PC-based HMI software works great when operators are at headquarters, but what if they're not?

Covina Irrigating Co. monitors 12 separate sites in their water distribution system, with an assortment of pumps, tanks, valves, filters, and more at each site.

Operators often need to see equipment data when they're off site. They used to use remote desktop software on a notebook PC, but that method allows only one operator at a time to log in and use the HMI.

groov gives you a simple way to create operator interfaces for mobile devices, so you can securely monitor and control your automation system from anywhere you need to.

Want to learn more about building mobile interfaces to securely monitor and control your equipment?

groov makes mobile simple, and this new video, 5 Minutes to Mobile, shows you how. With groov, you build PC and mobile device operator interfaces all at once.

You'll see how you can move elements around on the screen in Handheld view without changing Desktop view. And you'll see how the interface scales to fit all kinds of devices.

Mike Hake was watching the trends. He saw smartphones multiplying and his spare time at work shrinking—and he thought about how a phone interface to his equipment could save time.

Hake found his smartphone solution on OptoForums, where he read that operator interfaces built in groov run in a modern web browser on almost any smartphone.

Like most restaurants, That Bar-B-Q Place has a wide variety of systems worth automating, from refrigeration to fire alarms to security to TV menus—even to the barbecue smokers nicknamed "Jake" and "Elwood," shown at right.

But this restaurant also has an advantage: owner Dave Brosseau is an experienced systems integrator.

So when Brosseau wanted to give his staff the ability to monitor and control systems from inside the restaurant or in some cases remotely, he took a look at groov.

Automation World magazine's David Greenfield takes a look at the future of industrial HMIs in a recent video podcast. Joining him are Benson Hougland and Ben Orchard from Opto 22.

With groov, it's easy to build operator interfaces for PCs and mobile—at the same time—so you can securely monitor and control your automation system from anywhere you need to.

Gavin Gray knew from experience about the problems you can run into when you're trying to set up remote monitoring from a mobile interface.

When a water treatment client asked for mobile capability, he wasn't at all sure he wanted to spend the time. A busy integrator and machine builder, Gray had plenty of other work to do.

At Schipper Eggs in Holland, Michigan, automated feed mills used to run without supervision. But sometimes problems went unnoticed.

Now operators can remotely check status, control mills, and even change the mix of grains for the feed, using their smartphones.

Machinery such as pumps can be in places where you don't want to go—like the bottom of a stone quarry.

But monitoring and controlling them is still essential.

For Pennsylvania-based New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. (NES&L), the answer to remote management for their pump control system was simple: groov.