Sensor Connect – Your jump-start for IoT solutions
Whether it's the operating temperature of a machine or the CO2 level in a room: iot sensors provide valuable data, enabling you to design business processes more efficiently. Our Sensor Connect Technology offers you a versatile sensor toolkit for IoT beginners. Our hardware packages, consisting of one or more measuring devices combined with a cellular connection, our cloud platform and our service, will help you get started immediately without the need to lay data cables or program software. Never has it been easier to integrate sensor technology and data analysis into your business model!
1. The heart of Sensor Connect is the io-key. Connect it to the power supply – we will provide a suitable network adapter if required.
2. Connect the sensor to the io-key. Sensor Connect offers you a selection of over 10,000 measuring devices from different manufacturers and in a wide range of application areas.
3. The io-key establishes a mobile connection (NB-IoT, LTE-M and 2G) to our Cloud of Things. You can log in via a browser using your credentials. Here, you can analyse your data and define further actions.
4. Your sensor is ready for use. You can now specify any action you wish – for example, notifying a technician when the level in a tank drops below a certain level.
That's included in your hardware package
Sensor Connect makes digitising your business easy
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You need further information about one of our offers or have a specific question? We are happy to help! Please leave your contact details, and one of our IoT experts will be in touch with you as soon as possible to provide you with in-depth advice – via email or phone, as you wish. Thank you for your interest!
What are IoT sensors?
Sensors play a crucial role in creating IoT applications. They collect measurements such as the temperature, the level in a tank, or chemical values. By analysing these data, companies gain the possibility to make products, services or entire industrial sectors "smart" and digital. As a result, you can increase the efficiency of almost any value chain. One example of an application of IoT sensors is predictive maintenance: in this case, they collect data such as temperature, pressure or vibration from a plant or machine. An artificial intelligence can then use these values to determine whether a particular component is about to fail – even before any damage occurs. Sensor Connect also allows yout to retrofit sensors in existing plants where an IoT connection was not originally planned.
What is IO-Link?
IO-Link is a simple communication protocol that is used to connect sensors to a fieldbus, the Industrial Ethernet or the cloud, for example. You can compare IO-Link with USB, the familiar communication protocol that connects such accessories as a mouse or keyboard to a computer. IO-Link is the protocol's brand name. Its technical name is SDCI (Single-drop digital communication interface for small sensors and actuators), and it is described in the European standard EN 61131.
What is the io-key?
The io-key is a small device that serves as a gateway to transfer sensor data to the cloud via plug & play. For this purpose, it is equipped with a SIM that can be used to send data directly via mobile communications. It relies on the NB-IoT and LTE-M radio standards, which have very good building penetration and thus enable uninterrupted data transfer even from inside buildings and vaulted cellars. If the io-key is installed in a location where the NB-IoT and LTE-M network is not available, it falls back on 2G as a backup solution.
The io-key allows you to install multiple sensors without any development effort or connection to a corporate network. You can view, analyse and manage your data online via a web interface. Installing the io-key requires only a 24V DC power connection and suitable IO-Link-capable sensors.
The io-key recognises the sensors automatically, regardless of type or manufacturer. Our growing portfolio includes more than 10,000 sensors from over 200 manufacturers. The device also has an IP 65-rated housing that protects it from dust and water.
How do I find the right sensors for my application?
Use our online configurator to select your own IoT solution by use case and assemble it with just a few clicks. The configurator provides you with more than 10,000 sensors from many application areas. All modules are guaranteed to be compatible with each other and can be individually combined via plug & play. Find the online configurator here.