Why Industrial Ethernet Protocols Will Remain Relevant

Industrial facilities over the past two decades have seen a significant level of fieldbus communication networks replaced by industrial Ethernet. According to a 2021 study by HMS Networks, industrial Ethernet accounts for 65% of new installed nodes, while fieldbuses account for 28% of new installed nodes. With the continued advance of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) through numerous new product offerings and its ability to bring determinism to standard Ethernet, some might wonder if it’s only a matter of time before the industrial Ethernet protocols like Profinet, CC-Link IE, EtherNet/IP, and EtherCAT begin to recede in the face of TSN. A closer look at TSN and the industrial Ethernet protocols explains why this is unlikely—and not possible in the foreseeable future.