Decentralised relay system can cut panel space by up to 65%
6 February 2026 
Phoenix Contact has announced a new way of tackling the challenge of integrating a variety of signals in small, decentralised control cabinets, and connecting them to higher-level controllers via industrial Ethernet. Even for applications with small numbers of I/Os or low levels of complexity, many companies currently use unnecessarily powerful remote I/O systems.
Phoenix Contact’s answer is a remote relay system with flexible channel assignments that is intended to be a cost-effective alternative for small, remote applications. The modular, networkable PLC-Interface Ethernet Gateway system enables space-saving implementations either of new designs, or of extensions to existing PLC-Interface relay systems.
Phoenix claims the new approach can cut panel space by up to 65%.
The system is designed to optimise simple applications using up to 56 individually configurable I/O channels. The modular, networkable system allows installations to be tailored precisely to the application. It is compatible with common controller software and various communications protocols (including EtherNet/IP, Modbus and Profinet Class C and S2 redundancy), offering a high level of flexibility and intuitive network integration.
The system allows flexible channel configuration with digital and analogue inputs and outputs, as well as temperature modules and Ex modules. It is particularly suitable for simple applications with small to medium numbers of channels housed in decentralised control boxes. Digital and analogue signals are recorded reliably, while temperature and analogue values are processed with a 10-bit resolution (in the range 0–1,000).
The traditional approach to decentralised control systems using a bus coupler, I/O cards and extensive wiring (left), compared with the new remote relay system (right)A network module supports multi-protocol connections. Compatibility with existing controller software simplifies integration with the control level, and saves time. Firmware updates will allow functions to be extended, and performance to be optimised.
Compatibility with Phoenix’s PLC-Interface relay system enables simple extensions to existing systems, with functions ranging from simple coupling relays, to relay modules with integrated circuit breakers. The system supports a future-proof automation strategy for simple applications.
There is a choice of remote I/O options. For example, PROFIsafe modules can be used to implement safety applications without needing a safety controller, using Phoenix’s SafetyBridge technology. For decentralised automation without a control cabinet, you can use I/O modules with a block design. Applications can be extended using digital I/Os, an IO-Link master and IO-Link devices.
