What Issues Should Be Paid Attention to When Using Industrial IoT Gateways?

What Issues Should Be Paid Attention to When Using Industrial IoT Gateways?

As industrial automatic control systems and communication technologies continue to evolve, enterprises' demands for automation and informatization are also increasing.
Simultaneously, the protocols for Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in the field are becoming increasingly diverse, leading to the emergence of IoT gateways as a solution to address communication interconnection issues among heterogeneous systems.
So, what issues should be considered when using industrial IoT gateways, and how can they be resolved? These are the primary concerns for industrial enterprises.

The industrial sector is rich and diverse, with varying equipment and production processes.
Therefore, when formulating an IoT solution, enterprises need to clearly understand their own needs.

For instance, Siemens PLCs are commonly seen in the industrial control field.
Factories aim to achieve real-time monitoring, debugging, and remote maintenance of Siemens PLCs through data collection, thereby avoiding equipment failures and production downtime.
It is essential to ensure that the IoT gateway can support parsing Siemens PLC protocols; only then can it collect data from Siemens PLCs.
Additionally, one must consider whether there are spare serial ports on both the Siemens PLC and the IoT gateway.
If not, wireless networking gateway products utilizing 5G/4G/WiFi should be considered.
Achieving a harmonious integration between one's needs and the gateway's functionalities is the foremost issue to address before using an industrial IoT gateway.

After selecting an appropriate gateway, the next concern is how to perform data collection and transmission, which determines whether the device's status can be promptly read.

For example, after choosing an industrial IoT gateway with one network port and one serial port and setting up a 4G wireless connection, it is crucial to understand its internal modules and functionalities.
Features such as protocol parsing, edge computing, data collection, serial port forwarding, and 4G cloud connectivity are highly practical.
Generally, having all these capabilities enables faster data collection and transmission with lower latency. WideIOT's industrial IoT gateway incorporates these features, accommodating diverse and personalized user needs.

Another consideration is the choice of cloud platform, which may entail additional expenses for the enterprise.

Common cloud platforms include those developed in-house by enterprises, third-party platforms like Alibaba Cloud and Baidu Cloud, and gateway cloud platforms. If an enterprise's self-developed cloud platform can seamlessly integrate with the IoT gateway, it is the optimal choice, offering security without incurring extra costs. Opting for a third-party cloud platform incurs additional fees but offers quick implementation. Alternatively, WideIOT provides a free and secure public cloud platform.