What do you want to do with data?

So you're ready to get your data out of where it’s trapped—in legacy systems, proprietary protocols, and remote devices. Now you can use new edge I/O modules like groov RIO and edge controllers like groov EPIC to simplify data communication among field sensors and equipment and on-premises and cloud-based software. 

Do you see an information architecture you need in the image above? Edge products make all these possible:

1. Shared infrastructure with edge data processing
2. Legacy device integration with edge controller as IoT gateway
3. Direct-to-cloud I/O network
4. Many-to-many MQTT infrastructure

With groov RIO and the groov EPIC system, you can manipulate and move data between things in the real world and computer systems and software.

Standard internet and IT-compatible tools are built into these groov products, ready to use:

• Node-RED, an IoT rapid application development environment
• MQTT/Sparkplug B 
• RESTful APIs to PAC Control variables, groov I/O data, and groov View Data Stores
• Ignition or Ignition Edge® with OPC UA, MQTT, and more

Explore groov EPIC and groov RIO system architecture in an interactive demo.

 

"These are non-classified areas in the middle of hazardous areas. They need all this air conditioning and so on to keep this IT stuff going... [But with groov EPIC] now you are going to replace that with stuff that can go outside in a NEMA 4 box."

Example: Gather data from plant floor or remote devices

1. Connect groov EPIC to sensors and devices to control processes directly, acquire data, and process it. 
2. Or wire groov RIO EMU to electrical loads for 3-phase AC power & energy data, tracking costs and changes in load for advance warning of equipment faults.
3. Or connect groov RIO universal edge I/O to sensors and devices to acquire and communicate data.
4. Or place groov RIO or groov EPIC on the same network as a PLC or PAC controlling a device or process, and use the built-in OPC-UA driver to connect to the PLC or PAC.
5. Use MQTT communication to publish needed data to a central server or broker on premises or in the cloud.
6. Applications like Ignition Enterprise or any MQTT/Sparkplug-compliant software can subscribe to the data.

Because all publish and subscribe communications to the broker use a secure, device-originated, outbound connection, you need:

• No special firewall configurations
• No VPNs
• No remote desktop software
• No PC

More examples:

• An OEM machine builder whose machine must periodically send operational data to a central location for predictive analysis and machine learning
• A SCADA engineer who needs to efficiently control and acquire data from a large number of geographically dispersed locations over a cellular or other bandwidth-constrained network
• A system integrator whose customer wants to collect temperature data affordably across an entire warehouse and deliver it to an Ignition SCADA system
• A facilities engineer who needs energy use and HVAC status data transmitted to a cloud database for historical logging and analysis
• A controls technician who needs to see Allen-Bradley® CompactLogix™ variables on a smartphone for access from anywhere in the world

You can place the secure groov EPIC system or groov RIO at the network’s edge in harsh industrial environments and know you have the tools right there to acquire data, move it, and act on it.

Read groov product case studies. 

Learn more about efficient data communications for industrial applications using MQTT and Sparkplug.

Concerned about cybersecurity? See helpful resources for cybersecurity in automation and IIoT applications.

groov products and Node-RED

Node-RED is included with groov RIO and groov EPIC. Using Node-RED, you can connect pre-built nodes for hardware devices, cloud services, and software APIs (application program interfaces) together in simple logic flows.

Node-RED is an open-source, cross-platform programming environment that’s used for IoT applications. Read more about Node-RED.

groov products and RESTful APIs

Want to build your own custom applications? You can use our RESTful APIs (application programming interfaces) to:

• I/O status and values on groov EPIC and groov RIO
• PAC Control variables
• groov View Data Stores

Learn more about using REST APIs on the Opto 22 developer site.

 

All logos and product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations. groov products from Opto 22 are not related to nor endorsed by other companies mentioned.

Connect

Connect to A-B & Siemens PLCs, Modbus/TCP, groov EPIC, groov RIO, SNAP PACs, databases, online services, APIs. Use OPC UA and efficient MQTT. More on connectivity. 

Control

Get traditional industrial control at the edge of your network with groov EPIC (edge programmable industrial controller) and I/O.
More on real-time control.

Visualize

Monitor and control your equipment from anywhere using your smartphone or tablet. More on visualization.