Skip to Content

Changes for page ThingsBoard

Last modified by Dilisi S on 2025/04/23 19:23
From version 188.1
edited by Dilisi S
on 2025/03/27 22:53
Change comment: Uploaded new attachment "add-integartion-connection.png", version {1}
To version 207.1
edited by Dilisi S
on 2025/04/21 17:00
Change comment: Uploaded new attachment "add-integration-4.png", version {1}

Summary

Details

Page properties
Content
... ... @@ -164,34 +164,18 @@
164 164  [[image:ins1.png||height="310" width="500"]]
165 165  
166 166  
167 -= 3. Creating Devices =
168 168  
168 += 3. Data Converters =
169 169  
170 -First, you need to create devices in ThingsBoard to represent your physical devices. For example, you can name it **Device A**, and the second device could be **Device B** or any name you prefer. The device name should be unique within the **Devices** space.
171 171  
172 -
173 -In the left navigation, click Entities -> Devices.
174 -
175 -Click the **Add Device** button (the button with the **+** sign), and from the dropdown menu, click **Add new device**.
176 -
177 -In the **Add new device** dialog box, enter the device name in the **Name** text box. For example, we will use **Device A**.
178 -
179 -Click the **Add** button.
180 -
181 -Skip the **connectivity testing** by clicking the **Close** button.
182 -
183 -The device is created and listed on the **Devices** page. Note that its initial state is **Inactive** because it has not received any data yet.
184 -
185 -
186 -= 4. Data Converters =
187 -
188 -
189 189  In **ThingsBoard**, **Data Converters** are components used to transform incoming or outgoing data between different formats, typically to convert raw telemetry data from devices into a structured format that ThingsBoard can understand, or vice versa.
190 190  
173 +**In this section, you will create a universal uplink data converter for all Dragino NB-IoT devices. The uplink decoder converts any MQTT message coming from a device into key-value pairs that can be used to display and visualize data using various widgets on the dashboard**.
191 191  
192 -== 4.1 Uplink ==
193 193  
176 +== 3.1 Uplink ==
194 194  
178 +
195 195  In the left navigation, click **Integrations center**, and then click **Data converters**.
196 196  
197 197  
... ... @@ -198,7 +198,7 @@
198 198  [[image:data-converters-list-empty.png]]
199 199  
200 200  
201 -On the **Data converters** page, click on the ‘**+**’ button, and then click on the **Create new converter** from the dropdown menu.
185 +On the **Data converters** page, click on the ‘**+**’ button, and then click on **Create new converter** from the dropdown menu.
202 202  
203 203  
204 204  
... ... @@ -205,77 +205,67 @@
205 205  [[image:create-new-converter-menu.png||height="259" width="500"]]
206 206  
207 207  
208 -The **Add data converter** window will appear. Name it ‘**MQTT Uplink Converter NB/CB**’ and select the Type as **Uplink**.
192 +The **Add data converter** window appears.
209 209  
194 +Name it ‘**MQTT Uplink Converter**’ and select the Type as **Uplink**.
195 +
210 210  Click on the **TBEL** button if it has not been selected by default.
211 211  
212 -Modify the default TBEL function to match with your device as described below:
198 +Replace the default TBEL decoder function with the following universal TBEL decoder function, which decodes MQTT payload from any Dragino NB-IoT device.
213 213  
214 214  
215 -* Uncomment** line 11**:
216 -
217 -//var data = decodeToJson(payload)//
218 -
219 -
220 -* **Line 13**: Assign your device name to the **deviceName** field. - We used **Device A** as it is to match with our device, **Device A **in the Devices section.
221 -* From **line 38**: Modify the telemetry section to allow parsed data to be assigned to the fields.
222 -
223 -//telemetry: {
224 - temperature: data.temperature,
225 - humidity: data.humidity,
226 - rawData: payloadStr
227 - }//
228 -
229 -
230 -The modified uplink decoder function to match with **Device A** is shown below.
231 -
232 232  {{code language="JavaScript"}}
233 -// Decode an uplink message from a buffer
234 -// payload - array of bytes
235 -// metadata - key/value object
236 -
237 -/** Decoder **/
238 -
239 -// decode payload to string
240 -var payloadStr = decodeToString(payload);
241 -
242 242  // decode payload to JSON
203 +var pattern = "yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss";
204 +var objdata = {};
205 +var obj1 = {};
243 243  var data = decodeToJson(payload);
244 -
245 -var deviceName = 'Device A';
246 -var deviceType = 'thermostat';
247 -var customerName = 'Customer C';
248 -var groupName = 'thermostat devices';
249 -var manufacturer = 'Example corporation';
250 -// use assetName and assetType instead of deviceName and deviceType
251 -// to automatically create assets instead of devices.
252 -// var assetName = 'Asset A';
253 -// var assetType = 'building';
254 -
255 -// Result object with device/asset attributes/telemetry data
256 -var result = {
257 -// Use deviceName and deviceType or assetName and assetType, but not both.
258 - deviceName: deviceName,
259 - deviceType: deviceType,
260 -// assetName: assetName,
261 -// assetType: assetType,
262 -// customerName: customerName,
263 - groupName: groupName,
264 - attributes: {
265 - model: 'Model A',
266 - serialNumber: 'SN111',
267 - integrationName: metadata['integrationName'],
268 - manufacturer: manufacturer
269 - },
270 - telemetry: {
271 - temperature: data.temperature,
272 - humidity: data.humidity,
273 - rawData: payloadStr
274 - }
207 +var deviceName = data.IMEI;
208 +data.remove("IMEI");
209 +var modelname = "Dragino "+ data.Model;
210 +//var mod = data.mod
211 +data.remove("Model");
212 +//delete data.mod
213 +var timestamp = new Date().getTime();
214 +foreach (entry: data.entrySet()) {
215 + var key = entry.getKey();
216 + var value = entry.getValue();
217 + //objdata[key] = data[key]
218 + if(key.matches("^-?\\d+$")){ //is number
219 + obj1[key]=data[key];
220 + var index = obj1[key].length-1;
221 + obj1[key][index]=new Date(obj1[key][index],pattern).getTime();
222 + }
223 + else if (key==="bat"||key==="BAT"){
224 + objdata["battery"] = data[key];
225 + }
226 + else{
227 + objdata[key] = data[key];
228 +}}
229 +var listdata = [{"ts":timestamp,"values":objdata}];
230 +foreach ( entry1: obj1.entrySet()){
231 + var key1 = entry1.getKey();
232 + var value1 = entry1.getValue();
233 + var index = obj1[key1].length-1;
234 + var ts = obj1[key1][index];
235 + if (modelname=="Dragino RS485-NB"){
236 + listdata.push({"ts":ts,"values":{"Payload":obj1[key1][0]}});
237 + }
238 + else{
239 + listdata.push({"ts":ts,"values":{"values":obj1[key1]}});
240 + }
241 +}
242 + var result = {
243 + deviceName: deviceName,
244 + deviceType: modelname,
245 + attributes: {
246 + model: modelname
247 + //customerName: "NB-CB",
248 + //groupName: "NB-CB",
249 + //integrationName: metadata['integrationName']
250 + },
251 + telemetry: listdata
275 275  };
276 -
277 -/** Helper functions 'decodeToString' and 'decodeToJson' are already built-in **/
278 -
279 279  return result;
280 280  {{/code}}
281 281  
... ... @@ -283,7 +283,7 @@
283 283  Once you modify the decoder function, click on the **Add** button.
284 284  
285 285  
286 -[[image:mqtt-uplink.png||width="500"]]
260 +[[image:mqtt-uplink-converter.png||height="498" width="500"]]
287 287  
288 288  
289 289  
... ... @@ -290,12 +290,13 @@
290 290  You should see that the newly added **MQTT Uplink converter **NB/CB is listed on the **Data Converters** page.
291 291  
292 292  
293 -[[image:data-converter-list-showing-uplink-dc.png]]
294 294  
268 +[[image:data-converters-list.png]]
295 295  
296 -= 5. Add Integration =
297 297  
271 += 4. Add Integration =
298 298  
273 +
299 299  In the left navigation, click **Integrations center**, and then click **Integrations**.
300 300  
301 301  
... ... @@ -313,16 +313,18 @@
313 313  **Basic settings:**
314 314  
315 315  * **Integration type**: MQTT
316 -* **Name**: MQTT integration NB/CB
291 +* **Name**: MQTT integration - Device A
317 317  * **Enable integration**: YES
318 -* **Allows create devices or assets**: YES
293 +* **Allow create devices or assets**: YES
319 319  
320 320  Click **Next** button.
321 321  
322 322  
323 -[[image:add-integration-basic-settings.png||height="511" width="500"]]
298 +[[image:add-integration-basic-settings.png||height="504" width="500"]]
324 324  
325 325  
301 +
302 +
326 326  **Uplink data converter:**
327 327  
328 328  * Click on the **Select existing** button.
... ... @@ -331,9 +331,10 @@
331 331  Click **Next** button.
332 332  
333 333  
334 -[[image:add-integration-uplink-data-converter.png||height="511" width="500"]]
311 +[[image:add-integration-ul-data-converter.png||height="505" width="500"]]
335 335  
336 336  
314 +
337 337  **Downlink data converter:**
338 338  
339 339  Dragino NB/CB devices don't require a downlink data converter to decode their payloads, so you can skip this step.
... ... @@ -358,7 +358,7 @@
358 358  * **Topic: device/a** (The topic can be anything; you can even use just the device name.)
359 359  * **QoS:** 0-At most once
360 360  
361 -[[image:add-integration-connection.png||height="511" width="500"]]
339 +[[image:add-integartion-connection.png||height="505" width="500"]]
362 362  
363 363  
364 364  Click on the **Advanced settings** button.
... ... @@ -388,15 +388,16 @@
388 388  Since we haven't received data from a device yet, the integration **Status** is shown as **Pending.**
389 389  
390 390  
391 -[[image:new-integration-pending.png]]
369 +[[image:integration-added.png]]
392 392  
393 393  
394 -= 6. Verifying the receipt of data from virtual devices =
395 395  
373 += 5. Verifying the receipt of data from virtual devices =
396 396  
397 -== 6.1 How does it work? ==
398 398  
376 +== 5.1 How does it work? ==
399 399  
378 +
400 400  We use the Mosquitto MQTT client to simulate MQTT messages, acting as a virtual device. First, install the Mosquitto client on your computer from [[this link>>url:https://mosquitto.org/download/]]. The Mosquitto client publishes messages to the MQTT broker (HiveMQ) on a specified MQTT topic. ThingsBoard subscribes to these messages using the same topic.
401 401  
402 402  The Mosquitto client publishes messages (payloads) on the topic **/device/a**. Of course, you can use any topic for testing.
... ... @@ -413,7 +413,7 @@
413 413  == 5.2 Sending messages ==
414 414  
415 415  
416 -On the terminal, issue the following MQTT command which simulates the device S31B-NB. The message payload contains the fields temperature and humidity, which hold the values S31B-NB and 27, respectively. This payload is also (technically) known as telemetry.
395 +On your computer's terminal, issue the following MQTT command which simulates the device '**Device A'**. The message payload contains the fields IMEI, temperature, humidity, and pressure, which hold the values 350693903995577, 30, 80, and 1005 respectively. This payload is also (technically) known as telemetry.
417 417  
418 418  {{code language="none"}}
419 419  mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":30, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
... ... @@ -425,11 +425,9 @@
425 425  [[image:integration-active.png]]
426 426  
427 427  
407 +== 5.3 Viewing messages ==
428 428  
429 429  
430 -== 6.3 Viewing messages ==
431 -
432 -
433 433  Go back to the **Integrations** page.
434 434  
435 435  Click on the **MQTT integration NB/CB** in the **Integrations** page to see its details.
... ... @@ -445,21 +445,28 @@
445 445  Then click on the **Apply changes** (//**tick icon**//) button.
446 446  
447 447  
448 -[[image:Screenshot 2025-03-18 at 09.23.10.png]]
425 +[[image:debug-enabled.png||height="301" width="700"]]
449 449  
450 450  
428 +
429 +
451 451  Now go to the **Events** tab.
452 452  
453 -Select the Event type as **Debug** from the dropdown list.
432 +Select the **Event type** as **Debug** from the dropdown list.
454 454  
455 -Now you can see all the Uplink messages you are simulating through the MQTT broker. The status should be **OK **if there is no errors in your integration.
434 +Publish another message (of course, you can repeat the previous message by pressing the UP arrow on your keyboard and then press Enter key) to your MQTT broker from your terminal, for example:
456 456  
436 +{{code language="none"}}
437 +mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":30, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
438 +{{/code}}
457 457  
458 -[[image:Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 19.49.31.png]]
440 +Now you can see that uplink message in the **Events** tab (Click the **refresh** button if you didn't see any messages in the Events tab). The status should be **OK **if there is no errors in your integration.
459 459  
460 460  
443 +[[image:Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 19.49.31.png]]
461 461  
462 462  
446 +
463 463  Then click on the **three dots (...)** in the **Message** column. You can see the uplink message's **payload** in the **Message** window.
464 464  
465 465  
... ... @@ -471,7 +471,7 @@
471 471  Now, you have successfully tested your integration with a simulated uplink payload and verified that it is received by ThingsBoard, and the device is provisioned.
472 472  
473 473  
474 -= 7. Creating a Dashboard =
458 += 6. Creating a Dashboard =
475 475  
476 476  ThingsBoard **Dashboards** provide a powerful way to visualize and monitor real-time and historical data from connected devices. They allow users to create interactive, customizable panels displaying telemetry data, device status, and other key metrics. With a variety of widgets, including charts, maps, and tables, dashboards help users gain insights, track trends, and manage IoT deployments efficiently.
477 477  
... ... @@ -481,7 +481,7 @@
481 481  
482 482  First simulate a few messages using MQTT. This time, we have added the 'humidity' field to the payload. Eg:
483 483  
484 -{{code language="none"}}mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -t "v1/devices/me/telemetry" -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -m '{"IMEI": "S31B-NB", "temperature": 22, "humidity":80}'{{/code}}
468 +{{code language="none"}}mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":22, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'{{/code}}
485 485  
486 486  
487 487  In **ThingsBoard**, from the left navigation menu, click **Dashboards**. Then, click the **+** button and select **Create new dashboard** from the dropdown menu.
... ... @@ -519,15 +519,19 @@
519 519  
520 520  Configure the **Time series chart** widget as follows:
521 521  
522 -* **Datasource** - select S31B-NB device you provisioned.
506 +* **Datasource** - select **Device A** device you provisioned.
523 523  * **Series**:
524 524  ** **temperature** - you can see this key by default.
525 525  ** **humidity** - Click **Add series** button. Then add the **humidity** for the key and then type **%** as its unit.
526 526  * Click on the **Add** button.
527 527  
528 -[[image:timeseries-1.png||height="491" width="700"]]
512 +{{info}}
513 +You can add only the relevant fields from the device's payload to display data on a widget. These fields are called 'keys'.
514 +{{/info}}
529 529  
516 +[[image:Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 06.51.15.png||height="485" width="700"]]
530 530  
518 +
531 531  The time-series chart will appear in edit mode. Resize it by clicking and dragging the lower-right corner.
532 532  
533 533  Click the **Save** button to add the widget to the dashboard.
... ... @@ -540,12 +540,11 @@
540 540  
541 541  
542 542  {{code language="none"}}
543 -mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -t "v1/devices/me/telemetry" -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -m '{"IMEI": "S31B-NB", "temperature": 22, "humidity":70}'
531 +mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":22, "humidity":70, "pressure":1005}'
544 544  
545 -mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -t "v1/devices/me/telemetry" -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -m '{"IMEI": "S31B-NB", "temperature": 27, "humidity":72}'
533 +mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":27, "humidity":72, "pressure":1005}'
546 546  
547 -mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -t "v1/devices/me/telemetry" -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -m '{"IMEI": "S31B-NB", "temperature": 19, "humidity":80}'
548 -
535 +mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":19, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
549 549  {{/code}}
550 550  
551 551  The chart will update with the values in realtime, as shown in the below image.
... ... @@ -554,7 +554,7 @@
554 554  [[image:timeseries-4.png||height="316" width="700"]]
555 555  
556 556  
557 -= 8. Configure NB-IoT Sensor =
544 += 8. Configure Physical NB-IoT Sensor =
558 558  
559 559  
560 560  Now, let's experiment with sending data to ThingsBoard using a real NB-IoT device. For example, we will use the **TS01-NB**.
... ... @@ -576,13 +576,7 @@
576 576  
577 577  
578 578  
579 -The following image shows the uplink payload of a real Dragino device. The publish topic is **TS01-NB**, and the device name is **861275077962896**, which is represented by the **IMEI**.
566 +The following image shows the uplink payload of a real Dragino device. The publish topic is '**TS01-NB' that contains fields in the payload, IMEI, IMSI, Model, temperature, etc**. Note that we have created a device named **TS01-NB** in the **Devices** section in advance.
580 580  
581 -{{info}}
582 -The ThingsBoard uses the device's IMEI number included in the payload to create a device in the Devices section.
583 -{{/info}}
584 584  
585 585  [[image:image-4.png]]
586 -
587 -
588 -
data-converters-list.png
Size
... ... @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
1 -212.2 KB
1 +19.0 KB
Content
integration-active.png
Size
... ... @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
1 -64.2 KB
1 +64.1 KB
Content
Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 06.51.15.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +179.5 KB
Content
add-integration-4.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +63.1 KB
Content
add-integration-part-1.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +48.6 KB
Content
add-integration-part-2.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +47.7 KB
Content
debug-enabled.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +196.3 KB
Content
integration-added.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +196.2 KB
Content
mqtt-uplink-converter.png
Author
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +XWiki.pradeeka
Size
... ... @@ -1,0 +1,1 @@
1 +75.3 KB
Content