Introduction to ORing's "Open Gateway" feature

Key takeaways

ORing Open Gateway is a protocol bridge function embedded in ORing IDS, IMG, and IGMG series gateways that enables bidirectional data exchange between industrial end devices and cloud platforms.
On the cloud side, it supports MQTT (ISO/IEC 20922), MQTT Sparkplug B, LWM2M (OMA), and CoAP (RFC 7252).
On the field device side, it supports Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU/ASCII, SNMP, and Raw data passthrough.
End devices connect via Ethernet, RS-232/RS-485 serial, or fibre interfaces — no separate protocol converter hardware is required.

ORing Open Gateway is a data bridge function embedded in ORing's IIoT gateways and device servers that translates protocols between industrial field devices and cloud platforms, enabling bidirectional data exchange without custom middleware or separate converter hardware. It connects to end devices through Ethernet, serial (RS-232 / RS-485), or fibre interfaces, and routes data to cloud platforms over the Internet using IoT-native messaging protocols. The Open Gateway function is available in ORing's IDS series, IMG series, and IGMG series gateways.

ORing Open Gateway architecture diagram showing MQTT, MQTT Sparkplug, LWM2M, and CoAP cloud connections alongside Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, SNMP, and Raw data end-device connections through IDS, IMG, and IGMG series gateways

What cloud protocols does ORing Open Gateway support?

ORing Open Gateway supports four cloud-side communication protocols, covering the majority of industrial IoT platform integration requirements:

MQTT (ISO/IEC 20922) — a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol widely used for IoT telemetry. ORing Open Gateway acts as an MQTT client, publishing device data to a broker and subscribing to control commands from cloud applications.
MQTT Sparkplug B — a specification published by the Eclipse Foundation that adds structured payload formats, device lifecycle management, and birth/death certificate messaging on top of standard MQTT. Suited for integration with SCADA platforms such as Ignition.
LWM2M (OMA Lightweight M2M) — an Open Mobile Alliance standard for device management and telemetry in constrained IoT environments. Supports remote device configuration, firmware updates, and sensor data reporting over CoAP transport.
CoAP (RFC 7252) — a Constrained Application Protocol designed for low-power, low-bandwidth environments. Provides REST-like request/response messaging suitable for resource-constrained field devices communicating directly with cloud endpoints.

What field device protocols does ORing Open Gateway support?

On the field device side, ORing Open Gateway supports four protocols that cover the most common industrial automation communication standards:

Modbus TCP — connects Ethernet-based PLCs, RTUs, sensors, and meters using the Modbus application protocol over TCP/IP. Supports polling of multiple device registers and coils.
Modbus RTU / ASCII — connects RS-232 and RS-485 serial devices using Modbus RTU (binary) or Modbus ASCII (text) framing. Suited for legacy field instruments and serial-only devices.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) — retrieves status and performance data from network-managed devices such as managed switches, UPS units, and environmental monitors. Supports SNMP v1, v2c for read operations.
Raw data passthrough — forwards unformatted binary or ASCII data streams from devices with proprietary communication formats directly to the cloud application for processing.

How does ORing Open Gateway connect to end devices?

ORing Open Gateway supports three physical interface types for end-device connectivity, allowing a single gateway to aggregate data from mixed device populations:

Ethernet — for Modbus TCP and SNMP devices connected to the local LAN or process network. Supports multiple simultaneous device connections.
Serial (RS-232 / RS-485) — for Modbus RTU/ASCII devices connected via serial cable. RS-485 supports multi-drop bus topologies with up to 32 devices per segment.
Fibre — for end devices requiring extended transmission distance (up to several kilometres) or electrical isolation from the gateway, common in high-voltage substation and railway environments.

Which ORing products include the Open Gateway function?

The Open Gateway function is embedded in three ORing product series, each targeting different deployment scenarios:

IDS series — IIoT device servers for serial-to-cloud and Ethernet-to-cloud data acquisition in factory automation and building management applications.
IMG series — industrial multi-service gateways combining routing, switching, and Open Gateway data bridge functions for edge computing deployments.
IGMG series — industrial cellular gateways providing LTE/5G WAN connectivity alongside Open Gateway for remote or mobile IIoT deployments without wired Internet access.

How does ORing Open Gateway differ from a traditional protocol converter?

A traditional protocol converter translates between two specific protocols at the device level, typically as a standalone hardware unit requiring separate installation and management. ORing Open Gateway differs in three ways:

Multi-protocol support — a single gateway can simultaneously poll multiple end devices using different field protocols (Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, SNMP) and publish their data to cloud platforms via MQTT or LWM2M.
Cloud-native transport — uses IoT messaging protocols (MQTT, Sparkplug B, LWM2M, CoAP) rather than industrial protocols for the cloud connection, enabling direct integration with cloud data platforms and SCADA systems without additional middleware.
No additional hardware required — the Open Gateway function is embedded in the IDS, IMG, and IGMG series gateways and configured through the device's management interface, eliminating the need for a separate converter appliance.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is ORing Open Gateway?

ORing Open Gateway is a protocol bridge function embedded in ORing IDS, IMG, and IGMG series gateways that translates data between industrial field devices and cloud platforms. It supports Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU/ASCII, SNMP, and Raw data on the device side, and MQTT, MQTT Sparkplug B, LWM2M, and CoAP on the cloud side — enabling bidirectional IIoT data exchange without separate converter hardware.

2. Which cloud protocols does ORing Open Gateway support?

ORing Open Gateway supports MQTT (ISO/IEC 20922), MQTT Sparkplug B (Eclipse Foundation), LWM2M (OMA standard for device management), and CoAP (RFC 7252). These four protocols cover the major industrial IoT cloud platform integration requirements, from lightweight telemetry (MQTT) to structured device lifecycle management (Sparkplug B, LWM2M).

3. Which end-device protocols does ORing Open Gateway support?

On the field device side, ORing Open Gateway supports Modbus TCP (for Ethernet PLCs and sensors), Modbus RTU/ASCII (for RS-232/RS-485 serial devices), SNMP (for network device monitoring), and Raw data passthrough for devices with proprietary communication formats.

4. Which ORing products include the Open Gateway function?

Open Gateway is available in the IDS series (IIoT device servers), IMG series (industrial multi-service gateways), and IGMG series (industrial cellular gateways).

5. What network interfaces does ORing Open Gateway use to connect end devices?

ORing Open Gateway connects to end devices via Ethernet (for Modbus TCP and SNMP devices), RS-232/RS-485 serial interfaces (for Modbus RTU/ASCII devices), and fibre optic connections for extended-distance or electrically isolated deployments.

6. What is MQTT Sparkplug B and why does ORing Open Gateway support it?

MQTT Sparkplug B is an Eclipse Foundation specification that adds structured payload formats, device birth/death certificates, and data quality reporting to standard MQTT. It is widely used in SCADA platforms such as Ignition for consistent device data modelling. ORing Open Gateway supports Sparkplug B to enable direct integration with Sparkplug-native IIoT platforms without additional payload transformation.

7. How does ORing Open Gateway differ from a traditional protocol converter?

Unlike a standalone protocol converter that handles a single protocol pair, ORing Open Gateway simultaneously manages multiple field devices using different protocols (Modbus TCP, RTU, SNMP) and publishes their data to cloud platforms via IoT-native protocols (MQTT, LWM2M). The function is embedded in the IDS, IMG, and IGMG series gateways — no additional converter hardware is needed.