Technical questions
VergeLink is a gateway software designed specifically for machine builders to flexibly and scalably acquire, pre-process and integrate data into cloud and IT systems. On the right you will find answers to the most frequently asked technical questions.
I have developed my own solution with OPC UA. What is the advantage of VergeLink?
Have you already connected all newly shipped machines to your IoT solution and are you already monetizing them? No? Then it may be because the added value of your IoT solution is not high enough. Rigid IoT solutions have a hard time adapting customer feedback because they take longer to evolve and have a longer time-to-market. You need a tool to make data acquisition flexible and scalable across all models and variants to quickly incorporate customer and user feedback into your IoT solution.
OPC UA is primarily a communication protocol and not yet a complete, flexible and hardened gateway.
You need the following building blocks in addition to this so-called southbound protocol:
Integration with cloud and IT systems.
- Access to the configuration by OT team must be possible, otherwise the IoT solution is too rigid. However, OPC UA in itself is in most cases too complex for OT teams to configure compared to the data points as plain text
- Centralized user interface for management
- Edge pre-processing to prepare, standardize and aggregate the data
- Over-the-air updates & security patches
- Support of all machine models and variants
Experience from over 100 IoT projects for machine builders since 2017 shows: The initial effort to develop such connectivity software is usually between 100,000€ and 600,000€ and takes about 6 to 12 months. In addition, there are recurring maintenance expenses.
Are you sure that developing your tools yourself is the right way to go instead of adding value with the data?
Can the data be cached when the connection is lost?
Yes. In this case, data can be buffered on the device. How much data can be buffered depends on the hardware device. For the Siemens IOT2050 this is typically 100MB-500MB.
With which frequency can the data points be transmitted?
VergeLink does not impose any licensing restrictions here. Technically evaluated are transmission rates of up to 20,000 data points per second per VergeLink device. It is also possible to transmit the vibration data in blobs with e.g. 15,000 samples per second per sensor. If the data is to be queried at high frequency by controllers (PLC), then the transmission frequency can usually be reduced to 50ms without adjustments to the controller program, depending on the CPU and cycle time. If the transmission rate is to be optimized even further, changes may have to be made to the control program.
What are the hardware requirements?
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Absolute minimum requirements
- CPU: 700MHz ARM32
- RAM: 512MB
- Memory: 50MB
- Linux Operating System
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Recommended requirements
- CPU: 2x1GHz (ARM64 or AMD64)
- RAM: 1GB
- Memory: at least 16GB (flash memory, SD, eMMC, SSD, etc.)
- Linux operating system with interface for container deployment (e.g. Portainer, Azure IoT Edge, AWS Greengrass or similar).
Windows devices are not currently supported.
- Other requirements:
- Space for gateway in control cabinet (approx. 50 mm top-hat rail).
- 24V supply in the control cabinet
- Free Ethernet port in the plant network
- LAN connection for internet access available in the control cabinet (alternatively 4G)
Acquisition & Licensing
You can try VergeLink Professional free of charge for 30 days. The pricing model for VergeLink software is a monthly cost per connected machine. There are different plans (Basic, Professional and Enterprise). Optionally, you can purchase matching gateway hardware, edge devices and IPCs from VergeLink.
How much does the hardware cost?
VergeLink is hardware agnostic. You can either use your own gateways or IPCs, or purchase some from VergeLink. More info can be found on our hardware page.
I am from manufacturing and would like to connect our production. How does the licensing model work here?
The functions of VergeLink are geared towards mechanical engineering.
However, VergeLink can also make sense for manufacturing companies if:
- Centralized configuration management via the cloud is desired (useful for multi-site operations, among others)
- A solution is sought for connecting IoT data that is as simple and managed as possible
- The supported protocols (hyperlink to connectivity portfolio here) are sufficient for the machines to be connected
- All machines that are to be connected but whose protocols are not supported can be connected via external sensors (secondary sensing, e.g. via IO-Link).
Note: VergeLink does not offer consulting in the sense of a connectivity audit for manufacturing companies. From a consulting requirement of 5 person days, this can be obtained as a service from our partners.
Should these use cases come into question for you, then the following applies:
You always need a Lizenzpro machine – even if you connect several machines via an edge device.
A machine can in turn consist of several data sources (for example, a PLC and an IO-Link master with several sensors).
I would like to connect systems with several controllers. How many licenses do I need for this?
You always need a license for one machine – even if you connect several machines via an edge device.
It therefore depends on how many machines your plant consists of.
In turn, a machine can consist of several data sources (for example, a PLC and an IO-Link master with several sensors).
What payment options are accepted? Can I be invoiced?
Payment by invoice, credit card, SEPA mandate and giropay.
I would like to connect additional machines. How will this be billed?
You can manage the number of your VergeLink licenses yourself.
If you increase the number of licenses during the term, only the pro-rated amount will be billed until the next billing period.
Free Trial & Evaluation
You can test VergeLink Professional free of charge for 30 days. You do not have to enter a payment method. You can either use your own hardware for testing, request test equipment from us or use simulations.
Can I try VergeLink for free?
Yes, after a performed live demo you have the possibility to test the VergeLink Professional license for 30 days free of charge and without entering any payment information. Upon request, we will provide you with simulation data sources or a demo kit.
I would like to test VergeLink, but I do not have suitable hardware at hand. What can I do?
If you do not have any edge devices (gateway or IPC) at hand, you can simulate corresponding devices in VergeLink or request a test kit from us via the contact form.
Alternatively, you can use your own hardware by installing VergeLink as a Docker container or Debian package, for example. You can find more information in the VergeLink documentation.
I would like to test VergeLink on my own hardware. Is that possible?
You can test VergeLink on your own hardware by installing VergeLink as a Docker container or Debian package, for example. For more information, see the VergeLink documentation.