We all know that computers and other electronic devices—printers, routers, laptops, smartphones, and more—are networked so they can exchange information.

But how does that information get where it’s supposed to go?

How does a spreadsheet get to the printer, a YouTube video get to your smartphone, or—most important for automation engineers—a value from a sensor get to your HMI?

Topics: groov, Internet of Things, IoT, Networking, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Data acquisition, MQTT

You've shown a lot of interest in our blog posts this last year—thank you. We hope they answer some of your questions and help make your automation projects easier.

So to round out the year, take a look and see if you missed any of these popular posts. 

Predictive maintenance on a compressor. We'd all like to get a better handle on equipment maintenance, to reduce unnecessary expense, maximize efficiency, and avoid outages.

See how a simple internet of things project could provide real value for your company.

Topics: Case studies, Food & beverage, groov, Internet of Things, IoT, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Ignition Edge

Topics: groov, Internet of Things, IoT, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Node-RED, MQTT, Ignition Edge

Is the Internet of Things (IoT) just a lot of hype, or can the IoT technologies we keep hearing about provide real value?

RESTful APIs, Node-RED, and MQTT are just some of the new technical terms we're all starting to learn.

If you'd like to see these technologies in action to understand how they might be useful for your applications, then join us for a new webinar on December 12.  

Opto 22's Senior Applications Engineer Kyle Orman will demo these technologies and more. He'll show you how to exchange live data between real-world I/O and IoT platforms. 

You'll see: 

- IoT hardware that's proven in industrial locations
- RESTful APIs to get data from PAC controllers
- Examples of simple logic flows created with Node-RED 
- Ignition Edge® OPC-UA drivers built into the  groov Box

Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, Machine builder, PACs, OEM, Integrators, API, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Node-RED, Data acquisition, MQTT, Ignition Edge

If you're a manufacturer interested in improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), you may find it difficult to integrate OEE with your manufacturing execution system (MES) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

Why? Because the IT (information technology) software systems traditionally used for MES and ERP don't interface with the PLCs and I/O systems used in production and manufacturing.

Topics: Case studies, Process control, Internet of Things, IoT, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Data acquisition

Over the years, one of the most difficult things I’ve had to help clients with is justifying an automation project. Whether it’s a new system or an upgrade, the challenge is often in quantifying the benefits financially.

Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, API, REST API, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

Why is there so much talk about the Internet of Things (IoT)? Because companies are increasingly looking for data-based information to improve their operations. 

• Data from industrial systems in factories and processes
• Data from sensors and devices in remote locations
• Data from company databases and spreadsheets
• Data available from online services and cloud platforms

Topics: Webinars, Internet of Things, IoT, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

What if your operators could enter machine data on their phones and that data automatically appeared in a Microsoft^® Excel^® spreadsheet? 

What if production or usage data from your spreadsheet was automatically updated in your supervisor's groov mobile operator interface?

Could be pretty handy, right?

Well, we've got a couple of code samples to show you how to make it happen. 

Topics: groov, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Integrators, API, REST API, REST, mobile, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things

Wine + IoT = yum + engineering fun

In my last post, I talked about beer and some hard deadlines at the end of a season. This time, let’s talk about wine and a different kind of season: harvest season!

During that Big Game, and since then, you might’ve seen some ads showing farmers in fields with iPads.

Well, I’ve met them.

Topics: Food & beverage, groov, Internet of Things, IoT, Integrators, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, Node-RED, Data acquisition

Join us at the SORT Fall Technology Showcase in Ontario, Canada next Thursday, September 28.

• See advanced solutions for automotive, metal and steel, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and other industries.
• Learn about the latest technologies to address your manufacturing challenges.
• Attend live demonstrations and seminars.

Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, PACs, Events & conferences, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things