Ethernet Insights

What is Ethernet?

Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It defines the wiring and signaling standards for the physical layer, as well as the frame format for the data link layer. Ethernet enables devices to communicate with each other over a network.

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What other technologies are related to Ethernet?

Ethernet Competitor Technologies

CAN

CAN (Controller Area Network) is often used in automotive and industrial applications as an alternative to Ethernet for real-time control, especially where determinism and low latency are critical.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 37% (25.3k) of relevant job posts

LIN

LIN (Local Interconnect Network) is a low-cost serial communications system often used in automotive applications where CAN is overkill. It competes with Ethernet in specific, lower-bandwidth scenarios.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 44% (9.5k) of relevant job posts

DeviceNet

DeviceNet is a communication protocol used in industrial automation that competes with Ethernet/IP in certain applications. It's based on CAN.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 53% (6.3k) of relevant job posts

ControlNet

ControlNet is a real-time industrial network protocol, offering deterministic performance, competing with Ethernet in specific industrial control applications.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 62% (4.5k) of relevant job posts

Profibus

Profibus is a widely used fieldbus protocol in industrial automation that competes with industrial Ethernet solutions.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 32% (7.2k) of relevant job posts

FlexRay

FlexRay is a automotive network communications protocol, designed to be fast, fault-tolerant and deterministic. It is a direct competitor to Ethernet for vehicle networking where determinism is critical.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 52% (3.9k) of relevant job posts

SONET

SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking) is a technology used in long-distance, high-bandwidth networks. Historically it competed with Ethernet-based technologies. It is now less relevant for LAN environments.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 45% (2.6k) of relevant job posts

RS485

RS485 is a serial communication standard often used in industrial environments as an alternative to Ethernet, especially for longer distances and noisy environments, and simple networking.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 36% (3.2k) of relevant job posts

Ethernet Complementary Technologies

PLC/PC controllers

PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) often use Ethernet for communication and control in industrial automation, making them complementary to Ethernet technology.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 98% (1.3k) of relevant job posts

frequency drives

Frequency drives can be networked using Ethernet for monitoring and control, so they are complementary.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 64% (1.9k) of relevant job posts

TCP/IP

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the suite of protocols that Ethernet typically uses for networking, thus it's complementary. Ethernet is a Layer 1/2 technology, TCP/IP operates higher up the stack.

mentioned alongside Ethernet in 7% (16.7k) of relevant job posts