Monitoring and controlling industrial equipment

A network edge device for communicating between an operational asset and a backend network, the device comprising:

• a first communication interface configured to communicate with the operational asset, wherein the first communication interface is a hardwire interface;
• a second communication interface configured to communicate with the backend network;
• one or more processors coupled to the first communication interface and second communication interface;
• and
• a computer-readable storage device coupled to the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations to facilitate data communications between the operational asset and the backend network, the operations comprising:
• establishing communication with a backend network through a first network connection;
• establishing communication with a user computing device through a second network connection different from the first network connection, the second network connection comprising a direct communication connection between the user computing device and the network edge device using a local low-power network connection;
• receiving an asset template that identifies communication protocols of the backend network and communication protocols of an operational asset to which the network edge device is coupled through the first communication interface;
• and
• in response to receiving an instruction from the user computing device, sending registration data to the backend network to register the network edge device and the operational asset with the backend network,
• wherein communications through the first network connection and communications through the second network connection are performed according to different networking protocols, and
• wherein the asset template identifies:
• a first data format for data received from the operational asset,
• a second data format for data to be sent to the backend network,
• a control signal format of control signals for controlling operating parameters the operational asset,
• criteria for controlling operating parameters of the operational asset, and
• alarm values associated with parameters of the operational asset.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a network edge device, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• establishing communication with a backend network through a first network connection;
• establishing communication with a user computing device through a second network connection different from the first network connection, the second network connection comprising a direct communication connection between the user computing device and the network edge device using a local low-power network connection;
• receiving an asset template that identifies communication protocols of the backend network and communication protocols of an operational asset to which the network edge device is coupled through a hardwire connection;
• and
• in response to receiving an instruction from the user computing device, sending registration data to the backend network to register the network edge device and the operational asset with the backend network,
• wherein communications through the first network connection and communications through the second network connection are performed according to different networking protocols, and
• wherein the asset template identifies:
• a first data format for data received from the operational asset,
• a second data format for data to be sent to the backend network,
• a control signal format of control signals for controlling operating parameters the operational asset,
• criteria for controlling operating parameters of the operational asset, and
• alarm values associated with parameters of the operational asset.