Neuron allows you to monitor your industrial assets or environments analysing the data ingested from the sensors deployed in your installation. There is a great array of sensors intended for different tasks, from measuring temperatures, liquid levels, etc.
The information gathered by the sensors can be ingested at different rates depending on the variation in the measure, type of asset measured and type of monitoring intended. To achieve an effective monitoring, you must choose the correct Neuron reading frequency that balances importance and costs.
On the other hand, some sensors and industrial protocols only allow reading operations, not allowing Neuron to interact with the sensor in order to setup the sensor to adjust parameters like data reporting interval, reading behavior, etc.
The following table summarises Neuron capabilities based on sensor and protocol capabilities:
Neuron Capabilities | IO-Link Protocol & Sensors | MQTT Protocol | LoRaWAN Protocol & Sensors |
Read sensor data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Typical frequency | miliseconds | seconds | minutes |
Update sensor | Yes | No | No |
Wireless | Cable & Wireless | Sensor capability | Wireless |
Main power source | External | External | Internal Battery |
Edge deployment | Yes | Yes | No |
Average pricing | High | Medium | Low |
IO-Link protocol and sensors is the most powerful solution for industrial monitoring, allowing auto-discovery of sensors, plug&play installation, remote setup and high reading frequencies. The average pricing of the sensors is usually higher than other solutions.
MQTT protocol allows you connect almost anything to Neuron, but it is only a protocol, so you usually need to deploy Advantech EdgeLink platform as a bridge between the PLC, sensor or equipment in order to read the data and upload it to Neuron. The average pricing depends heavily on the sensors plus the cost of an edge CPU equipped with Advantech EdgeLink software.
LoRaWAN protocol and sensors is the most affordable solution due to its low average sensor pricing and the easy installation procedure. The only components you need are a LoRaWAN gateway connected to the internet or access to a public LoRaWAN network and your sensors. As all sensors are battery-powered and wirelessly connected there is no installation needed, so you can monitor your soil temperature and humidity, your silo level, your equipment temperature, environment air quality, etc. with no cable or installation required.
If you want to know more, ask our technical support service so they can study your specific case at neuron@plexo.cloud.