FireSight OT · 4G and 5G
Industrial remote access over 4G/5G, light on mobile data
Some machines sit where there's no plant network to use: pumping stations, remote skids, a line whose plant won't share its internet. New in FireSight OT 0.3.0, a Cloud Connector can use a 4G/5G modem and a data SIM for industrial remote access, as its main link or as a backup. On standby it uses about 15 MB a month.
Modem and SIM
4G/5G industrial remote access, as main link or backup
Plug a USB 4G/5G modem or a modem HAT into the Cloud Connector and insert a data SIM. The mobile link is set up when you create the Cloud Connector in the Hub, along with its other network settings.
- Main connection. Mobile data is the Cloud Connector's only uplink, for sites with no usable network.
- Backup connection. Ethernet or Wi-Fi is the main uplink, and mobile data takes over if it fails.
- Set up in the Hub. Choose mobile data when you create the Cloud Connector and enter the APN and SIM PIN. Then copy the ready-made
firesight.txtonto the card, as for any site. - Same features as any site. Web HMIs, the client, browser remote desktop and terminals, per-machine grants and audit all work the same way over mobile data.
Pay-as-you-go SIMs
Mobile data saving for remote access over 4G
A remote-access device that keeps a tunnel open all day can use a lot of a small data plan for nothing. On mobile data, the Cloud Connector waits on standby instead, and opens the tunnel only when someone needs it.
About 15 MB a month
On standby, the Cloud Connector only sends a small signed "I'm alive" message to the Hub every 30 seconds. That comes to about 15 MB a month.
The tunnel opens in seconds
When someone opens one of its machines, the secure tunnel opens within seconds. When the session goes idle, it closes again.
Status and alerts keep working
On standby, the Cloud Connector still reports which machines are answering. Machine status and email alerts work without opening the tunnel.
Data used per Cloud Connector
The Hub shows how much data each Cloud Connector has used this month, so you can see which sites are near their plan.
Mobile networks
No public IP, and CGNAT is fine
Mobile operators often put SIMs behind carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), with no public address and no way to accept a connection from outside. That rules out remote access that dials in to the site. FireSight OT never dials in: the Cloud Connector always connects out to the Hub.
- No public IP or fixed-IP SIM needed at the site.
- No inbound ports on the modem or the Cloud Connector.
- Encrypted with mutual TLS, with a certificate per Cloud Connector, as on any other link.
- On the Hub side: the Hub needs TCP 443 open, plus UDP 443 for mobile data saving (and UDP 51820 if you use the full-network VPN).
Running remote sites
Looking after sites nobody visits
Recovers by itself
A Cloud Connector that loses the Hub renews its network, then restarts its software, then reboots, in stages you can configure.
Offline, not flooded
Email when a Cloud Connector or machine is down for a set number of minutes, with one line when a whole site drops rather than one email per machine.
Hold alerts while you work
New in 0.3.0, put a site in maintenance mode for 1 hour to 1 week. If something is still down afterwards, the alert goes out then.
Hardware
Buy a Cloud Connector, or build your own
Cloud Connectors are based on Raspberry Pi, so there's no hardware lock-in. Buy ready-made units from us, or build your own from parts at any local store and add the modem that suits your operator.
Ready-made models: CC-3, CC-4 and CC-5, and the industrial CC-4i and CC-5i. Recommended for remote cabinets: two Ethernet ports, 1 to 2 GB RAM, eMMC storage and a 12 to 24 V DIN-rail housing.
Remote sites often have the same IP addresses as each other, and a 4G link pairs well with serial console access for out-of-band work. Talk to us about your sites.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much mobile data does FireSight OT use?
On standby, a Cloud Connector on mobile data sends a small signed message every 30 seconds, about 15 MB a month. Data is used beyond that only while someone has a session open, and the Hub shows the data used this month per Cloud Connector.
Does 4G remote access need a public or fixed IP SIM?
No. The Cloud Connector only connects out to your Cloud Hub, so it works behind carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT) with an ordinary data SIM.
Can 4G be a backup for the wired connection?
Yes. Mobile data can be the main connection or a backup for the Ethernet or Wi-Fi uplink.
What modems are supported?
A USB 4G/5G modem or a modem HAT on the Cloud Connector, with a data SIM. The APN and SIM PIN are set when you create the Cloud Connector in the Hub.
What ports does the Hub need for mobile data saving?
The Hub needs TCP 443 open, plus UDP 443 for mobile data saving, and UDP 51820 if you use the full-network VPN.
See it on a test line
Tell us about your sites and who needs to reach them. We'll show you FireSight OT in a live demo Hub, with real machines behind a Cloud Connector.
