PROFINET vs EtherNet/IP vs EtherCAT: a selection guide
Compare PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, and EtherCAT on synchronization, cycle time, topology, tooling, and ecosystem — and pick the protocol your plant can live with.
CIP
Object-based application layer behind EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet.
The Common Industrial Protocol: the object-based application layer shared by EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet, and ControlNet. Devices expose objects with attributes and services, giving multi-vendor consistency. Managed by ODVA.
See also: EtherNet/IP · ODVA
In depth
EtherNet/IP and CIP messaging: explicit vs implicit, RPI, and assemblies
How the Common Industrial Protocol really moves data — connected and unconnected messaging, produced/consumed tags, and sizing connection loads.
A field guide to industrial Ethernet
PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, and TSN serve different masters. What each was designed for and how to tell them apart.