While Ethernet is the most commonly used communication protocol among multiple types of devices, ranging from consumer gadgets to industrial devices, TIA/EIA-485 commonly known as RS-485 is still broadly used in industrial devices even if it is older than Ethernet. 

We decided to standardize our products by using RS-485 back in 2013 for many reasons, but mostly because it is resistant to noise, simple and effective. It is also a broadly used protocol among industrial devices which means that resources can be easily found on the web. Robotiq devices like the 2-Finger 85 and the FT 150 come with RS-485. Modbus RTU is used as our communication protocol. These devices have a termination resistor that can be activated easily through the User Interface Software that we provide. In addition, we support many other industrial protocols with the Robotiq Universal Controller, such as: Ethernet/IP, TCP/IP, DeviceNet, CANopen and EtherCAT.

If you want to know more about these two protocols, go and have a peek at our blog post on the subject !