What is the difference between a 2-wire and 4-wire RS-485 network?
In a 4-wire RS-485 network, all devices have dedicated wiring pairs for both transmitting and receiving (full duplex). This means that a device can be listening and transmitting at the same time. In a 2-wire RS-485 network, a single pair of wires functions for both transmitting and receiving (half duplex). This means that a device can either be transmitting or listening, but not both at the same time.
