Version 1.1 by Alec Chen on 2025/04/02 14:48
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Alec Chen 1.1 1 = 1. Introduction =
2
3 This document guides you on integrating Dragino **-NB** and **-CB** series devices data with Thingseye.
4
5 The **NB series** devices end with the suffix **-NB**, and the **CB series** devices end with the suffix **-CB**. For example, **S31B-NB** is an **NB device**, and **S31-CB** is a **CB device**.
6
7 = 2. Prerequisites =
8
9 To complete this tutorial, you need to have certificate files. [[lns1.thingseye.io>>url:http://lns1.thingseye.io/]] is the Dragino's MQTT broker, which requires a CA certificate file, Certificate file, and the Private key file to use.
10
11 If customers need to use this MQTT connection with Thingseye, they need to contact the TE team to obtain three license files.
12
13 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/ins1.png?width=500&height=310&rev=1.1||alt="ins1.png" height="310" width="500"]]
14
15
16 = 3. Creating Devices (Optional) =
17
18 **The following procedure is optional. If you haven't created any device in Thingseye first, Thingseye will automatically create a device for you based on the integration settings (the device name defined in the uplink decoder) just after it receives the first uplink from your device.Type your information message here.**
19
20 First, you need to create devices in Thingseye to represent your physical devices. For example, you can name it **Device A**, and the second device could be **Device B** or any name you prefer. The device name should be unique within the **Devices** space.
21
22 In the left navigation, click **Entities -> Devices**.
23
24 Click the **Add Device** button (the button with the **+** sign), and from the dropdown menu, click **Add new device**.
25
26 In the **Add new device** dialog box, enter the device name in the **Name** text box. For example, we will use **Device A**.
27
28 Click the **Add** button.
29
30 Skip the **connectivity testing** by clicking the **Close** button.
31
32 The device is created and listed on the **Devices** page. Note that its initial state is **Inactive** because it has not received any data yet.
33
34 = 4. Data Converters =
35
36 In **Thingseye**, **Data Converters** are components used to transform incoming or outgoing data between different formats, typically to convert raw telemetry data from devices into a structured format that Thingseye can understand, or vice versa.
37
38 == 4.1 Uplink ==
39
40 In the left navigation, click **Integrations center**, and then click **Data converters**.
41
42 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/data-converters-list-empty.png?rev=1.1||alt="data-converters-list-empty.png"]]
43
44 On the **Data converters** page, click on the ‘**+**’ button, and then click on the **Create new converter** from the dropdown menu.
45
46 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/create-new-converter-menu.png?width=500&height=259&rev=1.1||alt="create-new-converter-menu.png"]]
47
48 The **Add data converter** window will appear.
49
50 Let's create an uplink data converter for the device named '**Device A**'. Name it ‘**MQTT Uplink Converter - Device A**’ and select the Type as **Uplink**.
51
52 Click on the **TBEL** button if it has not been selected by default.
53
54 Modify the default TBEL function to match with your device as described below:
55
56 * Uncomment** line 11**:
57
58 //var data = decodeToJson(payload)//
59
60 * **Line 13**: Assign your device name to the **deviceName** field. - We used **Device A** as it is to match with our device, **Device A **in the Devices section.
61 * From **line 38**: Modify the telemetry section to allow parsed data to be assigned to the fields.
62
63 //telemetry: {
64 temperature: data.temperature,
65 humidity: data.humidity,
66 rawData: payloadStr
67 }//
68
69 The modified uplink decoder function to match with **Device A** is shown below.
70
71 {{code language="nono"}}
72 // Decode an uplink message from a buffer
73 // payload - array of bytes
74 // metadata - key/value object
75
76 /** Decoder **/
77
78 // decode payload to string
79 var payloadStr = decodeToString(payload);
80
81 // decode payload to JSON
82 var data = decodeToJson(payload);
83
84 var deviceName = 'Device A';
85 var deviceType = 'thermostat';
86 var customerName = 'Customer C';
87 var groupName = 'thermostat devices';
88 var manufacturer = 'Example corporation';
89 // use assetName and assetType instead of deviceName and deviceType
90 // to automatically create assets instead of devices.
91 // var assetName = 'Asset A';
92 // var assetType = 'building';
93
94 // Result object with device/asset attributes/telemetry data
95 var result = {
96 // Use deviceName and deviceType or assetName and assetType, but not both.
97   deviceName: deviceName,
98    deviceType: deviceType,
99 // assetName: assetName,
100 // assetType: assetType,
101 // customerName: customerName,
102   groupName: groupName,
103    attributes: {
104        model: 'Model A',
105        serialNumber: 'SN111',
106        integrationName: metadata['integrationName'],
107        manufacturer: manufacturer
108    },
109    telemetry: {
110        temperature: data.temperature,
111        humidity: data.humidity,
112        rawData: payloadStr
113    }
114 };
115
116 /** Helper functions 'decodeToString' and 'decodeToJson' are already built-in **/
117
118 return result;
119 {{/code}}
120
121 Once you modify the decoder function, click on the **Add** button.
122
123 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/ul-data-converter-device-a.png?width=500&height=524&rev=1.1||alt="ul-data-converter-device-a.png"]]
124
125 You should see that the newly added **MQTT Uplink converter **NB/CB is listed on the **Data Converters** page.
126
127 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/ul-data-converter-added.png?height=257&rev=1.1||alt="ul-data-converter-added.png"]]
128
129 = 5. Add Integration =
130
131 In the left navigation, click **Integrations center**, and then click **Integrations**.
132
133 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/integrations-list-empty.png?rev=1.1||alt="integrations-list-empty.png"]]
134
135 On the **Integrations** page, click on the '**+**' button.
136
137 The **Add integration** window appears.
138
139 In the **Add integration** window, configure the following settings:
140
141 **Basic settings:**
142
143 * **Integration type**: MQTT
144 * **Name**: MQTT integration - Device A
145 * **Enable integration**: YES
146 * **Allows create devices or assets**: YES
147
148 Click **Next** button.
149
150 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/add-integration-basic-settings.png?width=500&height=504&rev=1.2||alt="add-integration-basic-settings.png"]]
151
152 **Uplink data converter:**
153
154 * Click on the **Select existing** button.
155 * **Uplink data converter**: Select **MQTT Uplink Converter NB/CB **from the dropdown list.
156
157 Click **Next** button.
158
159 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/add-integration-ul-data-converter.png?width=500&height=505&rev=1.1||alt="add-integration-ul-data-converter.png"]]
160
161 **Downlink data converter:**
162
163 Dragino NB/CB devices don't require a downlink data converter to decode their payloads, so you can skip this step.
164
165 * Click on the **Skip **button in the Downlink data converter section.
166
167 Click **Skip** button.
168
169 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/integration-dl-skip.png?width=500&height=511&rev=1.1||alt="integration-dl-skip.png"]]
170
171 **Connection:**
172
173 * **Host**: Host URL (Eg. **//011731f7xxxxxxxxxxxfbbedfc63f4.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud//**)
174 * **Port**: 8883
175 * **Credentials type**: Basic
176 * **Username**: Username (from your HiveMQ Cloud Cluster with your credentials)
177 * **Password:** Password (from your HiveMQ Cloud Cluster with your credentials)
178 * **Enable SSL**: YES
179 * **Topic: device/a** (The topic can be anything; you can even use just the device name.)
180 * **QoS:** 0-At most once
181
182 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/add-integartion-connection.png?width=500&height=505&rev=1.1||alt="add-integartion-connection.png"]]
183
184 Click on the **Advanced settings** button.
185
186 * **Clean session:** YES
187 * **Retained**: YES
188
189 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/add-integration-connection-advanced-settings.png?width=500&height=510&rev=1.2||alt="add-integration-connection-advanced-settings.png"]]
190
191 Click on the **Check connection** button to verify the MQTT connection using the provided parameters.
192
193 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/check-connection.png?width=300&height=83&rev=1.1||alt="check-connection.png"]]
194
195 If the connection is successful, you will see the **Connected** message. If not, check your connection parameters again.
196
197 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/connection-success.png?width=500&height=511&rev=1.1||alt="connection-success.png"]]
198
199 Click on the **Add** button.
200
201 You should see that the newly added integration is listed on the **Integrations** page.
202
203 Since we haven't received data from a device yet, the integration **Status** is shown as **Pending.**
204
205 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/integration-added.png?rev=1.1||alt="integration-added.png"]]
206
207 = 6. Verifying the receipt of data from virtual devices =
208
209 == 6.1 How does it work? ==
210
211 We use the Mosquitto MQTT client to simulate MQTT messages, acting as a virtual device. First, install the Mosquitto client on your computer from [[this link>>url:https://mosquitto.org/download/]]. The Mosquitto client publishes messages to the MQTT broker (HiveMQ) on a specified MQTT topic.
212
213 The Mosquitto client publishes messages (payloads) on the topic **/device/a**. Of course, you can use any topic for testing.
214
215 The MQTT payload format is as follows:
216
217 {{code language="none"}}
218 {"IMEI": "350693903995577", "temperature":25, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}
219 {{/code}}
220
221 Once Thingseye receives this message, it forwards this payload to the matching device through the integration.
222
223 == 5.2 Sending messages ==
224
225 On your computer's terminal, issue the following MQTT command which simulates the device '**Device A'**. The message payload contains the fields IMEI, temperature, humidity, and pressure, which hold the values 350693903995577, 30, 80, and 1005 respectively. This payload is also (technically) known as telemetry.
226
227 {{code language="none"}}
228 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":30, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
229 {{/code}}
230
231 If the integration was performed without errors, the status of the integration changes to 'Active' after the first telemetry transmission.
232
233 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/integration-active.png?rev=1.2||alt="integration-active.png"]]
234
235 == 6.3 Viewing messages ==
236
237 Go back to the **Integrations** page.
238
239 Click on the **MQTT integration NB/CB** in the **Integrations** page to see its details.
240
241 Click on the **Edit** button (//**pen icon**//).
242
243 Click on the **Disabled** button in the upper-right corner.
244
245 Turn on the **All messages (15 min)** option. This will enable displaying all messages in the **Events** tab. This setting will expire in 15 minutes, and you will need to repeat the same steps if you want to view the messages in the Events tab later.
246
247 Click on the **Apply** button.
248
249 Then click on the **Apply changes** (//**tick icon**//) button.
250
251 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/debug-enabled.png?width=700&height=301&rev=1.1||alt="debug-enabled.png"]]
252
253 Now go to the **Events** tab.
254
255 Select the **Event type** as **Debug** from the dropdown list.
256
257 Publish another message (of course, you can repeat the previous message by pressing the UP arrow on your keyboard and then press Enter key) to your MQTT broker from your terminal, for example:
258
259 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":30, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
260
261 Now you can see that uplink message in the **Events** tab (Click the **refresh** button if you didn't see any messages in the Events tab). The status should be **OK **if there is no errors in your integration.
262
263 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/Screenshot%202025-03-26%20at%2019.49.31.png?rev=1.1||alt="Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 19.49.31.png"]]
264
265 Then click on the **three dots (...)** in the **Message** column. You can see the uplink message's **payload** in the **Message** window.
266
267 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/Screenshot%202025-03-26%20at%2019.47.52.png?rev=1.1||alt="Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 19.47.52.png"]]
268
269 Now, you have successfully tested your integration with a simulated uplink payload and verified that it is received by Thingseye, and the device is provisioned.
270
271 = 7. Creating a Dashboard =
272
273 Thingseye **Dashboards** provide a powerful way to visualize and monitor real-time and historical data from connected devices. They allow users to create interactive, customizable panels displaying telemetry data, device status, and other key metrics. With a variety of widgets, including charts, maps, and tables, dashboards help users gain insights, track trends, and manage IoT deployments efficiently.
274
275 This section guides you on how to create a dashboard to display temperature and humidity data from the device on a time-series chart. You may also use other widgets in Thingseye to display data according to your requirements.
276
277 First simulate a few messages using MQTT. This time, we have added the 'humidity' field to the payload. Eg:
278
279 {{code language="none"}}
280 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":22, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
281
282 {{/code}}
283
284 In **Thingseye**, from the left navigation menu, click **Dashboards**. Then, click the **+** button and select **Create new dashboard** from the dropdown menu.
285
286 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/dashboard-1.png?rev=1.1||alt="dashboard-1.png"]]
287
288 In the **Title** text box, enter **NB/CB Test Dashboard** as the title of the dashboard.
289
290 Click on the **Add** button.
291
292 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/dashboard-2.png?width=500&height=526&rev=1.1||alt="dashboard-2.png"]]
293
294 Click on the **Add widget / Add new widget** button.
295
296 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/dashboard-3.png?rev=1.1||alt="dashboard-3.png"]]
297
298 In the **Select widgets bundle** window, click **Charts**.
299
300 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/dashboard-4.png?width=700&height=537&rev=1.1||alt="dashboard-4.png"]]
301
302 In the **Charts: select widget** window, click **Time series chart**.
303
304 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/dashboard-5.png?width=700&height=525&rev=1.1||alt="dashboard-5.png"]]
305
306 Configure the **Time series chart** widget as follows:
307
308 * **Datasource** - select **Device A** device you provisioned.
309 * **Series**:
310 ** **temperature** - you can see this key by default.
311 ** **humidity** - Click **Add series** button. Then add the **humidity** for the key and then type **%** as its unit.
312 * Click on the **Add** button.
313
314 (% class="box infomessage" %)
315 (((
316 You can add only the relevant fields from the device's payload to display data on a widget. These fields are called 'keys'.
317 )))
318
319 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/Screenshot%202025-03-31%20at%2006.51.15.png?width=700&height=485&rev=1.1||alt="Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 06.51.15.png"]]
320
321 The time-series chart will appear in edit mode. Resize it by clicking and dragging the lower-right corner.
322
323 Click the **Save** button to add the widget to the dashboard.
324
325 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/timeseries-3.png?width=700&height=347&rev=1.1||alt="timeseries-3.png"]]
326
327 Now send the following MQTT messages from the terminal to simulate the data.
328
329 {{code language="none"}}
330 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":22, "humidity":70, "pressure":1005}'
331
332 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":27, "humidity":72, "pressure":1005}'
333
334 mosquitto_pub -d -q 1 -h 011731f7928xxxxx.s1.eu.hivemq.cloud -p 8883 -u "xxxxx" -P "xxxxx" -t "device/a" -m '{"IMEI":"350693903995577", "temperature":19, "humidity":80, "pressure":1005}'
335 {{/code}}
336
337 The chart will update with the values in realtime, as shown in the below image.
338
339 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/timeseries-4.png?width=700&height=316&rev=1.1||alt="timeseries-4.png"]]
340
341 = 8. Configure Physical NB-IoT Sensor =
342
343 Now, let's experiment with sending data to Thingseye using a real NB-IoT device. For example, we will use the **TS01-NB**.
344
345 First, configure the NB-IoT device with the necessary MQTT settings using AT commands. Below is a list of AT commands you can use.
346
347 **AT Commands**
348
349 * **AT+PRO=3,3    **~/~/ Use MQTT to connect to Thingseye. Payload Type set to 3.
350 * **AT+SUBTOPIC=<MQTT subscribe topic> Eg: TS01-NB**
351 * **AT+PUBTOPIC=<MQTT publish topic> Eg: TS01-NB**
352 * **AT+CLIENT=null**
353 * **AT+UNAME=<MQTT Username>**
354 * **AT+PWD=<MQTT Password>**
355 * **AT+SERVADDR=<Broker address, Port>**
356
357 Test your uplink by pressing the ACT button for 1 second.
358
359
360 The following image shows the uplink payload of a real Dragino device. The publish topic is '**TS01-NB' that contains fields in the payload, IMEI, IMSI, Model, temperature, etc**. Note that we have created a device named **TS01-NB** in the **Devices** section in advance.
361
362 [[image:https://wiki.dragino.com/xwiki/bin/download/Main/ThingsBoard/image-4.png?rev=1.2||alt="image-4.png"]]