Online: Scan Network to add Devices to PLANT

The device network of your application is reflected in the PLANT in PLCnext Engineer. By structuring this tree, the communication network is modeled. Structuring means inserting the devices as nodes into the tree.

PLCnext Engineer provides several methods for structuring the PLANT:

Online method: by a network scan.
The present topic describes the steps how to add devices to the PLANT by scanning the network.
Offline methods: in the tabular station editors ('Device List' or 'Module List') or via drag & drop from the COMPONENTS area.

Any combination of these methods is possible depending on the existing network. For example, you can drag the controller from the COMPONENTS area into the PLANT and then scan the network for installed Profinet devices and Profinet I/O modules.

Further Info
You can replace a device (controller, device, module, submodule, etc.) previously added online or offline to the PLANT by another device type. See the topic "Replacing Devices" for details.

What do you want to do?

Scan the connected network for a controller using a controller-based project template

Scan the connected network for a controller using an empty project

Scan the connected network for Profinet devices

Read Profinet I/O modules connected to a Profinet device

Read Axioline F I/O devices connected to the local Axioline F bus