Introduction

To help you accelerate development of your industrial IoT applications and create a smarter field site, Moxa’s ThingsPro software solution offers two versatile software packages: ThingsPro Gateway, an intelligent industrial IoT gateway, and ThingsPro Server, a centralized device management platform. ThingsPro enables Modbus connectivity for data acquisition and processing, MQTT support for lightweight edge-to-core data transmission, a wireless manager for wireless network configuration, and device management. Configuration just takes a few steps, allowing you to focus on your applications instead of complex integrations.

ThingsPro helps you handle the complexity and diversity that comes from combining information technology and operational technology for industrial IoT applications by offering high-level Modbus APIs in C and Python, as well as a modern RESTful APIs for you to easily develop software applications to extend or enhance the capabilities of Moxa’s Industrial IoT gateway. ThingsPro provides smart data acquisition, rapid development, and easy management, and is specially designed to accelerate your Industrial IoT development by simplifying deployment, helping you create a smarter field site.

ThingsPro Packages

ThingsPro Gateway: An Intelligent industrial IoT Gateway

• Ready-to-run Modbus to MQTT functionality to simplify data acquisition tasks for industrial automation applications

• Modbus TCP/RTU gateway for acquiring data from your field devices

• Modbus slave support for easy integration with SCADA

• Cellular configuration and routing for convenient setup of LTE networks

• Modbus and RESTful APIs for rapid development

• Built-in support for popular PaaS (Platform as a Service) providers to boost integration of cloud-based data analysis applications

ThingsPro Server: A Centralized Device Management Platform

• Map view of field-site gateways or devices for visual device and asset management

• Role-based account management to manage groups of gateways or devices by location or organization

• Organize maintenance tasks such as firmware upgrades with a task queue for better planned execution

• Offline configuration tool (download the Enablement Utility from Moxa’s website) for mass deployment of IIoT Gateways, including registering ThingsPro Gateways with a ThingsPro Server

ThingsPro Gateway: An Intelligent industrial IoT Gateway

• Modbus polling engine with easy-to-use web-based UI for data acquisition from end devices in an industrial automation field site

• Supports the MQTT IoT protocol to connect fieldbus data to your cloud-based IoT applications

• Built-in IoT client for popular PaaS (Platform as a Service) providers to accelerate your IoT application development, currently supports AWS IoT and Azure IoT Hub (only available in ThingsPro V2.3 and above)

• Built-in client/SDK support for online SCADA service, currently supports Sparkplug for the Ignition platform, and Wonderware Online (only available in ThingsPro V2.3 and above)

• Wireless manager handles the task of connecting your field devices to a wide area network (WAN)

• RESTful API and Modbus API for access to all the software functions of ThingsPro Gateway

Moxa’s ThingsPro Gateway is a software package specially designed for Industrial IoT field sites. There is no need for extensive Modbus or MQTT knowledge; in just a few steps, you can easily configure and manage remote Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP data acquisition, MQTT communication between a Moxa IIoT gateway and your cloud database or application, and wireless networks, including LTE communication.

Easy-to-Use Modbus Data Acquisition

• Every time you want to access a new Modbus device, just build a template once and then use it everywhere

• Tag editor to set up unique identifiers for I/O points

• Unlimited tag support

• Supports custom tag management

• Set up a data polling table with your desired time interval and upload logs to a cloud database or application

• json, xml, and csv upload profiles are supported

Network, Firewall, and System Configuration

• Set up and monitor cellular strength

• Support for keep-alive checks

• Supports DHCP Server for Ethernet ports

• Supports OpenVPN client to build a secure tunnel for data transmission to a remote server

• Set up port-forwarding rules to create a simple firewall

• Configure system settings such as time, GPS, serial ports, and GPS location though a web UI

• Import system configuration from another ThingsPro Gateway

Modbus Slave and Third-Party PaaS Platform Connectivity for Remote Data Acquisition

• Enable Modbus slave to allow your local SCADA system to poll data from end devices that are attached to the ThingsPro Gateway

• Set up an MQTT client to pub/sub your acquired data to/from any MQTT brokers

• Supports other PaaS or online SCADA service with built-in client/SDK and UI: AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub (only available in ThingsPro V2.3 and above), Sparkplug for the Ignition platform, and Wonderware Online (only available in ThingsPro V2.3 and above)

Generic MQTT Client and Third-Party MQTT Broker—Sparkplug

ThingsPro supports the MQTT IoT protocol so that you can transfer fieldbus data to your cloud-based IoT applications. Client interfaces for generic MQTT communication and to the third-party MQTT broker, Sparkplug, are provided.

Modbus and RESTful API for All Software Functions on ThingsPro Gateway

• Modbus API via C and Python provides access to ready-to-run data acquisition software functions

• High-level RESTful API allows you to retrieve or set ThingsPro Gateway device status and resources for better interoperability

• It is easier than ever to enhance or extend ThingsPro Gateway functions and integrate them into your software applications

Eligible Devices

UC-8100 Series (product version 2.0.0; firmware version V2.1 or V2.2)

• UC-8112-LX

• UC-8112-LX1

• UC-8112-ME-T-LX

• UC-8112-ME-T-LX-US-LTE

MC-1100 Series (product version 1.0.0; firmware version V1.1)

• MC-1121-E2-T

• MC-1121-E4-T

Note: ThingsPro Gateway supports the listed firmware versions or higher. Only Debian Linux is supported. For example, the MC-1100 Series supports only Debian Linux 8. Additional series/models will be supported as the ThingsPro Gateway is updated. Check Moxa’s website for the most up-to-date information.

ThingsPro Server: A Centralized Device Management Platform

• Locate and access your devices using a map view for easy management

• Remotely perform management tasks such as firmware upgrades, configuration changes, and user-program uploads

• Management tasks can be run on demand or according to a schedule for better utilization

• Account management tool provides role-based access control

Moxa’s ThingsPro Server is a software package specially designed for Industrial IoT field site device management. The interactive map view helps keep track of your devices in a visual manner, and provides convenient access to a device’s status and configuration.

Asset Management

• Interactive map view to locate and manage your ThingsPro Gateways

• View a device’s status and change its configuration remotely through a web UI

• Upload custom programs to a target ThingsPro Gateway and manage them from ThingsPro Server

• Change your Gateway’s Modbus data acquisition and MQTT configuration over the Internet

Task Queue and Schedule

• Execute remote management tasks according to your schedule or on demand

• Device grouping features allow you to execute tasks for a group of devices at the same time

User Role Account Management

Create administrator and user-level accounts to control access rights to device management functions.