The Industrial Internet of Things is a network of sensors and other devices that communicate with industrial systems, all in an effort to enhance the business operations. Manufacturing, agribusiness and oil & gas to name a few, all use a large range of sensors.These sensors transmit essential telemetry data to analytics engines, which search the data for patterns and irregularities, allowing businesses to better understand and optimize their operations.

To transfer data from a field sensor to a field controller, to a site network, to a PC data server, and then to the cloud, conventional automation products and protocols usually require a rigorous configuration and hierarchy. These types of implementations can be difficult to develop and maintain. MQTT, which includes multiple functions to satisfy the needs of IIoT, has risen to popularity as a protocol for solving this issue. MQTT is a light and energy-efficient communication protocol with a fast response time.It makes the interaction between devices efficient, regardless of the number of devices involved.It guarantees fast data delivery with low latency all while reducing CPU and RAM load.

Imagine a cloud-controlled device to measure the humidity in a farm, remotely. In the case of HTTP protocol, the device would have to continuously make GET requests to see if there’s a change in a variable, say “Humidity Variable“, and then take an action depending on the last reading. This necessitates a huge number of requests, and it isn’t entirely real-time because it is dependent on the polling frequency.MQTT allows the user to listen to the cloud and receive notifications only when a variable changes. The communication between the computer and the cloud is kept open in this manner, but data only moves when it is needed, saving battery life and network bandwidth while enhancing real-time performance.

So it is clear that MQTT-capable industrial automation devices are the latest approach for combining commercial and industrial automation with the cloud using IIoT principles in a cost-effective, safe, and reliable manner.

Norvi IoT devices are such industrial controllers that support MQTT protocol.These programmable MQTT devices come with a variety of features that make them suitable for industrial automation and IoT solutions. These devices come equipped with digital and analog I/O, enabling them to detect digital logic states and analog inputs, depending on the choice of the model.

After selecting a programmable MQTT Iot device like Norvi, only simple legwork has to be done by the users to establish the MQTT connection. Refer this detailed article on connecting the Norvi device to the IoT cloud platform Ubidots over MQTT protocol with step by step instructions.Moreover, setting up the Norvi devices only requires lesser wiring, which offers more flexibility to management of the device.