I/O (input/output)
The sensors, actuators, and modules that connect a controller to the physical process, and the data exchanged with them.
The network analogy
The access layer of the control system: the edge where the controller meets the physical world.
Why it matters for wireless
I/O is the cyclic, timeout-guarded traffic in the plant. When I/O crosses wireless, every input and output update is subject to the connection's packet interval and timeout.
NIST defines input/output as the equipment used to communicate with a computer as well as the data involved and places field I/O such as sensors and actuators at Purdue Level 01. A PROFINET IO device is a distributed field device that provides inputs to and consumes outputs from IO controllers; on EtherNet/IP, I/O travels as time-critical implicit messages over UDP.
ODVA lists remote process instrumentation, AGVs, AMRs, and storage and retrieval systems among the places wireless industrial communication is used. In each, the I/O connection is what the radio has to keep alive.
About this page
Built from 4 sources: 1 standards body or lab, 2 protocol owners and alliances and 1 vendor document. Researched and drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed and approved by Ben Rutter on . How pages are made
- First published
- Last updated
Cite this page
Plain
Ben Rutter. "I/O (input/output)." OT Wireless, published October 5, 2026. https://otwireless.com/glossary/io/
APA 7
Rutter, B. (2026, October 5). I/O (input/output). OT Wireless. https://otwireless.com/glossary/io/
BibTeX
@misc{rutter2026io,
author = {Rutter, Ben},
title = {{I/O (input/output)}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://otwireless.com/glossary/io/}},
organization = {OT Wireless},
}