Connect the gateway

You do not configure anything on the gateway itself. After you switch it on, it reports to the portal by itself, through the network cable or through the backup SIM. You then set up the bus settings, the Modbus devices and the registers in the portal.

What you need

• The gateway and every 4G antenna supplied with it. The backup SIM is already inside, and ModbusCloud activates it before shipping.
• A power supply of 9 to 57 V DC. You order it with the gateway, or you use your own supply.
• For Modbus RTU devices, an RS485 cable with a twisted pair for plus and minus and a third core for signal ground. The knowledge base explains which cable is suitable in Choosing an RS485 cable for Modbus.
• A network cable for the local network or for a Modbus TCP device.
• The DIN rail kit (35 mm) if the gateway goes on a DIN rail.

Mount and connect the gateway

Connect everything before the gateway gets power. The RS485 terminal and the antenna connectors are on one side of the gateway, the power terminal and the network ports on the other side.

1. Note the serial number

   Note the 10-digit serial number printed on the gateway. You enter it in Add a gateway.

2. Mount the gateway

   If the gateway goes on a 35 mm DIN rail, mount it with the DIN rail kit. Mount the gateway and connect the power supply explains where to place the gateway.

3. Screw on the antenna

   Screw every 4G antenna supplied onto a connector marked MOBILE. If the gateway is in a metal cabinet, place the antenna outside the cabinet. Metal blocks the 4G signal.

4. Connect the RS485 cable

   If you have Modbus RTU devices, connect the RS485 cable to the RS485 terminal. Plus goes to D+, minus goes to D- and signal ground goes to a contact with the ground symbol ⏚. Daisy chaining, termination resistors and shielding are covered in Connect the RS485 bus.

5. Plug the network cable into WAN

   If there is a local network, plug its cable into the WAN port. If that network has internet, the gateway sends its data over that cable. It reads Modbus TCP devices in the same subnet through that port.

6. Connect a Modbus TCP device

   If you connect a Modbus TCP device directly to the gateway, plug the cable into the LAN port. The Modbus TCP device gets no internet through the gateway. Connect to the network via WAN and LAN explains both ports.

7. Connect the power supply

   Connect the power supply last, to the power terminal marked POWER. The gateway then starts up by itself.

Connection over the cable or over 4G

If the network behind the WAN port drops out, the backup SIM takes over. Connect the antenna even if a network cable is in the WAN port.

If there is no cable in the WAN port, the gateway sends everything over the SIM. It then reads the Modbus devices no more often than the SIM interval, 300 seconds (5 minutes) by default. 4G and the backup SIM explains more about the SIM and data use.

Check the status in the portal

After switching on, the gateway needs a few minutes to start up and connect. No Modbus device needs to respond yet, because the gateway reports to the portal without one.

In Gateways, the status changes from Pending to Online as soon as the first message from the gateway arrives. If you have not added the gateway yet, do it now in Add a gateway.

If the gateway is still Pending 5 minutes after you switched it on or added it, see Gateway does not come online.