An integrated communication unit includes a motherboard, at least one RJ45 interface and an SPI. The motherboard includes a microcontroller that has a middleware. The RJ45 interface provides a cable-based connection to an external control unit. The SPI interface couples to a further SPI interface of an application unit. The SPI interface is configured for receiving application data of the application unit and provides the application data to the microcontroller by transmission. The microcontroller is configured to process the application data and provide the application data to an external control unit via the RJ45 interface. The integrated communication unit is configured to be mounted on a printed circuit board of the application unit by THT or SMT.