The current generation of electronic motor starters 'EMS' with SmartWire-DT connection, called EMS...SWD from Eaton, has an extended communication capability of the switching device. In combination with SmartWire-DT, the motor starter records and communicates more relevant motor data than before. The motor starter, which is connected to SmartWire-DT via a pluggable interface, can record data such as motor current, overload and useful diagnostic data and make it available in the application for further processing. This data can be transferred to all common industrial fieldbuses via gateways. On the one hand, this enables users to detect critical load states of the motors at an early stage; in the event of an impending shutdown, the operating personnel can take measures in advance to prevent the motor protection function from being triggered and the associated failure of the drive. Secondly, the data transparency facilitates diagnosis and maintenance, as the motor starter provides detailed information about the cause of failure in the event of tripping. As a multifunctional switching device, the motor starter combines the four features of direct motor start, reversing motor start, motor protection and safety-related stopping in accordance with category 3 (EN 13849-1) in a single device. Thanks to the electronic wide-range overload protection, the device covers the current ranges between 0.18 and 6.5 A (AC-53a) and 9 A (AC-51) in two versions.