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Usually, gateways are more lightweight, small foot-print, and small-sized computers. For example, the Raspberry Pi, the Intel Stick and Cisco IoT Gateways. Some "gateways" get bigger and more powerful, and we call them "appliances".
Gateway Functions Include:
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How TQL runs in IoT Solutions
The power of IoT is in the applications. However, moving all of that collected data around is also important. That's why middleware frameworks like TQLEngine A-Stack offers flexibility to run in cloud as a platform or condensed into intelligent gateway to close the gap between devices in the field and the cloud.
The TQLEngine A-Stack is a peer-to-peer enabled middleware and application container. Because of its small footprint, it can run on any range of computers starting from most gateway type of devices to large clouds. For example, RaspberryPi, your laptop, servers, and on public/private clouds. IoT applications written in TQL can often be distributed across gateways and clouds. However, because TQLEngine A-Stack requires JVM to run, it does not run on MCUs.
Here are a few options:
- 1 instance of TQLEngine A-Stack running on a laptop, communicating with MCUs, or devices/machines
- Multiple instances of TQLEngine A-Stack running on multiple gateways (each gateway has 1). Another instance of TQLEngine A-Stack running in the cloud. They communicate with each other.
- All instances of TQLEngines A-Stacks are running on local gateways, without a cloud instance.
The flexibility of the TQLEngine A-Stack requires many variations of the application topology. So you can choose per your design and project requirement.
How can Data be collected?
- Direct collection: A common industrial scenario is when data is transmitted directly from the machine to the cloud platform when TQLEngine A-Stack is hosted is by using its own internal connectivity for example, WiFi, ethernet or 3G/4G.
- Mobile App Bridge: Most often used for applications for consumer products or retail spaces where dedicated connectivity equipment is impractical or cost prohibitive. In these circumstances, the data exchange between objects and the cloud hosted TQLEngine A-Stack is typically managed through mobile phones, via WiFi or Bluetooth.
- Intelligent gateway: This is the best solution in terms of performance optimization and flexibility of protocols. In these circumstances, the gateway collects data from machines or equipment through a series of possible protocols - most frequently field protocols such as Modbus - and submits them to the platform, while optimizing a number of processes at the edge.
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