We are developing Device-Hub, a software that aims to work on the edges of Internet to retrieve, process and send/publish data from IoT devices. From a quick glance, one can think that its use could be limited only to a few cases (Houses & Offices environment automation), but there are a lot of cases, especially industrial applications that can be addressed. Edge computing isn't an evolution of these though, but an informed reuse of technologies that are leading other fields in industrial closed environments.The advances in the industrial fields hasn't been as fast as the web technologies advance yet, and that slowness to embrace new technologies and approaches has been seen as a strength of the old and classy technologies used for years in industrial fields. Industrial users need reliability, but today those users are seeing how is easy to get real time information from the Internet and wondering if they can get some of that in their industrial environments.The main challenge is that industrial users are mostly limited to a narrow offer and have to follow the pace of big industrial OEMs, and in a lot of cases they can't afford to get an update of the technologies the OEMs provide; yes, classic OEMs have the experience and their own proprietary technologies that in a lot of cases are very expensive, but today the technologies are more standard and that's the trend - industrial sector can't be the exception.Today edge technologies can displace Data logger technologies, collect and process data from PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and PACs (Programmable Automation Controllers). Edge technologies can talk with sensors, pumps, motors, relays and using any protocol you want, and yes, even can talk with ModBus devices if you want.Some important issues that edge Technologies try to address include:Improving system response time in remote mission critical applicationsReducing the amount of data sent to the cloudDecreasing Network and Internet latencyImproving the performance of processing power and communication capabilities of different appliancesIf you are interested in these subjects, please get in touch.
