Industrial automation systems live and die by reliable communication. Regardless of the PLC or HMI you’re integrating into a system, be it over serial, Ethernet, or even over the internet to a cloud-based SCADA system, choosing the correct communication protocol helps to determine how to set up your system.
EBPro supports one of the most comprehensive libraries of industrial communication protocols available in the HMI market. In addition to open multi-vendor standards like Modbus and EtherNet/IP, it also includes manufacturer-native PLC protocols such as Mitsubishi MC and Siemens S7. As a result, EBPro can communicate with hundreds of PLC models and industrial devices across a wide range of automation platforms.
How EBPro Handles PLC Communication
At a technical level, EBPro communicates with controllers through dedicated device drivers. Specifically, each driver corresponds to a specific protocol implementation, allowing the HMI to interface directly with a PLC’s memory structures, data blocks, or register maps.
Protocols in EBPro fall into three broad categories:
- Open industrial standards used across multiple manufacturers
- Vendor-native PLC protocols designed for specific controller families
- Data and integration protocols used for SCADA, database, and cloud connectivity
This architecture allows EBPro to support both legacy serial controllers and modern Ethernet-based automation networks within the same project environment.
The sections below categorize every protocol available in EBPro’s driver library.
Open & Multi-Vendor Industrial Communication Protocols Supported by EBPro
These protocols are most likely the ones you’d reach for when implementing a Maple Systems HMI into an industrial automation project. These protocols are all mature, reliable, and above all, work across multiple brands of PLCs and controllers.
Modbus
Modbus is one of the oldest and most widely adopted industrial communication protocols in automation. It was originally developed in 1979 by Modicon (now Schneider Electric). And it was designed as an especially simple, and open protocol for transmitting data between PLCs and industrial devices.
Because Modbus is simple, vendor-neutral, and publicly documented by design, it became a global standard for industrial communication. Today, it exists in three primary forms:
- Modbus RTU (serial communication over RS-485 or RS-232)
- Modbus TCP (Ethernet-based communication over TCP/IP)
- Modbus ASCII (legacy serial variant)
Automation engineers rely on Modbus because it delivers simple implementation, reliable performance, and broad support across major manufacturers. For a deeper look at how Modbus communication works in Maple Systems HMIs, including configuration examples and implementation details, you can read our full Modbus protocol guide
PLC Brands that support this Protocol
- Azbil
- Delta
- Emerson
- Hitachi
- Idec
- Keyence
- Maple Systems
- Toshiba
- Trio
- Yokogawa
- Beckhoff
- Eaton
- Fuji
- INVT
- Inovance
- Koyo
- Mitsubishi
- Schneider
- XINJE
- Yaskawa
- And many more
In many cases, Modbus acts as a reliable fallback protocol when integrating devices with a Maple Systems HMI.
Ethernet/IP (CIP)
EtherNet/IP (Ethernet Industrial Protocol) is an industrial communication protocol based on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). Originally developed by Rockwell Automation, EtherNet/IP enables real-time data exchange between not only PLCs, HMIs, drives, and I/O modules, but also many other industrial devices over standard Ethernet networks.
Unlike serial-based protocols, EtherNet/IP operates over TCP/IP and UDP/IP, allowing high-speed communication and integration into a modern ethernet infrastructure. It supports both implicit (real-time I/O) and explicit (messaging) communication, making it suitable for control, monitoring, and configuration tasks.
Because it is an open, multi-vendor standard, EtherNet/IP is widely adopted across industrial automation systems.
PLC Brands that support this Protocol
- ABB
- Allen Bradley
- Eaton
- Hitachi
- Inovance
- Mitsubishi
- Toshiba
- Beckhoff
- Delta
- Fuji
- Idec
- Keyence
- Omron
- Yaskawa
- and many more
CANopen
CANopen is an industrial fieldbus communication protocol built on the Controller Area Network (CAN) standard. Engineers developed CANopen as an open standard of the CAN protocol in order to enable deterministic communication between controllers, distributed I/O modules, motion systems, and embedded automation components.
CANopen enables real-time control in machinery-focused systems, and typically operates over a shared CAN bus network. Because of this, It’s widely used for motion control, packaging equipment, material handling systems, and embedded automation applications.
PLC Brands that support this Protocol
- Beckhoff
- Schneider
- WAGO
- INVT
- Yaskawa
- Omron
- Eaton
- Inovance
- Mitsubishi
BACnet
BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network) is a communication protocol developed specifically for building automation systems. As a result, it standardizes communication between HVAC controllers, lighting systems, and other building controls.
BACnet supports both Ethernet and serial communications, and is widely used in commercial buildings, hospitals, and universities. Another benefit of BACnet ecosystems is that devices that support BACnet (including EBPro and Maple Systems HMIs) also support automatic tag discovery and importing, allowing for quick and seamless integrations of new devices.
Device Brands that support this Protocol
- Schneider
- Beckhoff
- Delta Controls
- Honeywell
- Siemens
- WAGO
- ABB
- Johnson Controls
Proprietary PLC Communication Drivers Supported by EBPro
The following table covers many of the proprietary vendors and protocols that are supported in EBPro through device drivers. Any row marked as a “Vendor-Native Protocol” refers to a manufacturer-specific communication implementation used by EBPro to interface directly with the PLC’s native command structure. These protocols are not explicitly open industrial standards and may operate over serial or Ethernet cables depending on the controller model.
Supported PLC Manufacturers
| Manufacturer | Underlying Communication Protocol | Serial Communication | Ethernet Communication | Controller Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siemens | S7 (ISO-on-TCP, MPI, PPI) | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Allen-Bradley (Rockwell) | DF1 | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Mitsubishi Electric | MC Protocol (SLMP) / MELSEC Native | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Schneider Electric | Modicon Native / Unitelway | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Omron | FINS | Yes | Yes | Download |
| ABB | AC500 Native / CIP (model dependent) | Yes | Yes | Download |
| GE Fanuc / Emerson | SNP / SNP-X | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Beckhoff | ADS (TwinCAT) | No | Yes | Download |
| Yokogawa | FA-M3 Native | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Panasonic | MEWTOCOL | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Delta | DVP / AS Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Keyence | KV Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Toshiba | Toshiba Native Ethernet Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Fuji | MICREX Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Hitachi | EH Series Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| IDEC | IDEC Native Host Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Yaskawa | MEMOBUS | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Koyo / AutomationDirect | DirectNET / K-Sequence | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Eaton | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Azbil | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | |
| Bosch Rexroth | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Atlas Copco | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | |
| Animatics | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Applied Motion | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Arcus | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
| Baldor | Vendor-Native Protocol | Yes | Yes | Download |
A “Yes” in either column indicates support for that communication cable within at least some of the PLC models for that manufacturer, not every PLC model from every brand will support both transport types. We therefore recommend referring to our PLC Controller Information Sheets page for more information on specific PLC model compatibility.
IIoT, Data Integration & Enterprise Communication Protocols
Beyond PLC communication, EBPro supports several modern protocols used for both SCADA system connectivity, and more niche communications like GPS positioning. These features allow EBPro to operate within broader Industrial ecosystems.
OPC UA Client
OPC UA is a platform-independent industrial communication protocol designed for secure, structured data exchange between automation systems and enterprise applications. Thus it’s widely used to connect PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, databases, and cloud platforms.
Unlike traditional PLC communication protocols, OPC UA focuses on standardizing data formatting, encryption, and interoperability across vendors and software platforms. Because of this, OPC UA is typically used more for SCADA system integration and IIoT/industry 4.0 architectures.
If you’d like to learn more about connecting a Maple Systems HMI as an OPC UA client, check out this integrations article on the matter.
PLC Brands that support this Protocol
- Allen Bradley
- Eaton
- Keyence
- Yokogawa
- Beckhoff
- Idec
- Mitsubishi
- And Many More
NMEA
The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) protocol primarily supports marine electronics and GPS-based systems. It defines a structured, sentence-based data format that devices use to exchange navigation, positioning, and sensor information.
NMEA typically operates over serial interfaces, allowing devices to transmit latitude, longitude, speed, heading, and time data.
Although NMEA originated in marine applications, many industries now use it for GPS positioning and mobile equipment tracking, including aviation, environmental monitoring, and agriculture.
MTConnect
MTConnectin is an open, XML-Based communication standard designed for collecting and sharing data from manufacturing equipment. As a result, manufacturers widely use it in CNC machines, machining centers, and production monitoring systems.
Rather than controlling PLC logic directly, MTConnect focuses on standardized data reporting, such as spindle speed, machine status, part counts, and operational metrics, to monitoring software and analyitics platforms.
Some Additional Protocols Supported by EBPro outside of the Device Drivers
OPC UA Server
While Maple Systems HMIs can connect to OPC UA servers as a client, Maple Systems HMIs can also act as an OPC UA Server as well. If you’d like to learn more, this OPC UA Integrations post will go over implementing an OPC UA server in EBPro.
MQTT
EBPro also supports MQTT connectivity for publishing and subscribing to data through an MQTT broker. In practice, this allows HMI data such as machine status, production metrics, or alarm events to be transmitted to cloud platforms or IIoT systems. Consequently, EBPro can function as part of a scalable industrial data pipeline within modern IoT-enabled environments. You can learn about it in this integrations article about MQTT
FTP
EBPro also supports FTP communication for transferring files between the HMI and external systems. For instance, data sampling logs, event records, or historical reports can be automatically uploaded to an FTP server. Consequently, engineers can use this to centralize production data or maintain long-term system records outside of the HMI device, as well as directly integrate with . If you’d like to know more, this technote will help with implementing FTP on a Maple Systems HMI.
SQL
For various systems within the HMI, such as recipe databases, data sampling, or alert logs, you can sync your on-board data with an SQL database. This consequently allows for better backups and transfers of data to and from the HMI. If you’d like to know more, we have an SQL integration tutorial going over the details.
HTTP, and REST API
Using the JavaScript object within EBPro, the HMI can communicate with external systems through HTTP requests and REST APIs. For example, project data can be sent to web services or retrieved from external applications for visualization on the HMI. As a result, EBPro can integrate with modern web-based systems and cloud services within larger automation architectures. If you’d like more information on this, you can follow this tutorial on setting up HTTP requests in the EBPro JavaScript object
SMTP (Email)
EBPro supports SMTP email functionality for sending automated notifications directly from the HMI. For example, users can configure alarm conditions, system status changes, or scheduled reports to trigger email alerts for designated recipients. As a result, operators and engineers can receive real-time updates on system activity without needing to continuously monitor the HMI interface. For more information, you can watch this guide on setting up SMTP communications for a Maple Systems HMI.
Final Thoughts
Industrial communication is complicated and can get messy very quickly. From legacy serial-based devices to Ethernet-based devices and cloud-based SCADA systems, all of which require completely different communication protocols. However, EBPro and Maple Systems HMIs step in designed to bridge the gap between all these layers.
EBPro is built for broad structural compatibility. It supports open standards such as Modbus and EtherNet/IP, includes native PLC drivers for nearly every major manufacturer, and enables modern IIoT communication through OPC UA and MQTT. As a result, EBPro works with virtually any controller, device, or automation architecture, which allows engineers to deploy a Maple Systems HMI into almost any industrial environment without fighting compatibility constraints. It also works the other way around; additional devices, third-party systems, or higher-level platforms can be integrated into an existing Maple Systems installation just as seamlessly.
If you’re investigating PLC compatibility, protocol options, or integration strategies, review our PLC controller information sheets for model-specific implementation and configuration details.
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