declared dielectric test voltage associated with CAN-interface isolation.
OPC UA MessageSecurityMode values supported by the product.
OPC UA security policies supported for establishing secure communication.
Indicates support for OPC UA application instance certificates for secure communication.
Indicates support for OPC UA PubSub message security mechanisms.
Environmental Conditions16
Minimum ambient temperature at which normal operation of the product is permitted.
Maximum ambient temperature at which normal operation of the product is permitted.
Minimum ambient temperature permitted during storage of the product while not in operation.
Maximum ambient temperature permitted during storage of the product while not in operation.
Minimum ambient temperature permitted during transportation of the product.
Maximum ambient temperature permitted during transportation of the product.
Minimum ambient temperature at which the manufacturer permits installation of the product.
Maximum ambient temperature at which the manufacturer permits installation of the product.
Minimum relative air humidity permitted for the declared operating or test condition.
Maximum relative air humidity permitted for the declared operating or test condition.
Indicates whether the permissible humidity value applies only to non-condensing conditions.
Maximum altitude above sea level at which the product may be installed without exceeding the declared conditions.
Minimum altitude relative to sea level for which the manufacturer specifies permissible installation conditions.
Indicates whether the permissible product load must be reduced as installation altitude increases.
Indicates whether the product's resistance to vibration has been verified under the declared conditions.
Indicates whether the product's resistance to short-duration mechanical shocks has been verified.
Special Features153
Indicates whether the product supports digital data exchange with external devices or systems.
List of supported digital data communication protocols.
List of supported physical or logical digital communication interfaces.
Indicates whether specified product settings can be read or changed remotely through a supported communication interface.
Indicates whether diagnostic information, status data, or fault information can be obtained remotely.
Indicates that the logical device or slave address used by a serial communication protocol can be configured.
Supported methods for assigning network-layer addresses to the Ethernet interface.
Indicates support for Internet Protocol version 6 communication.
Indicates that measured or logged data can be transmitted automatically without an explicit polling request.
Indicates manufacturer-supported communication with a cloud or remote Internet service.
Indicates that measurement, status or configuration data can be accessed through a documented application programming interface.
Application programming interface types supported by the product or its integrated communication service.
Indicates that firmware can be updated through a supported local or remote data communication interface.
Indicates that loss or inactivity of a communication link can be detected by an internal communication watchdog.
Indicates that the timeout used to detect communication loss or inactivity can be configured.
Minimum configurable communication timeout.
Maximum configurable communication timeout.
Indicates that loss of an expected communication connection can generate a local or remote alarm or diagnostic condition.
Indicates that the product or module may be inserted, removed or replaced in an energized manufacturer-approved system without shutting down the remaining supply.
Indicates that communication activity or communication health statistics can be read for diagnostic purposes.
Indicates that communication errors can be accumulated and read through the product diagnostics.
Indicates that the expansion or remote I/O bus supports a manufacturer-approved redundant communication path.
Indicates diagnostic monitoring of remote I/O stations, modules or communication status.
Methods supported for assigning or obtaining the network or station address of an automation or remote I/O station.
Indicates that local or remote expansion modules can be automatically identified and assigned logical addresses.
Indicates that an assigned module or station address can be retained across power cycles or module replacement where supported.
Indicates that the automation system can monitor or validate the available backplane power budget against installed module consumption.
Indicates automatic detection of whether an expected expansion or I/O module is physically present.
Indicates that installed modules can be automatically identified by type or manufacturer-defined module identity.
Indicates that configured module identity or compatibility is electronically checked against the installed module.
Indicates detection of a module whose type or configuration differs from the expected system configuration.
Indicates that insertion or removal of a module can be detected and reported by the automation system.
Indicates that supported hardware or I/O configuration changes can be applied while the controller remains in RUN mode.
Indicates that installed expansion modules can be automatically incorporated into the supported system configuration.
Indicates that configuration parameters of expansion modules can be backed up by the controller, coupler or engineering system.
Indicates that a compatible replacement module can restore the required configuration without manually modifying the user application.
Indicates that configuration or parameter data associated with individual modules can be stored persistently.
Indicates that a separate supply for logic, electronics or internal system operation is required.
Indicates that a separate field-side supply is required for I/O, sensors, actuators or field electronics.
Indicates that field I/O power can be supplied independently from the system or logic supply.
Indicates that the module or station architecture allows separate field-potential groups to be created.
Indicates that separate potential groups may be electrically bridged using a manufacturer-approved connection method.
Indicates support for a dedicated module used to feed or refresh field-side power within an I/O station.
Indicates that a dedicated power-feed module is required for the specified station configuration.
Indicates diagnostic monitoring of the system or logic supply.
Indicates diagnostic monitoring of the field-side supply.
Indicates support for IEEE Ethernet automatic negotiation of link parameters.
Indicates diagnostic monitoring of individual Ethernet ports and link states.
Indicates that traffic or error statistics are available for individual Ethernet ports.
Indicates that bus termination can be applied to the RS-485 interface.
Indicates that an RS-485 termination resistor is integrated into the product.
Nominal resistance of the integrated or manufacturer-declared RS-485 bus termination.
Indicates support for bias resistors used to establish a defined idle state on the RS-485 bus.
Indicates integrated or manufacturer-supported fail-safe biasing for a defined RS-485 idle state.
Indicates that manufacturer-approved line termination can be applied to the RS-422 interface.
Indicates that CAN bus termination can be applied to the interface.
Indicates that CAN bus termination is integrated into the product.
Nominal resistance of the integrated or manufacturer-declared CAN bus termination.
Indicates that communication-interface faults, states or network conditions can be diagnosed by the product.
Modbus communication roles supported by the product.
Standard Modbus function codes directly supported by the product.
Indicates support for applicable Modbus broadcast requests.
Indicates that the product can route or gateway Modbus requests between supported Modbus networks or transports.
Indicates support for manufacturer-declared Modbus communication or protocol diagnostics.
PROFINET application roles supported by the product.
Manufacturer-declared PROFINET conformance class.
PROFINET real-time communication modes supported by the device.
Indicates that the PROFINET station or device name can be configured.
Indicates support for a PROFINET fast-startup mechanism where declared by the manufacturer.
Indicates that one PROFINET IO Device can exchange process data with multiple supported IO Controllers using Shared Device functionality.
Indicates support for a PROFINET system-redundancy architecture.
PROFINET system-redundancy architectures supported by the product.
Indicates support for PROFINET device, module, channel or communication diagnostics.
Indicates that a manufacturer-provided GSDML device-description file is available for the product.
PROFIBUS DP communication roles supported by the product.
PROFIBUS DP transmission rates supported by the product.
Indicates support for applicable PROFIBUS DP Sync and Freeze control functions.
Indicates support for manufacturer-declared isochronous PROFIBUS DP operation.
Indicates support for PROFIBUS communication, station or device diagnostics.
Indicates that a manufacturer-provided PROFIBUS GSD device-description file is available.
EtherNet/IP Scanner, Adapter and explicit-message communication roles supported by the product.
Indicates support for CIP explicit request-response messaging over EtherNet/IP.
Indicates support for cyclic or real-time CIP I/O connections over EtherNet/IP.
Indicates support for multicast transport of applicable EtherNet/IP I/O data.
Indicates that a manufacturer-provided EtherNet/IP EDS device-description file is available.
EtherCAT communication roles supported by the product.
Indicates support for EtherCAT Distributed Clocks synchronization.
Distributed Clocks synchronization signals supported by the EtherCAT implementation.
Indicates support for cyclic EtherCAT process data through PDO mapping.
Indicates support for acyclic parameter access through applicable EtherCAT SDO services.
EtherCAT mailbox protocols supported by the device.
Indicates support for connecting or disconnecting predefined EtherCAT device groups during operation where supported by the system.
Indicates support for manufacturer-declared EtherCAT cable or line redundancy.
Indicates that a manufacturer-provided EtherCAT Slave Information file is available.
CANopen network-management roles supported by the product.
Indicates that the CANopen Node-ID can be configured.
Minimum configurable CANopen Node-ID.
Maximum configurable CANopen Node-ID.
Indicates support for CANopen Process Data Objects.
Indicates support for initiating CANopen SDO transfers as an SDO client.
Indicates support for responding to CANopen SDO transfers as an SDO server.
Indicates support for CANopen heartbeat producer or consumer functionality.
Indicates support for CANopen node guarding.
Indicates support for CANopen Layer Setting Services.
Indicates support for CANopen SYNC synchronization messages.
Indicates support for CANopen emergency messages.
Indicates that a manufacturer-provided CANopen Electronic Data Sheet is available.
OPC UA Client and Server application roles supported by the product.
Network transports supported for OPC UA Client/Server communication.
OPC UA user identity token types accepted or supported by the product.
Indicates that trusted and rejected OPC UA application certificates can be managed.
Indicates support for integration with an OPC UA Global Discovery Server or certificate-management infrastructure.
Maximum number of OPC UA Subscriptions supported within one Session.
Maximum number of OPC UA MonitoredItems supported within one Subscription.
Minimum manufacturer-supported sampling interval for OPC UA MonitoredItems.
Minimum manufacturer-supported publishing interval for OPC UA Subscriptions.
Indicates support for OPC UA durable Subscriptions that can persist through extended communication interruptions.
Indicates support for transferring applicable OPC UA Subscriptions between Sessions.
Indicates support for OPC UA event notifications.
Indicates support for the OPC UA Alarms and Conditions information model or corresponding functionality.
Indicates support for OPC UA access to historical process or variable data.
Indicates support for OPC UA access to historical events.
Indicates support for calling or exposing OPC UA Methods.
Indicates support for OPC UA Reverse Connect communication.
Indicates support for OPC UA server or endpoint discovery functionality.
Indicates support for the OPC UA Publish-Subscribe communication model.
OPC UA PubSub Publisher and Subscriber roles supported by the product.
Transport and message mappings supported for OPC UA PubSub communication.
Indicates support for manufacturer-declared OPC UA server, session, subscription or communication diagnostics.
MQTT protocol versions supported by the product.
MQTT Publisher, Subscriber or Broker roles supported by the product.
MQTT Quality of Service delivery levels supported by the product.
Indicates that the MQTT Keep Alive interval can be configured.
Minimum configurable MQTT Keep Alive interval.
Maximum configurable MQTT Keep Alive interval.
Indicates support for publishing or receiving MQTT retained messages.
Indicates support for MQTT Will Message configuration.
Indicates support for preserving applicable MQTT session state across network reconnections.
Indicates that the MQTT session expiry duration can be configured where supported by the protocol version.
Maximum configurable MQTT session expiry duration.
Indicates support for MQTT topic-filter wildcards.
Indicates support for MQTT shared subscription functionality.
Indicates support for MQTT subscription identifiers.
Indicates support for MQTT Topic Alias functionality.
Maximum MQTT packet size supported by the implementation where declared by the manufacturer.
Application payload encodings or formats directly supported by the MQTT implementation.
Indicates that current MQTT broker connection status can be monitored or diagnosed.
Indicates automatic reconnection to an MQTT broker after loss of communication.
Indicates that the delay between MQTT reconnection attempts can be configured.
Minimum configurable delay between MQTT reconnection attempts.
Maximum configurable delay between MQTT reconnection attempts.
Indicates that application messages can be buffered locally while an MQTT broker connection is unavailable.
Indicates support for the Eclipse Sparkplug B specification over MQTT.
Standards and Compliance11
Regions or markets for which the manufacturer declares regulatory or certification compliance of the product.
Certification, market-approval, or conformity marks applicable to the product.
Primary normative document or standard according to which the manufacturer classifies or assesses the product.
Additional normative documents and standards declared by the manufacturer as applicable to the product.
Indicates whether an official declaration of conformity is available for the product.
Indicates whether a separate manufacturer declaration concerning declared product characteristics or conformity is available.
Indicates whether a certificate relating to the declared certification or conformity of the product is available.
Identification number of the certificate relating to the product or its certified version.
Indicates whether product compliance with applicable RoHS restrictions on hazardous substances has been declared.
Indicates whether the manufacturer declares compliance of the product with applicable REACH Regulation requirements.
Indicates whether the product falls within the scope of WEEE requirements for waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Logistics10
Mass of the product together with its individual packaging and the accessories included in it.
External horizontal dimension of the product's individual package.
External vertical dimension of the product's individual package.
External depth dimension of the product's individual package.
Design type of the product's individual or transport packaging.
Number of individual products contained in one packaging unit at the specified level.
Country of origin of the goods declared for customs or commercial purposes.
Country in which the product was manufactured or its principal manufacturing operation was performed.
Commodity code under the international Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System.
Commodity code under the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union.