RS485 Insights

What is RS485?

RS-485 is a standard defining the electrical characteristics of drivers and receivers for use in serial communications systems. It's commonly used in industrial automation, building automation, and other applications requiring robust, long-distance communication. It allows for multiple devices to communicate over a single pair of wires (or sometimes more) in a multi-drop configuration. RS-485 is known for its noise immunity and ability to transmit data over longer distances compared to other serial communication standards like RS-232.

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What other technologies are related to RS485?

RS485 Competitor Technologies

RS232

RS232 is another serial communication standard, often used for shorter distances and lower speeds compared to RS485.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 45% (4.5k) of relevant job posts

RS422

RS422 is another serial communication standard similar to RS485, offering multi-drop capabilities, but often used for point-to-point or multi-drop configurations instead of true multi-point.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 40% (987) of relevant job posts

I2C

I2C is a short-distance, two-wire serial communication protocol often used for communication between integrated circuits on the same board.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 7% (3.8k) of relevant job posts

SPI

SPI is a synchronous serial communication interface used for short-distance, high-speed communication, but typically not suitable for long distances or noisy environments like RS485.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 7% (3.9k) of relevant job posts

CAN

CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust serial communication protocol designed for noisy environments and real-time applications, often used in automotive and industrial automation, serving as an alternative to RS485.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 5% (3.1k) of relevant job posts

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a widely used serial communication standard, often used for connecting peripherals to computers. While it is not directly comparable to RS485 in industrial applications, it can replace it in some scenarios.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 6% (2k) of relevant job posts

Ethernet

Ethernet is a network protocol used for connecting devices over a local area network (LAN). It provides high bandwidth and long-distance communication capabilities, making it a competitor to RS485 in some applications.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 3% (3.2k) of relevant job posts

Zigbee

Zigbee is a wireless communication protocol often used in IoT and home automation. It offers a low-power, low-data-rate alternative to wired RS485 networks.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 6% (431) of relevant job posts

RS485 Complementary Technologies

UART

UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) is a serial communication interface that is often used as a building block for RS485 communication, requiring an RS485 transceiver to convert UART signals to RS485 differential signals.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 5% (1.6k) of relevant job posts

Modbus

Modbus is a serial communication protocol often used with RS485 for industrial automation and control systems. It defines the messaging structure and communication rules over an RS485 network.

mentioned alongside RS485 in 4% (1.9k) of relevant job posts