- A CAN-based communication standard that enables tractors and implements from different manufacturers to communicate with each other in the agricultural sector.
- Established in 2008 through the collaboration of several companies and industry associations.
- Based on the ISO 11783 standard and the guidelines developed by the AEF (Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation).
To obtain an AEF ISOBUS certification, both hardware and software tests must be performed on the device, and the results must be uploaded to the AEF database through an accredited test laboratory. If the hardware has already been certified, only the software tests need to be carried out.
Hardware testing:
Hardware tests are generally performed only once, unless modifications are made to the device’s electronic board. These tests include electrical measurements such as resistance, capacitance, and signal sampling/analysis.
Software testing:
Software tests are required for the initial certification of a device together with the hardware tests. They must be repeated whenever changes are made to the ISOBUS software functionality.
Once the product has successfully passed the required tests, has been certified, and has been uploaded to the AEF database, the AEF ISOBUS certification logo may be displayed on the product and related documentation.
The answer involves the following two steps:
- Become an AEF member and complete ISOBUS testing After successfully completing the ISOBUS certification tests at an AEF-accredited laboratory, AEF members are granted access to upload their product or product series to the AEF ISOBUS Database.
AEF ISOBUS Database: AEF ISOBUS Database
- Pay the required annual fees
Uploading and maintaining products in the AEF database requires:
- Payment of the annual AEF membership fee.
- Payment of the annual fee for each product or product family registered in the AEF database.
Once these requirements are met, the product information can be entered and maintained in the AEF ISOBUS Database.
The costs associated with AEF certification and product registration are available on the AEF website https://www.aef-online.org/
The easiest way is to check whether the product is listed in the AEF ISOBUS Database, which contains all officially certified ISOBUS products and their supported functionalities. Only products that have successfully passed the AEF Conformance Test and have been registered in the database can be listed there.
You can search the database here:
Alternatively, you can request the product’s AEF Conformance Test Certificate from the manufacturer. This certificate is issued after the product has successfully completed testing at one of the AEF-accredited test laboratories worldwide.
If a product cannot be found in the AEF ISOBUS Database, it should not be considered AEF ISOBUS certified.
