The EX9000 Series uses the industrial ETA RS-485 multi-drop communication protocol to transmit and receive data at high speeds over Iong distances using standard twisted pair media. High level ASCII commands are used to communicate with the modules. Up to 256 modules can be connected to the network, over a distance of 2.1 / 2,7 / 3,6 km (depending on chosen baud rate). This can even be extended to 10 km and 2000 modules (depending on baud rate and media) using network extenders and repeaters. All converters and repeaters have high voltage isolation which protects the network and devices from voltage spikes and interference.