Is there an app for that?

[Joe Tauser]

I'm getting a significant number of requests these days from people wanting to view the PLC screen on their iPad / iPhone. Large corporations seem to be leaning towards Apple as their standard because Apple controls the O/S and the App store.

I'm sure this is something that has crossed the Creator's minds. Any comments?

Joe T.

[Nacho]

Apple world and android too. Everyday someone ask for monitoring their industrial machine from the smartphone. But there are two problems around this: 1.- how to connect to the PLC and 2.- what is about security?

I think the solution will be web-service, it's a simple way to access to the machine. But it will be necessary learn to works with VPNs, DNS, HTTP.

At this moment we are solving this kind of applcation with eWON, a modem-router "something-more" communicating with the OPLC Unitronics but it's a bit expensive for a lot o simple applications. I hope the next generation of OPLC Unitronics will able to add more control to GPRS, 3G connections, in cibersecurity and easy of use.

[Joe Tauser]

The advanced webserver does address the issue, but it adds an order of magnitude of complexity in developing the application. My opinion is if a user has already developed all his screens, why make them do it again? Remote Access and Remote Operator are just so damn convenient. The down side is the effort to develop and app for Android and Apple are two separate endeavors and you're looking a lot of time to do each - my limited research revealed at least a man-month. If the next generation has remote desktop capability it may solve this.

Joe T.

[Eric @ SM]

We are working on this using an Enfora, our webserver and an iOS app. It's just simple information fed to a string, the graphics/UI are handled by the webserver/iOS. I should say by "we" I mean our IT guy...

[selfbuilding]

Has anyone used the Scadamobile from Sweetwilliam in modbus for interface with the iOS? We also need interaction between an iDevice and our OPLCs, but safely. Develop something using normal webserver ( Not advanced ) looks good, but lacks the level of security!!!!

[Cara Bereck Levy]

I'm getting a significant number of requests these days from people wanting to view the PLC screen on their iPad / iPhone. Large corporations seem to be leaning towards Apple as their standard because Apple controls the O/S and the App store.

I'm sure this is something that has crossed the Creator's minds. Any comments?

Joe T.

Hey Joe :-)

We have been investigating the possibilities; I can’t promise anything--but you may see something in the not-too-distant future.

[John Williams]

If you search iTunes there are a few SCADA apps. Not sure about ones for android.

One as suggested above is ScadaMobile..... http://www.sweetwilliamsl.com/iweb/smhome

another is MySCADA One.... http://myscada.org/mySCADA/mySCADA.html

Then there are full products like JMobile or Ignition that are more web based servers that have a product module for connectivity to smartphones.

I'm sure there are plenty of others and more options yet to come.

At present I'm experimenting with the simple webserver and agree that security of page access is the biggest current downfall.

[selfbuilding]

Indeed, if the "Webserver" had access security, greater capacity and page functions as a on-off button, push button, a slider to adjust registers and a sort of bar graph to display registers, I would be good for most of iOS applications.

I think all who have a need to access your OPLC via iPhone, iPad or android, and serves the Webserver, could opine to come to a consensus of the real needs and that the team can then study the case!

Still I wonder if anyone has used the scadamobile "Sweetwiliam" about modbus IP for access the Vision over Iphone ou Ipad ...