After edgeConnector Siemens used for connecting SIMATIC S7 controllers and edgeConnector 840D for accessing data from SINUMERIK 840D controllers, Softing launched edgeConnector Modbus. This Docker Container is ideal for connecting Modbus TCP controllers such as Schneider Electric, Wago, Beckhoff or Phoenix Contact, to industrial IoT applications. The solution can also be utilised to collect energy data or other process variables from Modbus-compatible sensors. An integrated OPC UA server allows simple and secure data connection to higher-level management systems, such as ERP, MES or process visualisation systems. As a further communication protocol, MQTT can combine control data directly into private or public IoT cloud applications.
“By using container technology, our edgeConnector products are very quickly started up and running. They are operated on standard hardware and can be managed easily from a central platform. In this way, we offer our customers a simple and secure option for integrating data from production into innovative and flexible Industrial IoT solutions,” says Sebastian Schenk, product manager at Softing Industrial.
All edgeConnector products support state-of-the-art security standards, including SSL/TLS, X.509 certificates, authentication, and data encryption. They are simple to configure locally through an integrated web interface or managed remotely by a REST API. For the future, the company plans to expand the edgeConnector product family to allow Ethernet/IP connectivity for Rockwell and Omron controllers.
The solution can be downloaded from online directories that include Docker Hub or Microsoft Azure Marketplace and tested for free.