Edge Gateway Device Onboarding

Edge Gateway Device

An Edge Gateway combines the capabilities of both a Gateway and an Edge Device. It manages child devices (like a gateway) AND processes rules locally (like an edge device) — enabling real-time local automation across multiple sensors through a single intelligent hub.

What is an Edge Gateway?

An Edge Gateway is the most capable device type in /IOTCONNECT™. It combines:

Gateway capability: Manages child devices, aggregates their telemetry, and routes it to the cloud.

Edge capability: Evaluates rules locally against data from BOTH itself and its child devices — triggering actions in real time.

Comparison of Device Types:

Capability	Regular Device	Gateway	Edge Device	Edge Gateway
Sends own telemetry	✓	✓	✓	✓
Manages child devices	✗	✓	✗	✓
Local rule processing	✗	✗	✓	✓
Offline rule execution	✗	✗	✓	✓
Cross-device rules	✗	✗	Self only	Self + Children

Video Walkthrough: Edge Gateway Device | Onboarding

Watch the complete walkthrough video showing the end-to-end process of onboarding an Edge Gateway Device, configuring Child Devices, establishing connectivity, and validating telemetry communication with the IoTConnect platform.

When to Use an Edge Gateway

Industrial Automation: A PLC gateway collects data from multiple sensors on a production line and locally shuts down machinery if vibration exceeds safe limits.

Smart Building: A floor controller aggregates temperature sensors from all rooms and locally adjusts HVAC when any zone exceeds comfort thresholds.

Remote Sites: A solar farm gateway collects inverter data, processes fault detection locally, and only sends summaries to the cloud over satellite links.

Fleet/Logistics: A vehicle gateway reads GPS, fuel, and engine sensors, triggering local alerts for driver behavior while reporting to fleet management.

Onboarding Steps

Step 1: Create an Edge Gateway Template

Navigate to Devices → Templates → Create Template. Enable BOTH Gateway Support AND Edge Support. Define parent (gateway) and child (tag-based) attributes. Add rules for local evaluation. Define commands.

Step 2: Create the Edge Gateway Device

Navigate to Devices → Create Device. Select the edge-gateway-enabled template.

Field	Description
Unique ID	Gateway identifier (e.g., floor1-gateway-001)
Display Name	Human-readable label
Entity	Organizational unit (building, floor, zone)
Template	Edge + Gateway enabled template

Step 3: Add Child Devices

From device detail → Child Devices tab → Add children with unique IDs and tags.

Step 4: Connect the Device

Use the /IOTCONNECT™ SDK. After Hello Message (mt: 200), the device receives:

has.d = 1 → Has child devices, send mt: 204 to get child list

has.r = 1 → Has edge rules, send mt: 203 to fetch rules

meta.edge = 1 → Confirmed as edge device

Step 5: Send Telemetry for Self and Children

Include both gateway and child device data in telemetry messages (same format as Gateway).

Step 6: Local Rules Evaluate

The SDK evaluates rules against incoming data from ALL sources (self + children). Actions fire instantly without cloud round-trip.

Hello Message Response

The Hello Message (mt: 200) response for an Edge Gateway includes both gateway and edge flags:

ⓘ CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE

Gateway only → You need child device management but no local rules
Edge only → You need local rule processing but no child devices
Edge Gateway → You need BOTH child devices AND local rule processing
Regular Device → Simple sensor that sends data to cloud, no children, no local rules