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Documentation

How to connect the gateway, add Modbus devices and use the portal. Step by step, with the screens alongside.

Getting started

From the box to the first values in the portal, in six steps you follow in order.

6 pages

  1. How ModbusCloud worksThe gateway reads your Modbus devices and sends the values over the cable or 4G to the portal, where you view and monitor them.
  2. Sign in and create your organisationSign in to the portal for the first time and create your organisation, or join the organisation of a colleague.
  3. Connect the gatewayMount the gateway, connect the antenna, the RS485 cable and the network cable, and connect a 9 to 57 V DC power supply last.
  4. Add a gatewayLink a new gateway to your organisation and a customer using its serial number, and see when it comes online.
  5. Add Modbus devicesAdd Modbus devices to the gateway with automatic search, a template from the library or a custom template.
  6. Check and hand over the installationBefore you leave, check the values, the monitoring, the connection and the alert email, and record what you have set up.

Gateway

Connecting, mounting and setting up the gateway, with the technical data alongside.

7 pages

  1. Connections and specificationsThe gateway has RS485 for Modbus RTU, a LAN and a WAN port and 4G with a backup SIM, and runs on 9 to 57 V DC.
  2. Mount the gateway and connect the power supplyMount the gateway with the DIN rail kit on a 35 mm DIN rail and connect a 9 to 57 V DC power supply to the power terminal.
  3. Connect the RS485 busConnect Modbus RTU devices to the gateway with three wires, daisy-chained as one line with a 120 Ω termination resistor at both ends.
  4. Connect to the network via WAN and LANConnect the WAN port to the site network for internet, and the LAN port to a Modbus TCP device that is wired directly to the gateway.
  5. 4G and the backup SIMIf the network on site has no internet, the gateway sends over the backup SIM and reads no more often than the SIM interval.
  6. Gateway settingsChange the name of a gateway, the address of its customer, the settings of the RS485 bus and the SIM interval for 4G.
  7. Decommission or replace a gatewayRemove a gateway from your organisation or put a new one in place of a broken one, and save its configuration and readings first.

Modbus devices

Add Modbus devices and set up registers so the values are right.

9 pages

  1. Find Modbus devices with automatic searchLet the gateway find and identify the Modbus devices on its RS485 bus and in its network, then add them to the portal.
  2. Choose a template from the libraryFind the device type in the template library and add the Modbus device with the registers that the template already contains.
  3. Modbus device is not in the libraryHave ModbusCloud create the template at no cost, add the registers yourself, or import the manual with ModbusCloud Diagnostics.
  4. Create a custom templateDefine the registers of a Modbus device type once in a template, choose it for each new Modbus device and move it between organisations as JSON.
  5. Set the address and connection of a Modbus deviceEnter the slave address for Modbus RTU or the IP address, port and unit ID for Modbus TCP, change them later or delete the Modbus device.
  6. Choose the polling intervalSet how often the gateway reads each Modbus device, from 1 second over the cable and never faster than the SIM interval on 4G.
  7. Set up registersAdd registers to a Modbus device with function, address, data type, unit, scale and access, and change or delete them later.
  8. Enter a register address from the manualConvert a register number such as 40001, 30010 or 0x0010 from the manual into the address and function that the portal expects.
  9. Set the byte order and scale factorSet the byte order of a 32-bit value and the scale for each register, then check the result against a value that you read on site.

Portal

Everyday work in the portal, from live values and alerts to reports and your team.

19 pages

  1. How the portal is organisedThe portal opens on Overview, with the menu on the left and a top bar for search, guides, language, alerts and your profile.
  2. The gateway pageWhat the header, menu, alert bar and tabs of a gateway show, who gets emails for alerts and which role sees which button.
  3. View values and chartsView the live values of each Modbus device and chart the history of registers, from the last hour up to 30 days.
  4. Download readingsDownload the readings of all registers of a gateway as a CSV file for Excel, covering 7 days, 30 days, 12 months or everything.
  5. Calculate values with variablesOn the Variables tab, create a formula over the registers of a gateway, such as a COP or the total power of three phases.
  6. Set up peak and off-peak tariffs per kWh meterSplit the consumption of a kWh meter into peak and off-peak hours on the Tariff tab, with an indicative amount, a monthly report and a CSV.
  7. How alerts workAn alert comes from an alert rule or from automatic monitoring, gets a severity and stays until it is resolved.
  8. Automatic monitoringFive fixed checks monitor the Modbus devices and registers of a gateway, without you creating alert rules yourself.
  9. Create an alert ruleCreate an alert rule for a register or a gateway, with the condition, the severity, the options against false alerts and who gets the email.
  10. Handle an alertAcknowledge an alert, record what you did in a note, resolve it and get a reminder at a time you choose.
  11. Choose who receives alert emailsChoose who receives alert emails through the organisation, the alert rule and the gateway, and set which kinds of alert you get yourself.
  12. Create a dashboardCreate a dashboard and fill it with widgets that show values from your gateways or write a value to a register.
  13. Share a dashboard with a linkCreate a public link to one dashboard so that someone without an account can view it, with or without a password.
  14. Create and schedule reportsBuild a report from charts, tables and alerts, save it as a PDF and let the portal email a link every day, week or month.
  15. Create automationsCreate a rule that writes a register, sends a webhook or emails when a register value meets your condition.
  16. Control registers from the portalRequest control for a gateway, then write a value from the portal to a register of a Modbus device.
  17. Manage customersCreate customers, link each gateway to the right customer and keep contact details, address and notes for every customer.
  18. Team members and rolesSee what each role can do, invite colleagues or admit them with a join code or access request, and change or remove their access.
  19. Set up your organisation and profileEnter your company details and timezone under Organization, then set your name and the language of your account emails in My profile.

Integrations

Connect your own software with the REST API and webhooks, with the API reference for the details.

3 pages

  1. REST API and webhooksRetrieve gateways, registers, history and alerts in your own software and receive events as a webhook on your server.
  2. Create an API keyCreate an API key with only the permissions your integration needs, test it in the portal and revoke it as soon as you no longer need it.
  3. Set up a webhookAdd a webhook that sends a signed message to your system for alerts, gateways going offline or online, and automations.

Diagnostics

With the free desktop app ModbusCloud Diagnostics you read a Modbus device and find faults on site.

7 pages

  1. Install ModbusCloud DiagnosticsDownload the free program for Windows or macOS, install it and start it for the first time, even if the system shows a warning.
  2. Connect and find a Modbus device with DiagnosticsConnect your laptop to a Modbus device through a USB-RS485 adapter or the network and let Diagnostics find the settings and the address.
  3. Identify a Modbus device, read and write valuesLet ModbusCloud Diagnostics identify the type of a Modbus device, read live values with name and unit, and write a value to a register.
  4. Import the manual of an unknown Modbus deviceGet the register table from the manual with ModbusCloud Diagnostics, check it on the Modbus device and save it as your own device type.
  5. Find faults with the Diagnostics tab and the consoleRead in ModbusCloud Diagnostics how many requests get an answer, what each error means and which bytes travel over the cable.
  6. Log and export with DiagnosticsRecord the values of a Modbus device and export them as CSV or JSON, or convert a device type for Home Assistant, ESPHome or the portal.
  7. Practise with the simulatorLet ModbusCloud Diagnostics imitate a Modbus device from the library and practise without hardware, or test your own software with it.

Troubleshooting

For each symptom, the most common causes and what to check.

12 pages

  1. Signing in does not workFix it when the portal rejects your sign-in details, your invitation no longer works or you do not reach your organisation after signing in.
  2. Gateway does not come onlineIf a gateway stays on Pending, check the start-up time, serial number, power, cable, 4G and firewall, in that order.
  3. Gateway is offlineA gateway shows Offline when the portal hears nothing from it for a few minutes. Find the cause in the power, the network or the 4G coverage.
  4. Modbus device shows no valuesCheck the registers, address, bus settings, wiring and, for Modbus TCP, the network when a Modbus device shows no values.
  5. Values are wrongFind the cause of a wrong value from what you see, such as the byte order, the scale, the address, the data type or the CT ratio.
  6. Answers on RS485 drop out or are garbledUsually the signal ground is missing, the termination resistors are wrong, a second master is on the bus or the bus settings differ.
  7. Message when adding or saving a Modbus deviceWhat the messages about address, bus settings and configuration mean when you add, save or delete a Modbus device, and what to do next.
  8. Automatic search does not find everythingCheck role, bus settings, address, network and message when automatic search misses a Modbus device, does not recognise it or cannot add it.
  9. Values arrive less often than setOver the SIM the gateway reads no faster than the SIM interval. The RS485 bus, older software and the history of one reading per minute also play a part.
  10. Alert does not fire, fires too often or stays openCheck the rule, the readings and the status of the alert when an alert does not fire, fires too often or stays open.
  11. Alert email or report does not arriveCheck the spam filter, the recipients, your own preferences and the schedule when an alert email or a scheduled report does not arrive.
  12. Get helpContact support by email, phone or WhatsApp, or use the feedback button in the portal, and send the details that support needs.

Security and data

Network requirements, storage, access and retention, for IT departments and privacy questions.

5 pages

  1. Network requirements for the gatewayThe gateway only needs outbound traffic, MQTT over TLS to port 8883, plus DNS, NTP and ping.
  2. Where your data is stored and who can access itYour readings travel through a broker in Frankfurt to a database in Ireland, where each organisation sees only its own data.
  3. Retention periods and exporting your dataReadings are kept for 365 days, and after your licence ends you have 90 more days to export your data.
  4. Secure your sign-in and accountChange your password, sign out everywhere if something looks wrong and give colleagues no more access than their work needs.
  5. Data processing agreementThe data processing agreement sets out how ModbusCloud processes personal data for you, which sub-processors it uses and how to sign it separately.

Account and licence

Licence, 4G data, ordering and invoices, warranty and cancelling.

5 pages

  1. The portal licenceFor each gateway you choose an annual licence at €149 or a one-time licence at €495, both with all portal features included.
  2. 4G data and costsA yearly licence includes up to 30 MB of 4G data per month. A one-off licence costs €1 per month when used, or €95 for ten years.
  3. Ordering, account and invoicesOrder gateways in the webshop at modbuscloud.com, then find your orders and invoices in the portal.
  4. Warranty and money-back guaranteeThe gateway has a 24-month warranty, and you get your money back if it does not connect to a Modbus device from the library within 100 days.
  5. Cancel your licence and have your account deletedCancel an annual licence by email before the current year ends and ask for your account to be deleted under My profile.

API reference

Every endpoint and webhook of the REST API, with a sandbox key to try them straight away.

Go to the API reference

Still stuck?

Email or call us. Include the serial number of the gateway, so we can take a look straight away.

Go to support