Edge Device Onboarding

Edge Device

An Edge Device in /IOTCONNECT™ processes rules locally on the device itself — enabling real-time responses without waiting for cloud round-trips. Define rules in the portal, deploy them to the device, and let the device evaluate conditions and trigger actions locally.

What is an Edge Device?

An Edge Device is a device that executes rules locally — on the device itself rather than in the cloud. When a telemetry condition is met (e.g., temperature > 80°C), the device can immediately trigger an action without sending data to the cloud first.

Key characteristics:

Local Rule Evaluation: Rules defined in the portal are pushed to the device. The device evaluates conditions locally using its own telemetry data.

Instant Response: Actions are triggered in milliseconds — no network latency. Critical for safety shutdowns, alarms, and real-time control.

Offline Operation: Rules continue executing even when the device loses internet connectivity.

Cloud Sync: Telemetry and rule evaluation results are still sent to the cloud for monitoring, logging, and dashboard display.

Edge vs Regular Device:

Feature	Regular Device	Edge Device
Rule Evaluation	Cloud only	Local + Cloud
Response Latency	100ms-2s (network dependent)	<10ms (local)
Works Offline	No rule execution	Rules continue locally
Use Case	Monitoring and reporting	Real-time control and safety

Video Walkthrough: Edge Device | Onboarding

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

When to Use an Edge Device

Safety-Critical: Emergency shutdowns, over-temperature protection, pressure relief — where milliseconds matter.

Unreliable Connectivity: Remote sites (agriculture, mining, oil & gas) where internet may be intermittent.

Real-time Control: HVAC systems, motor controllers, or actuators requiring instant feedback loops.

Bandwidth Reduction: Process and filter data locally, only send meaningful events to the cloud.

Onboarding Steps

Step 1: Create an Edge Template

Navigate to Devices → Templates → Create Template. Enable the Edge Support option. Define attributes (sensor telemetry) and commands. The edge flag tells /IOTCONNECT™ this template’s devices will process rules locally.

Step 2: Define Edge Rules

In the template, create rules under the Rules tab. Each rule has:

Component	Description	Example
Condition	Attribute + operator + threshold	Temperature > 80
Severity	Information, Warning, Critical	Critical
Action	What to do when triggered	Send command, raise alert

Step 3: Create the Edge Device

Navigate to Devices → Create Device. Select the edge-enabled template. The device is registered with edge capability.

Step 4: Connect the Device

Use the /IOTCONNECT™ SDK on your device. After the initial connection (mt: 200 Hello Message), the SDK receives the has.r = 1 flag indicating rules are available. The device then sends mt: 203 to fetch rules and evaluates them locally against incoming sensor data.

Step 5: Rules Execute Locally

The device SDK evaluates conditions on each telemetry reading. When a condition is met, the configured action fires immediately — without cloud round-trip.

Edge Rule Sync

After Hello Message returns has.r = 1, the device sends mt: 203 to fetch edge rules:

ⓘ NOTE

Edge rules are synced to the device on connection and whenever rules are updated in the portal. The device re-fetches rules when it receives a rule update notification on the C2D topic. An Edge Device does NOT manage child devices — for that, use an Edge Gateway.