Two concepts are always at the forefront of discussions about the Internet of Things (IoT) or, in this context, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): connectivity and communication.
Without an intermediary device (IoT gateway) to manage various connectivity and communication protocols, connecting hundreds or thousands of devices and enabling them to communicate with each other, as well as with higher-level systems and the cloud, would be an impossible task.
▲ IoT-enabled devices use many different communication protocols, depending on the device, purpose, and environment. IoT gateways act as a "bridge" between these devices and the cloud, facilitating communication between them.
An IoT gateway is a hardware device that "sits" between IoT-enabled devices and the cloud, facilitating communication between them.
IoT-enabled devices and systems use various communication protocols, such as Ethernet/IP, Modbus, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/LE, and ZigBee, depending on the device, application, and environment. Gateways in IoT enable connectivity and communication between these devices and cloud-based systems or higher-level systems—such as MES (Manufacturing Execution System) or SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)—on a local intranet. For industrial automation and processing applications, IoT gateways essentially "bridge the gap between OT (Operations Technology) and IT (Information Technology) systems."
But IoT gateways do more than just perform basic communication tasks. They also encrypt, process, filter, update, and manipulate data before it's sent from devices to higher-level systems. These functions—especially preprocessing and filtering—reduce transmission, processing, and storage requirements. Gateways can also perform data caching and logging locally, as well as store data, to ensure the maintenance of a continuous historical record, especially when devices are located in remote areas with unreliable connections.
When an IoT gateway becomes a smart gateway
A frequently used term when discussing the Internet of Things (IIoT) is "edge device"—referring to the sensors, actuators, and other devices that enable the Internet of Things. The term "edge" typically refers to the boundary between the physical world (the device) and the cloud (or a higher-level system).
Similarly, IoT gateways that can perform advanced functions—such as filtering, manipulating, and processing data—are sometimes called “edge gateways” or “smart gateways.” When data analytics moves from the cloud or a remote network to the edge—typically the gateway or the device itself—this is called “edge computing.”
Moving some processing functions from the cloud to the edge—the device itself and the IoT gateway—helps ensure that critical data is timely, accurate, and reliable. It also reduces the bandwidth and computing resources required for IIoT applications.
The benefits of using edge gateways, especially in IIoT applications, lie in moving data processing from the cloud to the edge, which helps ensure accuracy and reliability. Transferring data to and from the cloud takes time, and for many mission-critical decisions and processes in industrial operations, even milliseconds are too long. Data can easily become outdated during the time it takes to send data to and receive a response from the cloud, leading to missed opportunities, damaged components or products, or safety risks to equipment or personnel. Edge devices can also send data or commands directly to other devices for immediate action.
Edge computing via edge gateways can also "keep sensitive data on-site" to ensure its security. However, there are practicality issues. Some devices or systems generate so much data that the bandwidth and resource costs required for cloud processing are too high. Edge gateways can determine which data to send to the cloud and transmit it in the most efficient and usable form.
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