DeviceNet, used extensively by the automotive industry, is a low cost communications link to connect industrial devices (such as valve manifolds, motor starters, process sensors, variable frequency drives, panel displays, operator interfaces, limit switches, photoelectric sensors, bar code readers, and so on) to a network. It has proven to dramatically reduce the cost and time to hard wire and install manufacturing automation devices, while providing interchangeability of 'like' components from multiple vendors. One of the primary benefits of DeviceNet is the fact that it greatly reduces the number of wires necessary for a machine control system, which also means less cabinet space is required. As DeviceNet is an all digital network, there are no analog channels to calibrate, it is faster to setup, and it has more flexibility.The Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (ODVA), the professional organization that supports network technologies built on the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), which includes DeviceNet, describes DeviceNet as a "proven, stable network technology designed to meet the performance and reliability requirements of the industrial environment.