Rockwell Automation Publication CNET-UM001F-EN-P - February 2018  13 
Some ControlNet modules support the ability to bridge or route 
communication to and from different networks, depending on the capabilities 
of the platform and communication devices. 
 
Important: 
You can only bridge across networks to communicate with devices. You cannot bridge across networks to 
control I/O, even though Logix Designer software can accept such a configuration in the I/O Configuration 
folder. All I/O control must originate and end on the same physical network. 
The following table describes how communication can bridge across 
networks. 
Table 1 - Bridging Across Networks 
A device on this network 
Can communicate with a device on this network 
EtherNet/IP  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 
ControlNet  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 
DeviceNet  No  No  Yes  No 
RS-232  Yes  Yes(2)   Yes  Yes 
 
In Figure 2, a workstation configures a drive on the DeviceNet network. The 
workstation bridges from the ControlNet network to the DeviceNet network 
to reach the drive. The bridge is a ControLogix chassis with ControlNet and 
DeviceNet modules. 
Figure 2 - Drive Configuration on a DeviceNet Network 
 
 
Item  Description  Item  Description 
Workstation 
Drive 
Networks