Step 4 - (Optional) Add Network or I/O Interfaces

You can use the SmartServer to integrate and manage BACnet, EnOcean, LON, LoRaWAN, and Modbus devicesThe EnOcean and LoRaWAN protocols are wireless protocols where the SmartServer communicates with the edge devices using a radio frequency (RF) interface.  The BACnet, LON, and Modbus protocols all support multiple communications media.  All three support communication over Ethernet, and the SmartServer includes built-in support for communicating with BACnet, LON, and Modbus devices using an Ethernet interface.  The BACnet and Modbus protocols also support communication using RS-485.  The SmartServer IoT Pro EX model includes built-in support for communicating with Modbus RTU devices using an RS-485 interface.  The LON protocol also supports communication using free topology (FT) twisted-pair cable, high-speed twisted-pair (TP-1250) cable, and power line (PL-20) communication.  You can add expansion modules to the SmartServer to communicate with devices that do not use Ethernet or Modbus RTU. 

Refer to the following sections to add network interfaces:

The following table summarizes the built-in and available network interfaces for the SmartServer.  You can also create your own custom drivers for the SmartServer to support other protocols and communications media.

ProtocolMediaInterface
BACnet FTFree Topology (FT) twisted pair cableU60 FT USB Network Interface Expansion Module
BACnet/IP10BASE-T (minimum) Ethernet over Cat 5 (minimum) star topology twisted pair cablesBuilt-in LAN and WAN interfaces
BACnet MS/TPRS-485 bus topology twisted pair cableExternal third-party BACnet/IP to BACnet MS/TP router, combined with one of the built-in LAN or WAN interfaces
EnOceanWireless

USB 300, 300U, 400J, and 500U EnOcean network interfaces

EnOcean IoT Connector (IoTC) (remote mode is supported as beta with SmartServer 4.3 Update 1 and higher)

LON FTFree Topology (FT) twisted pair cableU60 FT USB Network Interface Expansion Module
LON IP-7010BASE-T (minimum) Ethernet over Cat 5 (minimum) star topology twisted pair cablesBuilt-in LAN and WAN interfaces
LON IP-85210BASE-T (minimum) Ethernet over Cat 5 (minimum) star topology twisted pair cablesBuilt-in LAN and WAN interfaces
LON PL-20Power line (PL) mains cableU70 PL-20 USB Network Interface Expansion Module
LON TP-1250TP-1250 bus topology twisted pair cable

U60 TP-1250 USB Network Interface Expansion Module

LoRaWANWirelessChirpStack 4.2 and compatible LoRaWAN gateway
Modbus RTURS-485 bus topology twisted pair cableBuilt-in isolated RS-485 interface (SmartServer IoT EX only) or IOX I/O Expansion Module
Modbus TCP10BASE-T (minimum) Ethernet over Cat 5 (minimum) star topology twisted pair cablesBuilt-in LAN and WAN interfaces