When manufacturers carry out equipment digitalization, remote operation and maintenance, or industrial data acquisition projects, they often face a practical challenge: the on-site system needs to connect PLCs, meters, sensors and CAN devices, complete protocol conversion, data processing and local logic execution, and stably transmit data to MES, SCADA or cloud platforms.

If all these tasks are loaded onto a single device, the solution may seem simple at the prototype stage, but problems will easily arise after mass delivery. Any change to the on-site network environment will require adjustments to the acquisition program; when the client adds new VPN requirements, the entire system has to be reworked.

For such projects, a more replicable approach is to decouple edge computing from wide area network communication.

The EG228 + G806w combination follows this design logic: the EG228 is responsible for equipment and data processing, while the G806w handles networking and remote communication.

1. First, Clarify What the EG228 Is

The USR-EG228 is essentially an embedded industrial computer designed for industrial field deployment.

It is neither an ordinary router nor a simple serial-to-Ethernet converter. Deployed between PLCs, meters and upper-layer systems, it undertakes on-site data acquisition, protocol conversion and edge program execution.

In terms of hardware, the EG228 adopts the RK3506J triple-core Cortex-A7 processor, configured with 512MB RAM and 8GB eMMC, running Ubuntu 22.04. It provides 2 RS485 ports, 2 CAN FD ports, 2 100Mbps Ethernet ports, USB interfaces and other peripheral ports.

On the software side, it can run applications including WukongEdge and Node-RED, and supports industrial protocols such as Modbus TCP/RTU, DLT645, IEC104, IEC61850, BACnet IP and OPC UA depending on the specific version.

Therefore, in actual projects, it functions more like the "on-site data processing layer" of the entire system.

The operating status of PLCs, electricity meter readings, sensor temperature data and CAN device status are all first transmitted to the EG228, where data cleaning, format unification, logic judgment and edge computing are completed according to project requirements, before the processed data is handed over to the upper-layer system.

2. What Is the G806w

The USR-G806w is a 4G industrial router.

Its core task is not to process PLC protocols, but to establish a stable network egress for the entire industrial edge system.

The G806w supports 4G, WiFi and wired network access, and can connect to enterprise broadband, wireless networks or carrier cellular networks according to on-site conditions. It also supports WAN link failover, VPN functions including PPTP, L2TP, IPSec, OpenVPN and GRE, as well as common industrial network features such as firewall, NAT and access control.

In short:

The EG228 focuses on "how to process on-site data", while the G806w focuses on "how to transmit the processed data safely and stably to the remote end".

This is the core logic behind the combined use of the two devices.

3. Why Not Let a Single Device Handle All Tasks?

The real complexity of industrial projects lies in the fact that changes at different on-site locations do not occur synchronously.

On the equipment side, the PLC brand may be replaced, or new CAN devices may be added; on the network side, the connection may switch from broadband to 4G, or the client may later require access to a VPN private network.

If data acquisition, computing, 4G dial-up, VPN and routing are all tightly coupled, a single requirement change may affect the entire application.

After decoupling the two parts, the system architecture becomes much clearer:

PLC / Meter / Sensor / CAN Device

↓

EG228: Acquisition, Protocol Conversion, Edge Processing

↓Ethernet

G806w: Routing, 4G, WiFi, VPN

↓

MES / SCADA / IoT Platform / Enterprise Server

If an on-site data acquisition fault occurs, troubleshooting is performed on the EG228 side; if the platform cannot be connected, the G806w and the uplink network are prioritized for inspection.

For equipment manufacturers, this clear fault boundary is easier to maintain than an all-in-one single-device solution.

4. On-Site Deployment Procedures

The first step is to create a detailed equipment list.

Document the interface type, protocol, device address and point list of each PLC, meter, sensor and CAN device, then define which data needs to be uploaded and which logic should be executed locally.

RS485 and CAN FD devices are connected to the EG228 according to the bus planning, while network devices are connected via the local area network.

If there are only a small number of Ethernet devices on site, a small local area network can be set up directly; if there are a large number of devices such as PLCs, HMIs and cameras, it is still recommended to add an industrial switch. The EG228 only has two 100Mbps Ethernet ports, and it should not be used as a multi-port switch.

After the acquisition link is verified to be operational, data processing is performed inside the EG228.

For example, if a temperature sensor generates data once per second but the platform only requires 1-minute trend data, statistical processing can be completed at the edge side before uploading; when a specific alarm combination occurs on the equipment, the EG228 can first perform judgment and then output a unified alarm status.

This approach not only reduces the upload of invalid data, but also ensures that part of the services do not fully depend on the cloud.

5. G806w as the Network Egress of the Entire Site

After the EG228 completes data processing, it connects to the G806w via Ethernet.

Sites with fixed broadband can use the wired WAN port; stations without fixed network access can connect via 4G; some factories can also access the existing WiFi network.

If remote maintenance is required for the project, VPN can be configured on the G806w, and the EG228 or on-site devices can be accessed through the enterprise authorized network. It is not recommended to directly expose the EG228 management port to the public network.

For projects requiring higher uptime, network backup strategies should also be configured. For example, wired network is set as the primary link and 4G as the backup, and the router will perform link switching after the primary network becomes abnormal.

6. Before Formal Delivery, the Focus Is Not Only on "Normal Network Connectivity"

An industrial edge system usually operates normally when it is powered on for the first time. Problems are most likely to occur in abnormal states in subsequent operations.

Before mass delivery, it is recommended to actively complete at least several groups of tests:

Unplug the wired WAN of the G806w to confirm whether the backup link can recover; disconnect the public network to verify whether the EG228 data acquisition and local logic continue to run; temporarily take the PLC offline and then restore the connection to check whether the acquisition task can be re-established; finally, power off and restart the entire cabinet to confirm that the EG228 applications, G806w network and cloud platform connection can all recover automatically.

The installation environment must also be considered in advance.

The EG228 has an operating temperature range of -25℃to 75℃and supports DC 9~36V power supply; the G806w has an operating temperature range of -20℃to 70℃and also supports DC 9~36V power supply. During installation, both devices should be kept away from main heat sources and strong interference areas such as frequency converters and high-power power supplies, and sufficient heat dissipation space should be reserved for the devices.

When the G806w uses 4G or WiFi, the antennas should not be placed deep inside a closed metal control cabinet.

For manufacturers that need to deliver industrial edge solutions in batches, the EG228 + G806w architecture is not a simple superposition of two devices.

More accurately, the entire system is divided into two relatively independent layers:

The EG228 is an edge industrial computer responsible for equipment access, protocol processing, data calculation and local services; the G806w is a 4G industrial router responsible for wired, WiFi and cellular network access, as well as VPN and remote communication.

Equipment changes are mainly adjusted on the EG228, while network changes are mainly adjusted on the G806w.

When a solution is replicated from one prototype to dozens of factories and hundreds of sets of equipment, this architecture with clear responsibilities and independent components is usually easier to debug and more convenient for long-term maintenance than the all-in-one "single-device solves all problems" design.