When you're assembling control cabling and I/O for an industrial setup, the first question is whether your bottleneck is the physical wire run or the signal endpoints. A long multi-conductor cable and a remote I/O module solve different halves of that problem, and that's why the Belden 580479 and the Moxa ioLogik E1242-T belong in the same shopping session. The Belden is a control cable; the Moxa is an Ethernet remote I/O module. The module costs $110.00, while the cable is priced at $1,199.99, a spread of about $1,090.
Quick verdict
If you need to pull a long run of control cable between panels or machines, the Belden 580479 is the buy. If you need to put remote I/O points on an Ethernet network, the Moxa ioLogik E1242-T is the buy. They aren't interchangeable, so the decision comes down to which job you're actually tackling.
Comparison at a glance
| Product | Price | Condition | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belden-CH 580479 475Ft Industrial Control Cable | $1,199.99 | New - Open box | 475 ft of 14 AWG 12-wire control cable |
| Moxa ioLogik E1242-T Ethernet Remote I/O Module | $110.00 | New - Open box | Ethernet remote I/O module, 12-36 VDC input |
Where each product wins
The Belden cable wins when you need the physical length of a multi-conductor control cable in a single run. If the job is wiring a long run, this is the product that matches the scale.
The Moxa module wins when you need an Ethernet-connected I/O endpoint. It handles the network-connected I/O side of the comparison, so you can add remote inputs or outputs to an Ethernet network.
Product notes
Belden-CH 580479 475Ft Industrial Control Cable
The Belden-CH 580479 is a 475-foot, 14 AWG, 12-wire industrial control cable. The 475-foot length is the strongest reason to choose it: it gives you a dozen conductors in a single cable run. For a job that spans a long distance between control points, having all the conductors in one cable simplifies the pull. It also carries a 1-year warranty. If your project is a long physical run, this cable is the one that fits. The limitation is that it does not add I/O capability; it is wire, not a network device. If your real need is remote I/O over Ethernet, this cable won't solve that problem.
Moxa ioLogik E1242-T Ethernet Remote I/O Module
The Moxa ioLogik E1242-T is the Ethernet remote I/O module here, and the 12-36 VDC input is right in the name. That makes it the product to choose when you want to connect remote inputs or outputs back to a controller over Ethernet. It brings the I/O side onto your network without needing a long cable run for each point. The catch is that it cannot handle the physical wiring distance; there are no long cable conductors here. If your bottleneck is I/O points on the network, the Moxa is the right piece. If your bottleneck is pulling wire over distance, this module doesn't replace the Belden.
Final choice by use case
Use the Belden 580479 when your project needs a long cable pull. Use the Moxa ioLogik E1242-T when your project needs an Ethernet I/O endpoint. The two pieces solve different halves of the control cable and I/O chain, so the right choice is simply the one that matches the missing piece on your floor.
