Connector add

Connectors are the protocol bridges that enable communication with field devices through the SolarTools Gateway. Multiple connectors can be added to a single gateway to collect data using industrial standards like Modbus TCP/RTU, MQTT, and OPC-UA.

Connector Configuration Flow

Before acquiring data from any device, you need to establish your connection profile by following these core steps:

Protocol

Select communication language.

Network

Configure IP, Port or COM.

Addressing

Enter tag list to read.

Deploy

Send config to gateway.

Step-by-Step Connector Setup

Follow the 6 steps below to create a new data acquisition point on your gateway. Hover over each image to inspect details with the magnifier, or click to view in full screen:

1

Connector Tab

Start the process of creating a new communication bridge by clicking the Add Connector button in the upper right corner.

2

Connector Types

Defines how the platform communicates with external devices or systems.
Modbus TCP: Connects to industrial devices over TCP/IP using the Modbus protocol.
REST API: Exchanges data with external services through HTTP requests.
MQTT: Sends and receives IoT data using a lightweight publish/subscribe protocol.
OPC UA: Provides secure industrial machine-to-machine communication.
HTTP: Sends data to the platform using standard web requests.
Serial: Communicates with devices over serial ports such as RS485 or RS232.

3

Logging Level

Debug: Shows detailed technical logs for troubleshooting.
Info: Shows general system activity and status messages.
Warning: Shows potential issues that do not stop the system.
Error: Shows critical problems that require attention.

4

Byte Order

Defines how bytes are arranged when reading multi-byte values.
Big Endian: Stores the most significant byte first.
Little Endian: Stores the least significant byte first.
CDAB: Uses a swapped byte order for 32-bit values.
BADC: Uses another swapped byte order format for compatibility.

5

Word Order

Defines how 16-bit words are ordered in 32-bit or larger values.
Big Endian: Reads the high word first.
Little Endian: Reads the low word first.

6

Add Connector

After saving the settings, click the Add Connector button to create the first connector.

Automated Sensor Discovery

For most modern protocols (e.g., OPC-UA), the SolarTools platform automatically scans and lists all readable sensors/tags the moment it connects to the network, eliminating the need to enter them one by one manually.
Connector add | SolarTools