MQTT VS OPC UA,

WHEN TO USE THEM.

Solutions in industrial connectivity

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© vNode 2019
MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

Within the new 4.0 era, industrial applications must need to be upgraded based on newest
requirements, like publishing plant floor data up to multiple systems or applications where
in the past we could not have imaged to move it.

IIoT will brings many ways for connecting the machines world within cloud systems.

OPC UA and MQTT are the most popular protocols for IIoT.

Let’s start introducing each other for a better understanding.

MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight message protocol that is

based on a subscription-publishing model, in which publishers send messages to a server
and this is who forwards messages to subscribers avoiding point-to-point connections
between subscribers and publishers, this allows subscribers not need to know who
provides the information to which is subscribed. MQTT is designed to be implemented in
low-resource devices, in low-bandwidth networks and high latency

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MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

The MQTT protocol to follow the subscription publishing model defines two entities in
the network: the broker, also called the server, and the clients. The clients are any device
that is going to interact with the broker, either publishing messages or subscribing to a
topic. Topics are the routes where messages are published within a broker. This helps us
to have the information sorted and better manage the messages.
The client-server connection for sending the messages is made via a TCP connection or
an encrypted TLS connection in case secure messages need to be sent.

The message can be in any data format for the payload, such as JSON, XML, encrypted
binary or Base64. This gives a lot of flexibility to the protocol, but the target client must be
able to analyze the type of load.

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MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

The protocol supports sending messages with quality of service, leaving three different
levels to choose from:

0 without quality of service. The message is sent only once, in case the client is
not available the message will be lost.

1 the message will be resent until it arrives at least once, this can lead to some
duplication in the reception of the messages.

2 the message will reach the client only once

For all these features such as its low bandwidth consumption, its flexibility when designing
the content of the message make it ideal for low-power devices can send information to
a server such as an Arduino, a Raspberry Pi or commercial home automation solutions
in which the developer of the platform itself knows how its message content should be.

OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture)) is a platform-independent

standard through which various types of systems and devices can communicate by
sending request and response messages between clients and servers or similarly to
MQTT via a subscription-publishing model.

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MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

OPC UA servers define the services they can provide to clients, an object model that can
be dynamically discovered by clients and a data model following the data-types defined
in the protocol itself.

A client can communicate with one or several servers, a server in the same way can
communicate with several clients. Servers can act as clients for communication with
other servers

OPC UA gives a consistent and integrated address space (AddressSpace) and service
model. This allows a single server to integrate data, alarms and events into this address
space and provide access to them using its integrated services that incorporate
mechanisms for customers to detect and recover communication failures.

Comparison
Both protocols could not cover some requirements based on project needs or the
environment in which they will be applied.

OPC UA will displays all mayor information about the implementation, by showing, reading,
and writing to any data structure or node, thanks to services architecture.

MQTT, its quieter restricted in that way, end applications such as clients, must now the
data locations by using the topics determined and allowed by the broker. It cannot show
all the server information.

In the same way it does not have any mechanism implemented for the writing of the
variable in the machine.
In conclusion, each protocol must be used for the purposes it was deployed for.
For low power consumption, low bandwith networks, low resources devices, MQTT will
really fits.

And OPC UA, will be more applied to industrial environments, to unify other protocols,
device manufactures and no worries about the bandwidth consumption..

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MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

What does vNode Automation IIoT gateway will offer over

these environments?

vNode platform solves the gap between industrial devices and cloud systems by using
multiple protocols.

In a seamless way vNode can collect and send data behaving as an OPC UA Client, UA
server and also an MQTT Publisher, Subscriber or even a Writer.

Download vNode for a free trial

and start working on your IIoT project!

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MQTT VS OPC UA,
WHEN TO USE THEM.

vNode OPC UA server Architecture

SCADA
OPC UA Client / mirosoft Google Amazon
OPC UA PI ERP
Android App azure core iot web services
Client

OPC UA

vNode vNode
OPC UA OPC DA
Server & UA Client

MODBUS SIEMENS DNP3 ALLEN BRADLEY OPC

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