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Protocol gateways

How a device delivers its data depends on the protocols it supports. The platform offers two paths: MQTT direct reporting and Modbus gateway polling. Which one you use depends on the device and the site conditions.

4 sections · Updated with each platform release

Choosing between the two paths

Jiwu AIoT Platform · [object Object] Interface mock
1ProductsCreate the product and thing model → 2DevicesRegister devices under the product → 3Protocol onboardingMQTT reporting / Modbus polling → 4Data ScreensBind data and publish

Completing these four steps finishes onboarding: from one device to a dashboard you can show.

[object Object]
  • MQTT direct: the device has its own connectivity and computing power (a 4G module, a gateway device, embedded Linux and so on) and can report on its own initiative. Simple to onboard and good for real-time data.
  • Modbus gateway: the device is a PLC, industrial PC or older instrument that only offers a Modbus interface. A gateway polls it, so the existing device program does not have to change.
  • Mixed scenarios are common: new devices use MQTT while legacy lines use Modbus, and both paths end up as one thing model on the platform.

MQTT onboarding

  • Configure the connection address and device identity provided by the platform on the device side.
  • The device reports property data on the agreed topics, and the platform parses it and stores it according to the product’s thing model.
  • The platform can send commands to the device through a downlink topic, and the device acknowledges after executing.
  • Balance the reporting frequency against business needs and traffic cost; do not raise it blindly.

NoteDevice clocks must be synchronized. A device whose time is out of sync makes data look stale or land in the wrong interval.

Modbus onboarding

  1. Add a Modbus collection configuration in the gateway configuration and choose TCP or RTU.
  2. Fill in the slave address and connection parameters (IP and port for TCP; serial port and baud rate for RTU).
  3. Configure the point table: map register addresses to platform property names and set data types and scaling factors.
  4. After saving, the configuration takes effect live, collected data is written to the time-series store, and it becomes available in device details and on data screens.

NoteThe point table is where Modbus integration goes wrong most often: the register address offset (0-based or 1-based) and the data type (16-bit integer, 32-bit float, byte order) must match the device manual exactly.

Collection troubleshooting

  • First confirm the link from gateway to device works (can it reach the IP and port; is the serial port taken).
  • Then check the slave address; addresses must be unique on a shared bus.
  • When values are clearly wrong, suspect the data type and scaling factor before suspecting the platform.
  • When only some points are wrong, it is usually a few rows with a wrong address or type in the point table.