Streaming PLC data to Grafana
Streaming PLC Data to Grafana
SIA Connect now comes with a pre-installed version of Grafana, including a custom SIA Connect plugin that makes it easy to visualize logged PLC and device data directly in Grafana dashboards.
Grafana is a powerful open-source visualization platform used for monitoring, analytics, and dashboarding. It allows users to build real-time and historical dashboards using a wide range of visualization types such as graphs, gauges, tables, and status indicators.
Combined with SIA Connect, Grafana can be used to create dashboards for monitoring of industrial data, machine analytics, alarm visualization, and OEE tracking.
This guide explains how to:
- Configure data collection / logging in SIA Connect
- Access the built-in Grafana installation
- Configure the SIA Connect Grafana plugin
- Create your first dashboard and visualization
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- A Docker compatible SIA Connect, such as:
- SIA Connect PLUS
- SIA Connect Any-Ware
- One or more configured instances
- The instance can either be:
- A PLC connector instance
- A Simulator Connector instance generating test data
You also need:
- One or more items configured for logging
Video
Getting Started
Before creating dashboards, SIA Connect must first produce and log data.
For this guide, the Simulator Connector is used to generate random values without requiring a PLC connection.
Configure Item Logging
Logging can also be set on an instance level, by changing the instance to “Logging”. The trigger behaviour is still needed for each item
When creating items, the following parameters are required to enable logging:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Mode | Logging |
| Trigger Behaviour | Anything other than Actual Value (No Logging)
|
Once configured, the item begins producing and logging data automatically.
Navigate to the Grafana Dashboard
In the SIA Connect Web UI, click Dashboards
This redirects you to the Grafana login page.
Grafana Login
When you are redirected to the Grafana page, you will be presented with a login screen
The default Grafana credentials are:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Username | admin |
| Password | admin |
After logging in for the first time, Grafana prompts you to create a new administrator password.
Configure the SIA Connect Data Source
Once logged in to Grafana, navigate to Connections → Data Sources
Select the pre-installed SIA Connect plugin
This opens the data source configuration page.
Test the Connection
Fill in the username and password using credentials from a user already created in the SIA Connect Web UI.
After entering the credentials, click Save & Test
Wait for the connection test to complete
The SIA Connect URL is automatically generated, and points to an internal IP address, to create a communication between two programs running on the same hardware. If you have an external data-source, you can change the SIA Connect URL to match the IP address of the data-source
the message below appears, the connection is working correctly:
Connected successfullyYou are now ready to create dashboards.
Create Your First Dashboard
To create a new dashboard:
Navigate to Dashboards and click Create dashboard
Click Add visualization
Select the SIA Connect data source
Select Instance and Item
Inside the query editor:
- Select the instance you want to visualize
- Select the item you want to display
The logged data is now exposed directly in Grafana.
You can change the visualization type using the Grafana panel options.
Example Use Cases
Typical dashboard applications include:
- PLC monitoring
- Machine dashboards
- Production tracking
- Energy monitoring
- Alarm visualization
- SCADA-style dashboards
Troubleshooting
Unable to log in to Grafana
Verify:
- Grafana is running
- The default credentials have not been changed
- Network access to the SIA Connect device is available
Save & Test fails
Verify:
- The SIA Connect username and password are correct
- The selected user exists in SIA Connect
- The SIA Connect services are running
No data displayed
Verify:
- The instance is running
- The item is configured for logging
- Trigger Behaviour is not set to
Actual Value (No Logging) - The selected item is producing values
Summary
The built-in Grafana integration in SIA Connect provides a fast and simple way to visualize logged PLC and device data.
The workflow is:
- Configure an instance
- Enable logging on items
- Open the built-in Grafana dashboard
- Configure the SIA Connect plugin
- Create dashboards and visualizations
- With the pre-installed SIA Connect Grafana plugin, dashboards can be created quickly without requiring additional integrations or external databases for storage