Add an interface

Here's how to do it

1. Go to Configuration and select Interfaces.

2. Click Add Interface.

3. Select the device to which the interface belongs.

4. Select the interface type.

5. Fill in the fields for the type you selected. The fields are explained below.

6. Click Create.

Fields for all types

• Device: The device (IP address) to which the interface connects.

• Type: the protocol. The options are Modbus TCP, KNX IP, BACnet IP, MQTT, MQTT Inbound, OPC UA, Loxone WebSocket, and Virtual Interface.

• Name and Description: The description is optional.

• Enabled: Uncheck this box to disable the interface on the gateway without deleting data points and connections.

• Communication Alarm Delay (under Advanced Settings for most types): the number of seconds the interface can be disconnected before the communication alarm is triggered.

Once the interface has been added, you can continue with Add data points →

KNX IP

• Port: the port used by the KNX interface. The default is 3671.

• KNX Address: the physical KNX address that Evolo should have in the KNX system.

Under Advanced Settings:

• Communication Interval (ms): The wait time between each read or write request. The default is 200.

• Minimum Delay (ms): The minimum time between each KNX datagram.

• Force tunneling: Forces tunneling to the KNX router. Not all routers support this, and it is not required with a standard KNX/IP interface.

• Suppress 'acknowledge flag': Enable this if Evolo is to suppress the acknowledge flag from the KNX bus. Loxone requires this.

• Save received values to disk: The gateway saves the KNX values and restores them at startup.

Modbus-TCP

• Port: The TCP port the Modbus device listens on. The default is 502.

• Unit ID (slave ID): The device’s unit ID. The default is 1.

• Word order: The order of the words in 32-bit values—normal or swapped. The default is swapped. If you receive strange values on 32-bit data points, try the other option.

• Max query size: The number of registers thEvolos combines into a single query. The default is 125.

Under Advanced Settings:

• Communication alarm delay (s): the default is 300.

• Query interval (ms): how often the interface queries for data. The default is 2000.

• Query timeout (ms): how long Evolo waits for a response. The default is 2000.

• Delay between Polls (ms): Pause between polls when a job is split. Default is 0.

MQTT

Used when the gateway needs to connect to an external MQTT broker and subscribe to data.

• Broker port: The default is 1883.

• Username and Password: Leave blank for an anonymous connection.

Under Advanced Settings:

• Communication alarm delay (s): default is 600.

• Validate certificate and Enable TLS: for encrypted connections.

• Subscribe to topic: the list of topics the interface subscribes to, for example meter/#. Add using the plus sign.

• MQTT Client ID: Leave blank to obtain a unique ID when Evolo connects.

• Server Certificate (CA), Client Certificate, and Client Key: Upload PEM files if the broker requires them.

BACnet IP

• subscribeCOV: Enable if the device supports subscriptions to value changes. See Optimizing BACnet with subscribeCOV and Polling.

• readPropertyMultiple: Enable if the device can read multiple objects in a single request.

• Supports segmentation: Enable if the device supports segmented requests.

• Max query interval (ms): The maximum time between each value read. The default is 2000.

• Save received values to disk: The gateway saves the BACnet values and restores them at startup.

• Synchronize the clock with the device: Evolo sets the device’s clock once a day.

Under Advanced Settings:

• BACnet Device ID: the device’s ID. Retrieved automatically when adding the device from the BACnet client.

• BACnet port: 47808 to 47823. The default is 47808.

• Communication Alarm Delay (s): The default is 600.

• COV Lifetime (s): how long a subscription lasts before it is renewed. The default is 900.

• Max APDU Length: the largest message the device can receive, 50 to 1476 octets. The default is 480.

• Maximum number of segments: 2 to 255. Blank means unknown.

• Network number and MAC address: Used only for BACnet MS/TP; see below.

BACnet MS/TP

BACnet MS/TP is not a separate type. The gateway reaches MS/TP devices through a BACnet router on the IP network:

1. Add the router as a device, using the router’s IP address.

2. Select the BACnet IP type.

3. Under Advanced Settings, enter the Network Number (0 to 65535) for the MS/TP network and the MAC address of the MS/TP device.

4. Add one interface per MS/TP device.

OPC-UA

• Port: the port for the OPC UA server. The default is 4840.

Under Advanced Settings:

• Security policy and Security mode: must match the server. The default is None for both.

• Username and Password: if the server requires login.

• Communication alarm delay (s): The default is 600.

• Max Nodes per Request: the number of nodes sent in each request. The default is 100.

• Sampling Interval (ms): how often the OPC UA server in the facility reads the values and sends changes to the Evolo Gateway. The default is 1000.

MQTT Inbound

Used when an external system needs to send data to Evolo via the Evolo MQTT broker. The interface has no fields of its own beyond the common ones. The sender publishes to evolo/<gateway-nøkkel>/inbound/<topic>, and the topic is set per data point. See Connect to the Evolo MQTT broker.

Loxone WebSocket

• Enable encryption: requires that the Loxone device be configured with TLS.

• Username and Password: a user in Loxone.

Under Advanced Settings:

• Connection port: the default is 80.

• Communication alarm delay (s): default is 600.

Virtual Interface

A virtual interface is used to connect virtual data points to the system. These can be used to combine multiple data points, process data, or perform calculations.

Select a device on the same gateway as the data points you want to include in the calculation, because a virtual data point can only use source points on the same gateway. Then create the virtual data points on the interface; see Create a virtual data point.