Field device data, the foundation of IoT technology
netIOT I/F, netX-based communication products with IoT capabilities
OPC UA and MQTT can be implemented on netX-based designs
On the 2nd, Hilscher introduced its netIOT strategy and plans to activate IoT technology using various solutions of the netIOT interface at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.

As the IoT market grows, equipment manufacturers seek to implement new cloud-based value-added services, such as preventive maintenance and condition monitoring. These new services are based on data from field devices.

IoT data collected from field devices is transmitted in parallel to the edge gateway, separate from existing real-time Ethernet equipment. Data preprocessed at the edge gateway is passed to higher-level cloud applications for tasks such as predictive maintenance.

Hilscher calls this industrial cloud communication and has built the Hilscher netIOT solution to help customers implement Industry 4.0, smart factories, and IoT.
netIOT consists of three areas: netIOT service, netIOT edge, and netIOT interface.

In particular, the netIOT interface is a netX-based communication product with IoT capabilities, and it produces and supplies modular products such as netIC IOT.

The netIOT interface is a scalable solution for embedded designs, providing a comprehensive solution in the form of complete communication interfaces, ranging from the highly flexible multi-protocol netX chip to ready-to-solder netX chip carriers and pluggable modules.

These solutions have a built-in web server for firmware updates and provide a transparent Ethernet channel that host applications can access in TCP socket mode or raw Ethernet mode.

In raw Ethernet mode, a connection is established using a separate MAC address, and applications are recognized as individual devices on the network. Device manufacturers can implement proprietary IT solutions, such as email clients, data storage, or their own OPC UA servers, in field device applications.

In addition, these solutions include an embedded OPC UA server and an MQTT client to exchange IoT-related data. Therefore, not only standard Ethernet communication but also IoT communication takes place in parallel over the same cable as real-time Ethernet traffic.

Device manufacturers can take advantage of three benefits through the netIOT interface.

First, it enables the rapid development of IoT-enabled products and access to new IoT markets. Second, OPC UA and MQTT can be implemented in existing netX-based designs simply by changing the firmware. Third, device manufacturers can develop multi-protocol devices with protocol-independent object interfaces that are easy to use and implement.
"The most important thing in building a smart factory is the connection between the IT and OT domains," said Won Il-min, General Manager of Hilscher Korea. "Hilscher aims to minimize the risks that may occur during system installation through netIOT."

"And, 'Hilscher supports products and services that reduce user error or effort when existing OT users transmit data to the IT domain or connect to the cloud,' they added, 'this can minimize errors that may occur during system design or installation.'"
Christof Hunger, Product Manager at Hilscher, stated, “As the IoT market grows, equipment manufacturers are developing new client-side technologies such as preventive maintenance and condition monitoring based on information from field devices.“We aim to implement wood-based value-added services,” he said. “Hilscher has focused more on enabling device manufacturers to easily add OPC UA server and MQTT client functions along with Industrial Ethernet and Transparent Ethernet using Hilscher’s netIOT interface solutions, and we hope to help customers build smart factories.”