A method and apparatus for providing direct access to one or more sensors from an internet protocol network. One example method includes detecting, by the remote terminal unit, a first sensor coupled to a first communications port. The method also includes generating a first unique internet protocol address for the first sensor, and mapping the first unique internet protocol address, at an application layer of a network protocol stack, to the first sensor. The method includes broadcasting, over the internet protocol network at a network layer, the first unique internet protocol address and an identity of the first sensor with which the first unique internet protocol address is associated. The method includes monitoring, at the network layer of the internet protocol network, for a sensor message identifying the first unique internet protocol address as a destination address, and forwarding the sensor message to the application layer for further processing.