Siemens S7-1200 G2 First Impressions

💥 I've just scammed myself

If you're thinking about buying the new S7-1200 G2, watch this first. In this video, I share my first impressions. After reading 50 pages of marketing material, watching every video available, and buying from a well-known distributor, I found out (on page 121 of the manual) that the G2 only works with TIA Portal v20 — something nobody tells you upfront.

📌 What’s in this video?
Siemens has a habit of releasing products before they’re ready —
They did it with WinCC Unified (which was terrible for 2 years).
TIA Portal V11 was so buggy at launch.
ET 200SP launched with only basic I/O modules and no safety modules for months.
Now they’re doing it again with the S7-1200 G2 — no backward compatibility, no safety, and key modules months or even years away.

My Experience:
I’ve got a v18 license, thought I was all set, and only after buying the G2 did I find out I can't use it unless I jump to v20. Total lack of transparency.

Rollout Problems:
Siemens is slow-releasing critical features:

Safety won’t be out for months.
Serial communication modules and more won't be available for a year.
Why not just wait until it's all ready to release?
Things I do like (begrudgingly):
Slimmer width, though it’s taller — basically turned 90°.
Two Ethernet ports — awesome, but weirdly on top?
Separate power connector — safer design.
Push-fit terminals — compact, but harder to work with than screw terminals.
Tap-to-phone app — didn’t get to try it, but looks cool (when it works).

Final Thoughts:
Honestly, I’m disappointed with Siemens' approach to product rollouts. I said I’d wait 2 years before touching the G2. But I got tempted by the promise of saving DIN rail space. Now it’s going back on the shelf until TIA v20 becomes standard or they fix all this.

➡️ If you’re considering S7-1200 G2, wait it out. Don’t get burned like I did.

#Siemens #S71200G2 #TIA20 #TIA18 #IndustrialAutomation #PLC #WinCCUnified #ET200SP #PLCProgramming #FactoryAutomation #EngineeringFails