[Imported] Alternative part to bring back data to ClearSCADA

[sbeadle]

>>Message imported from previous forum - Category:ClearSCADA Software<<
User: kprocope, originally posted: 2019-09-20 20:28:23 Id:521
Hi Team,

Is there a way to bring back data to ClearSCADA from a RTU using Cellular?

Thanks for the feedback in advance

[sbeadle · Accepted solution]

>>Responses imported from previous forum

Reply From User: josh, posted: 2019-09-22 02:10:53
It's really out of the scope of the ClearSCADA software but you would need to look into setting up a VPN tunnel or IPWAN/private WAN with your telco.

Reply From User: adamwoodland, posted: 2019-09-22 22:06:51
From ClearSCADA's point of view as long as there is an IP connection it really doesn't matter what the medium is.

Half the customers I deal with use cellular mostly with a private APN. Great for DNP3, need to be careful with something like Modbus (especially if you pay per byte!)

Reply From User: du5tin, posted: 2019-09-27 13:57:36
We use ClearSCADA with cellular connected devices all the time, so yes!

Reply From User: BevanWeiss, posted: 2019-09-28 00:22:12
As noted by others: It's not ClearSCADA's problem 👅

As long as the RTU can handle IP/Ethernet connections, then putting in a simple Cellular Gateway/Router is a solution for the remote end. Getting ClearSCADA talking into the same Cellular network is also just an IT issue.

You're best to discuss with your IT people in regards to what cellular networks they currently have access to, and go from there.

Reply From User: adamwoodland, posted: 2019-09-29 22:48:19
The thing to perhaps worry about is with public APNs they are usually NATed behind an ISP firewall with a dynamic IP, so connections from the Internet to the device won't work, so you could...

1. Assuming DNP3, set up the RTU to only connect out (i.e. event driven ), ClearSCADA doesn't poll
2. Setup a VPN, i.e. a dynamic IPSec site-to-site, that is initiated by the RTU only (the server end won't know where to connect) and once that tunnel is up both ends can connect to each other over the tunnel. Just make sure if the link goes down the RTU end tries to establish things again

Reply From User: hardin4019, posted: 2019-10-21 14:05:51
I had a previous client with a lot of cellular communications. The things that made it nice was they had (I think) a 50 MB limit per month on each modem, so Modbus wasn't an issue, and in the beginning they had public IP addresses. This was made possible by requesting a Static Public IP address on each modem. I believe with Verizon Wireless there was a fee involved in having a Static Public IP address. But of course that means that you have to have some connection open to the Public Internet from your Firewall (I'm not an IT guy, so don't quote me on that) to allow SCADA to connect to the cellular modem's IP.

Later those Public Static IP's were replaced by a private APN that generated a Private Static IP that only a device connected to one of the modems, or the SCADA network, could access those modems.