IoT Gateways: Wi-Fi / 4G RS485 MODBUS and Dixell Controller Gateways

The IBI-CSC50R (Wi-Fi) and IBI-CSC50RM (4G LTE Cat 1 with a built-in M2M SIM) connect to an RS485 bus and poll MODBUS RTU devices such as refrigeration digital controllers, cold room controllers, pressure and PID controllers, water meters and energy meters. Each can communicate with up to 15 devices and monitor up to 30 parameters. Eight parameters are set up by default; further configuration is charged separately. Both mount on a wall or DIN rail and poll every 15 minutes by default.

In practice this makes the gateway an RS485 data logger for equipment you already own. A pharma plant can bring chamber controllers, compressor energy meters and RS485 temperature and humidity sensors onto one dashboard, and a food processor can log cold room set points alongside actual temperatures. Share the device models and register maps at enquiry so the parameters can be configured before dispatch.

Many cold rooms already have a controller with an accurate probe. Rather than drilling for a second sensor, a gateway reads the controller's own values and adds cloud logging, alarms and reports. The IBI-CSC50T is a Wi-Fi dongle for Dixell controllers: it communicates with up to 5 MODBUS RTU controller devices, monitors up to 20 parameters and stores up to 30 days of data if Wi-Fi or the internet fails. It adds maintenance schedules and ticket management, and exports reports as PDF, CSV or Excel.

Retrofitting this way keeps the controller as the single source of truth for temperature control, avoids a second set of probes that might disagree with it, and turns a cold room controller into a monitored, alarmed and reportable asset without a new sensor installation.

The IBI-AGW is an Android industrial IoT gateway on a quad-core ARM processor (Rockchip RK3568) running Android 11 or Ubuntu 18.04. HDMI output up to 1920 x 1080 drives a control-room screen. It offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, 100M Ethernet and optional 4G, plus RS-232, RS-485, six digital inputs, two analogue inputs and one digital output. Configuration is charged separately.

It suits sites that want an on-premise view, such as a production floor display, a security desk screen or a location with limited internet, while still offering dashboard, map and list views, analytics, alerts management and remote control through the platform.

Choose Wi-Fi (CSC50R or CSC50T) when the plant or cold store has reliable site Wi-Fi and IT is happy to add a device. Choose 4G (CSC50RM) for remote sites, rooftop plant or locations where the IT network is off limits: the built-in M2M SIM keeps the gateway independent. Use the AGW when the site needs Ethernet, a local screen or several interfaces.

Whichever gateway you choose, the MODBUS side is the same: a two-wire RS485 bus to the controllers, meters or sensors, each with its own address. If you are unsure whether a controller exposes MODBUS RTU, send its make and model and the team will check before you order.

Gateway data flows into the same platform as the loggers: web and mobile apps, live alerts and push notifications, optional SMS, audit trail, alarm logs, trend graphs, MKT and 21 CFR Part 11 compliant PDF reports on demand or on a schedule. Features vary by plan, so confirm the report set with sales. For GMP and GDP sites this means cold rooms monitored through their controllers produce the same audit-ready evidence as rooms fitted with dedicated data loggers.