The Problem#
Industrial IoT gateways come with powerful hardware — GPIO, serial ports, CAN bus, cellular modems, GPS — but accessing these interfaces from Node-RED requires custom scripts, shell commands, and deep knowledge of Linux device drivers. This makes rapid prototyping and deployment of edge applications unnecessarily complex.
The Solution#
A Node-RED package that exposes all hardware interfaces of CompuLab IoT Gateways as drag-and-drop nodes. No shell scripts, no driver code — just connect, configure, and deploy.
Architecture#
Every hardware interface of the gateway is exposed as a Node-RED node — no shell scripts, no driver code:
flowchart LR
subgraph NR["Node-RED Flow"]
IO["Industrial I/O Nodes
GPIO · Analog · CAN · RS232/485"]
DEV["Device Mgmt Nodes
System · LED · BT · GPS"]
NET["Connectivity Nodes
LTE · WiFi · Ethernet · Diag"]
end
LIB["clab-interfaces driver layer
sysfs · netlink · gpiod · socketcan · ModemManager"]
HW["CompuLab IoT Gateway
iMX8 · RPi · IOT-LINK · DIN-iMX8PLUS"]
EXP["I/O expansion modules
up to 8 stacked \u2192 64 AI / 64 DI / 64 DO"]
IO --> LIB
DEV --> LIB
NET --> LIB
LIB --> HW
HW --- EXP
Supported Devices#
| Gateway | Processor | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| IOT-GATE-iMX8 | NXP i.MX8M | High-performance edge computing |
| IOT-GATE-RPi | Broadcom BCM2711 | Cost-effective IoT gateway |
| IOT-LINK | Intel Atom | x86 edge computing |
| IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS | NXP i.MX8M Plus | DIN-rail industrial gateway |
13 Node Categories#
Industrial I/O#
- GPIO — Digital input/output with configurable pull-up/down and edge detection
- Analog Inputs — Read 4-20mA current loops, 0-10V voltage signals, PT100/PT1000 temperature sensors
- CAN Bus — Send and receive CAN frames for vehicle and machine communication
- RS232 / RS485 — Serial communication with Modbus RTU devices, PLCs, and legacy equipment
Device Management#
- System — Query device info, read/set RTC, configure watchdog, access TPM security chip
- LEDs — Control user LEDs (on/off/blink) for visual status indication
- Bluetooth — Scan, connect, and communicate with BLE devices and beacons
- GPS — Read position, speed, altitude, and satellite data from the built-in GNSS module
Connectivity#
- Cellular/LTE — Manage the modem: connect, monitor signal strength (RSSI/RSRP), switch carriers
- WiFi — Scan networks, connect to access points, or create a WiFi hotspot
- Ethernet — Configure static/DHCP, monitor link status
- Network Diagnostics — Ping, DNS lookup, traceroute, port checks — all from Node-RED
Scalability#
The IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS supports stacking up to 8 I/O expansion modules, enabling massive I/O capacity per gateway:
| Resource | Per Module | 8 Modules Stacked |
|---|---|---|
| Analog channels | 8 | 64 |
| Digital inputs | 8 | 64 |
| Digital outputs | 8 | 64 |
This makes it possible to monitor an entire production line from a single gateway without external I/O hardware.
Use Cases#
- Brownfield Retrofitting — Connect legacy machines via RS485/CAN without replacing controllers
- Remote Site Monitoring — Use cellular + GPS for assets in the field (wind turbines, pumping stations)
- Environmental Monitoring — Read temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors via analog inputs
- Fleet Tracking — GPS + cellular for vehicle or mobile equipment tracking
