Scan for S7 controllers in your network

You may know the problem: You simply do not know the IP address of your Siemens S7 anymore. We can now provide a remedy for this issue. We will show you an easy S7 network scan.

Simply scan for all available Simatic S7 PLCs in your local network. A scan via a VPN is also possible. With the free PLC scanner software, you can see every connected S7 PLC in seconds, incl. IP address and further info.

Content

Setup

What you need for scanning

The setup is quite simple. You need:

PC with Windows 10 or 11
Connection from this PC to the control network
Scan software

Of course, one or more S7 PLCs are also required. This can be any model of the Siemens S7 series. It is important that the PLC CPU has a Profinet connection, alternatively a CP, e.g. a CP 343-1 lean is suitable.

How to do it

Perform scan

The actual scan is done via Ethernet, so RPC 1006, sometimes called S7 direct. We assume Siemens S7 controllers in this article. This tutorial works for S7 300, S7 400, S7 1200, S7 1500 and similar products from Siemens or Vipa.

With our network scan software, the “PLC Scanner”, you can now scan for controllers in the network. To do this, simply select the menu item “Network” in the left navigation.

You have the choice whether you simply want to scan automatically in the connected network, or whether you want to perform a manual scan in a network that is hidden, perhaps behind a router.

Especially for larger networks, or if you scan over a VPN, you should specify the network manually. Under such circumstances, routing must also be taken into account.

Single S7 scan

Read out details

If the result list of the network scan does not provide you with enough details, then you can also read out an individual PLC completely. To do this, select the “Scan” menu item in the navigation.

The following data is displayed:

scan yourself

Download for free

If you want to scan your network for S7 controllers yourself, just fill out this form and we will send you the download link to the software by mail.

Conclusion

With the PLC-Scanner software, you can easily and quickly find S7 CPUs in your network. Details of the individual CPUs can also be read out. The setup is simple and the software is free of charge.

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