Part 5 of 12
Devices & protocols
Direct connection to devices in their own protocols, the ARG Device Catalog with ready templates for common brands, and ARG controllers and device links.
5
Connecting to Devices and Protocols
The system communicates directly with field and IT devices; no intermediary gateway is required. Each protocol has a dedicated manager with a device table, point mapping, ready-made templates, and a configurable polling interval per device. The polling cycle reads due devices every 10 seconds; an error on one point does not stop the reading of the device's other points.
| Protocol | Capabilities | Sample Devices |
|---|---|---|
| SNMP v1 / v2c / v3 | Read, OID tree traversal, write (SET), Trap reception over UDP 162, v3 encryption and authentication (MD5/SHA, DES/AES128-256), OID library and MIB file, device templates, automatic data type conversion (TimeTicks, Counter64, Integer, string) | UPS, PDU, switch, router, server, IP sensors |
| Modbus TCP and RTU | Master and Slave; coil, discrete, holding, and input registers; single/multiple write; register scanning; device templates | Power meter, PLC, drive, chiller, local BMS |
| OPC UA | Address space browsing, node read/write, periodic polling | SCADA, modern PLCs, DCS |
| MQTT | Topic subscription, command publishing, dynamic addition per project | IoT sensors, LoRa/Zigbee gateways |
| PLC: Siemens S7 · EtherNet/IP · Omron FINS · Mitsubishi MC | Direct tag read/write over the network (ISO-on-TCP, CIP, FINS/UDP, 3E frame), tag-based polling | Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Omron, and Mitsubishi PLCs |
| Redfish (DMTF) | BMC resource tree browsing, power/temperature/server health monitoring, templates | Dell/HP/Lenovo/Supermicro servers |
| Tuya (local network) | Automatic discovery (UDP), encrypted control over LAN (AES-ECB/GCM), versions 3.1 to 3.5, session key negotiation | Switches, outlets, sensors, and smart consumer devices |
| Device WebSocket Link | Authenticated bidirectional channel for ARG controllers and apps; connects from behind NAT without a static IP | ARG controllers, device Android app |
| SCADA / ABM (compatibility) | Accepts previous-generation text and binary frames for migration | Legacy ARG controllers |
General Connectivity Features
- Online/offline device detection on every channel, published immediately to the dashboard
- Scale conversion (factor/offset), valid range, and rounding for each point
- 90-day polling history for each point, with charting
- Converting a generic device into an SNMP/Modbus/MQTT/Redfish device with one action; two-way mapping between ID ↔ OID/register
- Protocol tester for forced reads, showing the value or error for each mapping
Outbound Channels
- SMS via SMPP (direct carrier connection; UCS2/GSM) with automatic reconnection
- Email (SMTP), Telegram (bot), Webhook to third-party systems
- Northbound SNMP Agent for monitoring the system itself with NMS tools (optional)
7
ARG Device Catalog
A standalone service and central device knowledge base that stores the setup knowledge for thousands of models once, so that every project can build a device and its points with the correct protocol mapping in a few clicks. The Digital Twin system syncs with it automatically (at startup and every 6 hours, both full and incremental); a catalog website is also available for public browsing.
3,600+Device models
770+Brands
325Hierarchical categories
20,000+Protocol specifications (OID / register / tag)
6,000+Accessories and ports
Contents of Each Model
- Brand, category, model number, technical specifications, images, and logo
- Supported protocols and the full specification of each: SNMP OIDs, Modbus registers, tags, data type, unit, scale
- Physical and communication ports, compatible accessories
- Technical documents (datasheets, manuals, MIB files) organized by model and brand; tagging
Service Capabilities
- Fast search by name, brand, category, and protocol; catalog statistics
- Full API (69 operations) with OpenAPI documentation: models, brands, categories, protocol specifications, ports, accessories, images, documents
- Full and incremental synchronization with consuming systems (snapshot + deltas)
- Import/export of the entire catalog; automatic discovery and enrichment of model information via an intelligent agent
- "Request a Device Addition" form for users; reference data for protocols and port types
33
ARG Controllers and Device Link
In addition to standard protocols, the system has a dedicated path for ARG controllers and apps that works on restrictive networks and behind NAT.
Device WebSocket Link
- The controller connects to the server’s address (no static IP or open port required on the client side)
- Authentication with a project key; status frames carry point ID, value, and timestamp
- Commands from server to controller with execution receipts; heartbeat and automatic reconnection
- Controller online/offline status on the dashboard
The Phoenix and ABM Family
- Phoenix Embedded / Micro and Super-PLC controllers, with scenarios and a dedicated editor in logic design
- Accepts previous-generation frames (binary ABM, text-based SCADA) for migration without hardware replacement
- A device Android app for connecting simple sensors and relays over the same link
- A controller simulator for training and testing without hardware
See the Digital Twin live
The live ArgBMS demo with real 3D twins, dashboards and logic.