Digital communication and smart instruments build efficiency
Modern instrumentation provide diagnostic information beyond basic process data, empowering informed decision-making and proactive maintenance
![Ethernet-APL architecture is highly customizable, requiring only a gateway and power supply. Ethernet-APL architecture is highly customizable, requiring only a gateway and power supply.](/__image/a/9236938/k/36ad6c4e5ff56ec64be7bd71cb7a41a275a79e2b/ar/2-1/w/1024/t/jpg/b/ffffff/n/true/fn/Ethernet-APL-Digital-Services.jpg)
For decades, control system instrument data was constrained to single analog process variables communicated via individual 4-20mA current loops. Modern instrumentation advances, particularly digital communications, now provide a wealth of additional diagnostic and other information, enabling operational insights unachievable with simple 4-20mA measurements alone.
Modern device-level network media options — like HART® over 4-20mA, WirelessHART®, Ethernet-APL® and Bluetooth® — provide the ability to transmit data bidirectionally between an instrument and its host system. Various communication methods are selected based on the target field devices, depending on the intended application.