Building embedded devices for industrial automation has long involved compromises. When a product needs to support different network environments, whether PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, or EtherCAT, the traditional approach has been to adapt the hardware to each individual protocol.
This approach has worked, but it has also created familiar challenges: fragmented product variants, supply chain vulnerabilities, and development teams forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time on protocol-specific adaptations instead of their product’s core functionality.
As modern microcontrollers (MCUs) and systems-on-chip (SoCs) become more powerful, we are seeing a clear shift across the industry towards Software-Defined Industrial Communication.
Three reasons why industrial communication is moving to software
1. One Interface for Multiple Networks
By abstracting the fieldbus into a software component, the application code only needs to communicate through a single, unified API. The protocol used by the device in the field can then be selected in software or at startup, reducing the need for protocol-specific hardware variants.
2. Simplified Testing and Qualification
Testing and validating a single hardware platform creates one common baseline. Instead of repeating regulatory compliance, EMC, and environmental testing for every hardware variant, manufacturers can consolidate hardware qualification around a single platform.
This reduces duplicated testing effort and simplifies certification planning.
3. Reduced PCB Complexity
Using standard Ethernet PHYs connected directly to the main processor reduces the number of components on the circuit board. It also gives developers greater control over the design, lowers power consumption, and reduces reliance on specific IC vendors.
How RT-Labs Applies the Concept
At RT-Labs, we built our U-Phy platform around this philosophy. With a proven software architecture and our Device Builder tool, developers can model their data structure once and then generate ready-to-use source code and device description files for the most widely used industrial protocols.
This allows you to focus your development resources where they belong: on building and improving your own product.
Want to Explore Software-Defined Industrial Communication?
Learn more about building and testing industrial communication in software at rt-labs.com/articles/.
You can also explore the concept through our PC-based tutorials at docs.rt-labs.com/u-phy.
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