Protocol and technology guide

RS-485

Differential serial physical layer used by Modbus RTU, BACnet MS/TP and many sensors.

CategoryIndustrial / physical layer
RangeUp to 1200 m
PowerWired
TopologyMulti-drop bus

Typical use

Industrial sensors, meters, BMS

Implementation checklist

1
Confirm certification

Check the exact product model, firmware and certification database rather than assuming a logo guarantees compatibility.

2
Map the transport

Separate the application standard from the physical transport, hub, border router and cloud dependency.

3
Verify the ecosystem

Test the app, account region, sharing, automation and offline behaviour before deployment.