Most factories still run equipment that speaks Modbus RTU or TCP. The challenge is exposing that data to modern dashboards, historians, and AI systems without creating a maintenance nightmare.
Common Anti-Patterns We See
Many teams write one-off Python scripts or use generic gateways that map every register to a topic. Six months later nobody remembers what register 40123 actually means.
We advocate for a modeling-first approach: define a clear semantic data model first, then implement the mapping layer. This single decision dramatically improves long-term maintainability.
Recommended Patterns
- Use a proper data modeling tool (HighByte, Ignition, or even a well-structured YAML schema)
- Expose data via OPC UA and MQTT in parallel from the same gateway
- Implement deadbanding and change-of-value reporting at the gateway level
- Version the data model independently from the gateway software