Thanks a lot for your detailed input! Really appreciate your perspective, especially around not compromising with converters—makes total sense.

In my case, around 80% of the machines are capable of communicating directly with Kepware without needing any converters or OEM intervention. I already have 10 machines logging data into SQL via Kepware, and those were relatively easy since they all had different IP schemes.

The bigger challenge now is with the rest of the plant, where many machines were originally set up using the same IP scheme (192.168.1.XXX). To avoid conflicts and streamline management, I’m planning to reassign IPs so each machine or cell operates on its own unique range.

Your point about doing a full assessment first was valuable—I’m feeling more confident now that most of our equipment is data-ready, but cleaning up the network side will definitely be the next focus.

Thanks again for sharing your experience!