Difference Between Edge Computing Gateway And RTU

Edge computing gateways and RTUs are both commonly used devices in IoT systems and they play an important role in industrial automation and IoT. In this article, we will briefly introduce the difference between edge computing gateway and RTU.

1. Definitional Differences

RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) is a data acquisition and control device that connects to a host computer through a serial or Ethernet interface to achieve the acquisition, processing and control of field data.RTUs are mainly used to connect field sensors and controllers, and upload data to the monitoring system.

Edge computing gateway is an intelligent device that integrates the functions of data acquisition, processing, storage and communication, which is between the perception layer and the network layer to achieve efficient acquisition, processing and transmission of massive data. Edge computing gateway can replace RTU to complete data acquisition and uploading tasks, and at the same time has stronger data processing and communication capabilities.

2. Functional Difference

The main function of RTU is data acquisition and control, which supports various industrial protocols, such as Modbus, Profibus, CAN, etc., and can connect all kinds of sensors and actuators to achieve monitoring and control of field devices.

Edge computing gateway adds functions such as data processing, storage and communication on the basis of data acquisition and control. It supports a variety of industrial protocols and also has a powerful data processing capability that enables real-time analysis, filtering and processing of massive data. In addition, Edge Computing Gateway supports a variety of network communication methods, such as MQTT, HTTP, TCP/IP, etc., which can easily transmit data to remote servers or cloud platforms.

3. Application Difference

RTU is mainly used in the field of industrial automation and process control, which connects field devices through serial or Ethernet interfaces to achieve monitoring and control of the devices.RTU is suitable for scenarios that require high real-time data acquisition and uploading.

Edge computing gateways are suitable for a wider range of IoT and industrial automation applications, which can replace RTUs to complete data acquisition and uploading tasks, and at the same time have stronger data processing and communication capabilities. Edge computing gateway can be applied to a variety of industrial automation, intelligent buildings, intelligent transport and other scenarios to achieve real-time processing and transmission of massive data.

In summary, RTU and edge computing gateway have obvious differences in definition, function and application; RTU focuses more on data acquisition and control, and is suitable for scenes with high real-time requirements; while edge computing gateway has stronger data processing and communication capabilities, and can achieve efficient acquisition, processing and transmission of massive data, and is suitable for a wider range of IoT and industrial automation application scenarios. With the rapid development of IoT and industrial automation, the application prospect of edge computing gateway will be broader.