{{unreferenced, date=January 2014
A universal gateway is a device that transacts data between two or more data sources using communication protocols specific to each. Sometimes called a universal protocol gateway, this class of product is designed as a computer appliance, and is used to connect data from one automation system to another.
machine to machine Machine to machine (M2M) is direct communication between devices using any communications channel, including wired and wireless.
Machine to machine communication can include industrial instrumentation, enabling a sensor or meter to communicate th ...
communications between machines from different vendors, typically using different communication protocols. This is often a requirement to optimize the performance of a
production line
A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory where components are assembled to make a finished article or where materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward c ...
, by effectively communicating machine states upstream and downstream of a piece of equipment. Machine idle times can trigger lower power operation. Inventory Levels can be more effectively managed on a per station basis, by knowing the upstream and downstream demands.
M2E Communications – machine to enterprise communications is typically managed through database interactions. In this case, EATM technology is typically leveraged for data interoperability. However, many enterprise systems have real-time data interfaces. When real-time interfaces are involved, a universal gateway, with its ability to support many protocols simultaneously becomes the best choice.
In all cases, communications can fall over many different transports,
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard originally introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' ('' data terminal equipment'') suc ...
,
RS-485
RS-485, also known as TIA-485(-A) or EIA-485, is a standard defining the electrical characteristics of drivers and receivers for use in serial communications systems. Electrical signaling is balanced, and multipoint systems are supported. The s ...
,
Ethernet
Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in ...
, etc. Universal Gateways have the ability to communicate between protocols and over different transports simultaneously.
Design
Hardware platform – Industrial Computer, Embedded Computer, Computer Appliance
Communications software – Software (Drivers) to support one or more Indus