Kepware Updates IoT platform for building automation, manufacturing and the oil & gas sector.
ThingWorx agent is available in the KEPServerEX IoT Gateway. Agent improves interoperability with PTC’s ThingWorx. (All images courtesy of Kepware.)
Kepware has released the latest version of their IoT connectivity platform KEPServerEX, version 5.20. The new release focuses on increasing the interoperability with PTC’s ThingWorx and connectivity to building automation, manufacturing and oil & gas equipment.
“Our goal with this latest product release is to balance the needs of existing installations while developing new functionality for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),” said Tony Paine, platform president at Kepware.
Paine added that the release has “many important updates to our flagship product—including improvements to our BACnet/IP driver and a new ThingWorx agent that expands our IoT Gateway offering.”
Using the ThingWorx agent, IoT experts will experience improved communications between KEPServerEX’s IoT Gateway and PTC’s IoT platform. The agent allows users to pass industrial data to ThingWorx using the platform’s binary protocol. Kepware promises that this connection is secure and capable of high data throughput.
Additional improvements to KEPServerEX’s IoT Gateway include:
- MQTT writes
- Array writes
- Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
BACnet/IP driver offers added connectivity and control options for building automation.
The latest release also offers a lot of enhancements for those in the building automation industry.
Kepware has improved the BACnet/IP driver to allow for more connectivity and control of building automation devices. The driver can now support:
- Accumulator Standard Object
- Object-Level Command Priority
- Alarm services
- Event Services
Given the growing demand of energy efficient buildings, smart buildings, automation and systems integration, this improved driver should see wide use in the IoT engineering community.
“Our newest research shows that over 60 percent of industrial companies are now working on a digital transformation initiative like Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing,” said Matthew Littlefield, president and principal analyst of LNS Research.
“The enabling technology for these transformations is the IIoT Platform, including connectivity, cloud, big data analytics and application development,” he added. “Solutions like the Kepware IoT Gateway allow companies to cost-effectively transcend traditional control hierarchies and use information in the most effective way possible.”
To learn more about IoT Platforms read, Comparing Platforms for Developing New Internet of Things Products.