The author initially abandoned high-level libraries to understand protocols at a fundamental, socket-based level. This hands-on approach offered direct insight into how protocols communicate on the wire. While successful with simpler protocols like Modbus, applying the same methodology to complex ones like EtherNet/IP and DNP3 proved challenging. Advanced industrial protocols feature intricately nested structures, demanding byte-level precision in manual construction. Errors in these manually crafted binary streams result in system failures and silent timeouts with no clear error feedback. Debugging these issues often necessitates examining container logs to pinpoint the exact point of failure. The author emphasizes that the frustration often begins with incorrect assumptions about how high-level libraries handle protocol formats. When library abstractions prevent necessary packet manipulation, the only recourse is manual payload construction. However, for sophisticated protocols, this manual approach becomes exceedingly difficult due to complex session management and routing headers. Relying solely on automated tools in Operational Technology security is a significant risk. These tools are built on assumptions that rarely hold true in diverse real-world industrial environments. When encountering non-standard setups, devices may fall silent or tools may provide incorrect results. Ultimately, the author concludes that manually interacting with protocols at the wire level, despite its difficulty, is invaluable for deep security research. This direct engagement allows for immediate recognition of network anomalies and a precise understanding of communication failures.