How to Connect EG5120 Gateway to ThingsBoard

Overview

The Robustel EG5120 is an industrial-grade IoT edge gateway engineered to seamlessly bridge OT and IT networks. This guide provides a clear process for connecting the EG5120 to the ThingsBoard platform, enabling real-time data processing, analytics, and control for next-generation IoT applications.

What You'll Need

• Hardware List:

  • 1 x Robustel EG5120 Gateway (CPU: Quad core Cortex-A53@1.6G, 2GB DDR4, 16GB eMMC).

  • 1 x Modbus RTU Sensor.

  • Relevant power supply and communication cables.

• Software/Firmware:

  • RobustOS Pro Firmware version 2.4 or higher.

• System Requirements:

  • Linux Ubuntu 20.04 environment (integrated in EG5120).

  • An active ThingsBoard account/instance.

Step-by-Step Configuration Guide

Phase 1: ThingsBoard Platform Configuration

1. Navigate to Devices: Login to your ThingsBoard instance and go to the “Devices” page of the “Entities” section. Click on the “+” icon in the top right corner of the table and then select “Add new device” from the drop-down menu.
   

2. Name the Device: Enter a device name.
   
   

3. Confirm Addition: Click “Add”.
   
   

Phase 2: Gateway Configuration and Modbus Data Collection

1. Check Firmware: Log in to the device with IP 192.168.0.1 and make sure your firmware is version 2.4 or higher. If your firmware is below version 2.4, please update it.
   

2. Hardware Verification: Make sure that the interface configuration on the device is disabled and the wiring is also correct.
   
   
   
   

3. Set Edge Computing: Click on "Edge Computing" and then configure it to read sensor data.
   
   
   

4. Data Grouping: Create a group to customize the data you want to upload
   
   
   
   

5. MQTT Setup: Configure the MQTT connection on the gateway to enable the device to connect to ThingsBoard via MQTT.
   
   
   

6. Function Code Adaptation: Configure the Function Code to customize the data you wish to upload. This function must be adapted to fit the format of ThingsBoard (refer to the screenshots in the original manual for the specific code logic).
   
   

Verification & Testing

• Verification: After the configuration, you should be able to see the data values on the ThingsBoard platform.
  

• Success Indicator: Check the "Latest Telemetry" or dashboard on ThingsBoard to ensure the Modbus RTU data from the sensor is updating correctly.
  
  

Troubleshooting / FAQ

• Q: What if the firmware version is lower than 2.4?

  • A: You must update the firmware to version 2.4 or higher; otherwise, the required Edge Computing features may not be supported.

• Q: Data is not showing on ThingsBoard?

  • A: Verify that the MQTT connection status is active and the Function Code correctly matches the ThingsBoard JSON format.