31/07/2018 Modbus RTU verses Modbus TCP/IP: What's the Difference?

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Modbus RTU verses Modbus TCP/IP:

What's the Difference?
Published on June 8, 2017

David Bohn (Redding, CT) Follow

57 2 7
President and CEO at Preferred Utilities Manufacturing Corporati…

-Robert Frohock, Danbury, CT

Modbus Protocol is a messaging structure developed by Modicon. It is used to establish

master-slave/client-server communication between devices. Modbus has a lot of
protocol options. But the two used most are Modbus RTU (Remote Terminal Unit),
serial (RS-232 or RS-485) protocol or Modbus (TCP/IP) Transmission Control Protocol
and Internet Protocol. What’s the difference between the two? Although the two
protocols are similar, cost and speed differentiate the two.

Modicon introduced the Modbus protocol to the market in 1979. Modbus RTU mode is
the most common implementation, but Modbus TCP/IP is gaining ground and ready to
surpass it. To move Modbus into the 21st century, an open Modbus TCP/IP
specification was developed in 1999. Modbus is a standard that is open and is widely-
used network protocol in the industrial manufacturing environment. It's a common link
that has been implemented by hundreds of vendors for integration on thousands of
different manufacturing devices to transfer discrete/analog I/O and register data between
control devices. A MODBUS communication is always initiated by the master node to
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the slave node. The slave nodes will never transmit data without receiving a request Sign in Join
from the master node nor communicate with each other. The master node initiates only
one MODBUS transaction at the same time.There are 4 types of MODBUS registers
used:

The coils, starting at 00001, corresponding to on/off binary outputs, such as relays.

The input bits, starting at 10001, corresponding to binary inputs (read only).

The input registers, starting at 30001, corresponding to analog inputs (read only).

The holding registers, starting at 40001, corresponding to analog parameters which

can be changed.

On the contrary, Modbus RTU mode is the most common implementation, using binary
coding and CRC error-checking. RTU Protocol is an efficient binary protocol in which
each eight-bit byte in a message contains two four-bit hexadecimal characters. Each
message must be transmitted in a continuous stream. The format for each byte (11 bits)
in RTU mode is: Coding System: 8–bit binary, Bits per Byte: 1 start bit, 8 data bits, least
significant bit sent first, 1 bit for parity completion, 1 stop bit. MODBUS RTU packets
are only intended to send data; they do not have the capability to send parameters, such
as point name, resolution, units, etc. Standard MODBUS RTU node addresses are 1-
254, with 0 being reserved for broadcast messages and write only. MODBUS over
Serial Line systems may use different physical interfaces (RS485, RS232). TIA/EIA-
485 (RS485) Two-Wire interface is the most common. As an add-on option, RS485
Four-Wire interface may also be implemented. An RS485-MODBUS configuration
without repeater has one trunk cable, along which devices are connected directly (daisy
chaining). The trunk cable, also named “Bus”, vary in length, however, its two ends
must be connected with Line Terminations. The use of repeaters between several
RS485-MODBUS is also possible. The end to end length of the trunk cable must be
limited. The maximum length depends on the baud rate, the cable (Gauge, Capacitance
or Characteristic Impedance), the number of loads on the daisy chain, and the network
configuration (2-wire or 4-wire). The typical cable lengths for this kind of bus
connection are up to 1000m, and the typical baud rate is 9600 bps. A good cable
selection, at least 22 gauge, at an adequate length may be costly.

Modbus TCP/IP is simply the Modbus RTU protocol with a TCP interface that runs on
Ethernet. With Ethernet, you are combining a versatile, scalable, and worldwide
physical network (Ethernet) with a universal networking standard (TCP/IP) and a
vendor-neutral data representation, Modbus. This protocol gives a truly open, accessible
network, which allows blocks of binary data to be exchanged between devices. It is
simple to implement for any device that supports TCP/IP sockets, with a switch and
cable available to each device. It remains fully compatible with the already installed
Ethernet infrastructure any customer might have.

Ethernet is of course, a lot faster and a bit easier to troubleshoot. However, you may not
wish to use Ethernet for your Modbus communications. It may, perhaps, be too fast.
TCP/IP is the common transport protocol of the Internet and is a set of layered
protocols, providing a reliable data transport mechanism between machines. Ethernet
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has become the standard of many systems, so it comes as no surprise that it has also Sign in Join
become one of the standards for factory networking. As Ethernet technology has been
around for years, it has matured to the point that the cost of implementing this network
solution has become quite affordable.

The Ethernet devices are going to be faster, but speed is not completely necessary
with a lot of Modbus devices. All these level sensors, temperature sensors, flow meters
and other transmitters do not need to report data very fast. It is necessary for data to be
reported every few seconds. Throughput is hardly a good reason to use RTU over
Ethernet. The most basic difference between MODBUS RTU and MODBUS TCP/IP is
that MODBUS TCP/IP runs on an Ethernet physical layer, and Modbus RTU is a serial
level protocol. Modbus TCP/IP also uses a 6-byte header to allow routing. You can have
a lot of issues trying to get the RS485 network to work correctly. You must deal with
wire termination issues, network termination issues and more configuration issues than
with Ethernet devices. But overall would you take Modbus RTU Devices over Modbus
TCP? Modbus TCP/IP is simply the Modbus RTU protocol with a TCP interface that
runs on Ethernet. So, if you desire data fast, and you want to come into the 21st century,
then Modbus TCP/IP is the way to go.

Robert Frohock is the manager of engineering at Preferred Utilities in Danbury,

CT.

David Bohn (Redding, CT)

President and CEO at Preferred Utilities Manufacturing Corporation in Danbury, CT Follow
35 articles

2 comments Newest

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Farooq Niazi 3mo

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Good read.
Like Reply 1 Like

Harlan Thomas 9mo

Senior Instrumentation Control Technologist at Intelligent Automation Inc. Alberta
Great Article!
Like Reply 2 Likes

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