Network acceptance
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
Softing Industrial · Solution area 05
Industrial Network Diagnostics & Infrastructure
Commission, monitor and troubleshoot industrial networks while keeping current successor routes and installed-base lifecycle products clearly separated.
plantPerfect Monitor
smartLink
Industrial Network Testers
Application-led selection
Selection by function and lifecycle
Current platforms, family selection pages and installed-base products are deliberately distinguished.
Centralized plant-wide OT network monitoring for PROFINET and PROFIBUS, with live and historical visibility into devices, diagnostics, topology and network status.plantPerfect MonitorCurrent platform
Network-access appliance family for connecting supported industrial networks to asset-management, parameterization and diagnostic applications.smartLinkVariant-specific selection
Portable and stationary Softing instruments and analyzers for commissioning, acceptance testing and troubleshooting of supported industrial networks.Industrial Network TestersFamily selection
Lifecycle family of controller-independent network-access appliances for supported industrial Ethernet and fieldbus diagnostics.TH LINKDiscontinuation / migration
Lifecycle industrial-network diagnostic and management software with plantPerfect Monitor as the published successor route.TH SCOPEDiscontinuation / migration
16-port Ethernet-APL field switch for transparent connection of intrinsically safe Ethernet-APL field devices to higher-level Industrial Ethernet networks.aplSwitch FieldCurrent product
16-port Ethernet-APL field switch with PROFIBUS PA proxy for mixed Ethernet-APL and PA migration architectures.aplSwitch Field PACurrent product
System architecture
Industrial Network Diagnostics & Infrastructure
Use this as a selection framework; exact protocol roles, firmware, licences and certification remain product-dependent.
01Industrial network
02Access / test point
03Diagnostics / monitoring
04History / topology
05Maintenance action
Keep deterministic control in the controller/DCS. Softing provides access, standardization, diagnostics, asset-management or information-layer connectivity.
Dedicated pages
Softing product and family routes
Open the dedicated page for technical data, lifecycle status, comparison guidance and official resources.
plantPerfect Monitor
Network diagnostics
plantPerfect Monitor
Centralized plant-wide OT network monitoring for PROFINET and PROFIBUS, with live and historical visibility into devices, diagnostics, topology and network status.
Current platformView dedicated page →smartLink
Network diagnostics
smartLink
Network-access appliance family for connecting supported industrial networks to asset-management, parameterization and diagnostic applications.
Variant-specific selectionView dedicated page →Industrial Network Testers
Network diagnostics
Industrial Network Testers
Portable and stationary Softing instruments and analyzers for commissioning, acceptance testing and troubleshooting of supported industrial networks.
Family selectionView dedicated page →TH LINK
Network diagnostics
TH LINK
Lifecycle family of controller-independent network-access appliances for supported industrial Ethernet and fieldbus diagnostics.
Discontinuation / migrationView dedicated page →TH SCOPE
Network diagnostics
TH SCOPE
Lifecycle industrial-network diagnostic and management software with plantPerfect Monitor as the published successor route.
Discontinuation / migrationView dedicated page →
Ethernet-APL
aplSwitch Field
16-port Ethernet-APL field switch for transparent connection of intrinsically safe Ethernet-APL field devices to higher-level Industrial Ethernet networks.
Current productView dedicated page →
Ethernet-APL
aplSwitch Field PA
16-port Ethernet-APL field switch with PROFIBUS PA proxy for mixed Ethernet-APL and PA migration architectures.
Current productView dedicated page →Application fit
Typical engineering objectives
Permanent monitoring
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
PROFINET diagnostics
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
PROFIBUS diagnostics
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
Fault finding
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
Ethernet-APL infrastructure
Confirm protocol, topology, access role, data consumer and lifecycle before final selection.
Engineering inputs
Model selection criteria
Installed systemController/device models, firmware, network protocol and topology.
Data / asset objectiveRead/write variables, parameterization, diagnostics, monitoring or development role.
Northbound interfaceOPC UA role, MQTT broker, API, FDI/FDT, SCADA/MES or application library.
DeploymentWindows, Docker, gateway, DIN rail, OEM device or industrial PC.
CybersecurityNetwork zones, certificates, identities, remote access and patch ownership.
Commercial scopeLicences, runtime/redistribution terms, quantity, support and lifecycle.