These subsections explain how use BalenaCloud to deploy MobiusFlow. Additionally, they explain how to configure and use MobiusFlow connectors.
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Deploy MobiusFlow® to a new balenaCloud device or update existing devices
You must be signed up to balena.io and have a paid plan as these MobiusFlow® images use the Microservices fleet type which is only available on a paid plan
BalenaCloud is a small device fleet management platform which simplifies the process of managing and maintaining 1000s of edge devices. It allows secure remote access and monitoring of each device and installing and updating product firmware of an entire fleet with a few simple clicks. See balenaCloud for more information.
We currently have software images for thee different device types for balenaCloud. These are:
We reccomend at least 1Gb of RAM and 8Gb of storage for all devices
If you have a requirement for a different device type on balenaCloud contact us at www.mobiusflow.com or submit a support ticket by clicking on the support link above
If you are ready to get started, jump into the Creating a Fleet section to begin creating your first fully managed MobiusFlow® device on balenaCloud.
Create a new balenaCloud fleet
After signing up to balenaCloud follow their instructions to create a fleet and add your first device. We have simplified the process so you will only need to perform some of the actions they list. The steps below outline the process but for more information see the balena.io documentation.
This guide assumes you will be using a Raspberry Pi 4. The instructions are the same for the UP and Intel NUC devices with the exception of loading the initial balenaOS onto your device.
A balenaCloud account with Microservices access (this requires a paid account)
A fleet is a collection of devices with the same device type (or architecture). Fleets allow simple management of a group of devices
Navigate to your balenaCloud dashboard and login in
Navigate to the Fleets page
Click on the Create Fleet button
Enter a fleet name
Choose device type Raspberry Pi 4 (using 64bit OS)
Select fleet type Microservices
Click on the Create new fleet button
You have created your first balenaCloud fleet! Now go to Adding Your First Device to add a device to this fleet
Add your device to a balenaCloud fleet
This guide assumes you will be using a Raspberry Pi 4. The instructions are the same for the UP and Intel NUC devices with the exception of loading the initial balenaOS onto your device.
A balenaCloud account with Microservices access (this requires a paid account)
A Raspberry Pi 4 with minimum 1Gb RAM and 8Gb storage (eMMC or microSD card. The following instructions are for an SD card)
A power supply for your Raspberry Pi 4
An Ethernet network cable
An internet router with a free Ethernet port (or an Ethernet port on your LAN with internet access)
An SD card adaptor for your laptop or PC
Navigate to the Fleets page
Click on the fleet you want to add a device to
Click on the Add device button
Leave all of the default settings. You can add a WiFi network (client or AP) later.
Select the Download balenaOS option in the drop down button. The balenaOS will start to download
Place your microSD card into your SD card adaptor and connect it to your laptop or PC
All data on your SD card will be overwritten!
Open balenaEtcher
Select Flash from file and choose the balenaOS image you downloaded above
Select your SD card as the target
Click on the Flash button
balenaEtcher will burn the balenaOS to your SD card and make it a bootable image. Wait for this to complete and for the image to be verified
Remove the SD card from the SD card adaptor and insert it into your Raspberry Pi 4's SD card slot
Plug the Ethernet cable into your Raspberry Pi 4's Ethernet port and your network
Power up your Raspberry Pi 4
After a few minutes your new device will appear in the balenaCloud dashboard. Navigate to your balenaCloud dashboard, select your fleet and view the fleet's Summary page.
You device will be added to the list at the bottom of the page. It will be given a random name which you can change on the device's summary page
If your device does not appear in the list, check that it is powered up and that the network port you have it plugged into has an internet connection.
More information and instructions for adding other device types can be found .
A balenaCloud Raspberry Pi 4 Fleet (see )
balenaEtcher installed on your laptop or PC. You can download balenaEtcher
Navigate to your and login in
You have successfully added a new device to your balenaCloud fleet. To deploy MobiusFlow® to this device go to
Deploy MobiusFlow® to a balenaCloud fleet
A balenaCloud account with Microservices access (this requires a paid account)
A compatible balenaCloud fleet (Up Board, Intel NUC or Raspberry Pi 4)
You should always backup your MobiusFlow® device before deploying a new version.
See Backup and Restore for more details
BalenaHub is a market place for balena.io compatible applications ready to be deployed to your device with just a few clicks.
Navigate to your balenaCloud dashboard and login in
Navigate to balenaHub to select which version of MobiusFlow® to deploy
Navigate to the Apps page
Search for MobiusFlow
Select the correct device type
Click on the Deploy button
Balena will switch to your balenaCloud dashboard
You can create a new fleet here or deploy to an existing fleet. If creating a new fleet refer to the Creating a Fleet section for details on what settings are required
If you already have a new fleet or want to upgrade the MobiusFlow® version on existing devices, select Use an existing fleet instead
Select the fleet from the drop down and click on the Deploy to fleet button
After a few seconds you will see the new release being built for your fleet
This will take a minute or two. Once the build is complete you will see the release on the dashboard. All devices, which have not been pinned to a specific release, in your fleet will automatically start to update to the new release.
You can also view the release history in the Releases page of your fleet.
Click on a device Summary to see which release it is running. You can also pin device to specific releases on this screen
License your MobiusFlow® instance
All MobiusFlow® instances require a valid licence to run. Licences define the maximum number of MobiusFlow® objects that you can add to an instance. For more information about MobiusFlow® licences refer to the Licensing page.
A valid MobiusFlow® licence (licences can only be used on one device)
Licences are added to balenaCloud devices by setting a device variable. All required device variables are created automatically when you deploy MobiusFlow® to a fleet. For more information see Device Variables.
Licences must be added by overriding a device's licence variable and NOT changing the fleet's variables.
Navigate to your balenaCloud dashboard and login in
Navigate to the correct fleet and device
Select the Device Variables page. You will see a list of all of the device's variables with override buttons next to each variable
Click the override button next to the MOBIUS_LICENCE variable
In the popup delete the text <replace with your licence code> and enter your licence code
Leave all other settings as their default values and click the Add button
Your licence code will be shown in the Device Variables list (see Device Variables for more information on all of the device variables shown in this list)
MobiusFlow® will restart to install the licence
If you extend an expired licence or you purchase a larger licence you do not need to update the licence code
Under some circumstances it may be necessary to enter a new licence code. In order to make the new licence code work follow the procedure above to enter a new code
You will also need to tell MobiusFlow® to renew its licence by setting the Device Variable MOBIUS_LICENCE_RENEW to true
Click the override button next to the MOBIUS_LICENCE_RENEW variable
In the popup change the value from false to true
Leave all other settings as their default values and click the Add button
Wait for MobiusFlow® to restart, confirm that the new licence is working and reset the Device Variable MOBIUS_LICENCE_RENEW to false
Click the override button next to the MOBIUS_LICENCE_RENEW variable
In the popup change the value from true to false
Leave all other settings as their default values and click the Add button
Congratulations, you have deployed your first MobiusFlow® device on balenaCloud.
What are the mobius, manage, and mongodb microservices?
balenaCloud devices can run multiple microservices in separate Docker containers. Deploying MobiusFlow® to your device will create three microservices. You can start, stop and view logs for each service on the balenaCloud device summary page.
This microservice runs the MobiusFlow® application.
Manages network interfaces. See Configure Networks for more information
A full version of MongoDB which you can use to store / retrieve data in flows.
The default settings are
Understanding the MobiusFlow® balenaCloud Device Variables
balenaCloud devices are configured using Device Variables. When deploying MobiusFlow® to a balenaCloud fleet a number of Device Variables are created with default values. These are defined at the fleet level but can be overridden at the device level. More information about working with balenaCloud Device Variables can be found here.
For most devices the only Device Variables that require changing are listed below. The rest can be left at their default values.
MOBIUS_LICENCE
MOBIUS_HUB_ID
Remember to override the Device Variables at the device level and not at the fleet level.
Any changes at the fleet level will apply to all devices in the fleet.
The image below shows the Device Variables created when MobiusFlow® is deployed to balenaCloud.
Expand the items below for detailed information on each Device Variable
Configure the network interfaces for a balenaCloud device
The configuration of the network interfaces of a MobiusFlow® balenaCloud device is handled by the manage microservice. All configuration is stored in a JSON file which can be updated by plugging in a properly configured USB memory stick or through the balenaCloud device terminal.
As each device type has different configurations and names for the underlying network interfaces, the structure of the network configuration may differ depending on the device type you are using
Navigate to the Device Summary page of the device you want to configure
Open a terminal in the manage microservice
Change to the /data/.mobius/manage directory and edit the networks.json file by running the following commands:
This will open the network configuration file for editing using the vi editor
Make any required changes and save the file
Exit the terminal and restart the manage microservice by clicking on the restart icon next to the manage service
Be careful when changing the network interface you are using to connect the device to the internet as you could prevent the device from connecting to balenaCloud.
Using a USB memory stick to update the network interfaces is useful when none of the network interfaces is configured to connect to the internet so it is not possible to use the balenaCloud device terminal. You will obviously need physical access to the device to use this method.
Format the USB memory stick as FAT32
Rename the USB memory to MOBIUSCONF
Create a file on the USB memory stick called networks.json
Open the file on your laptop or PC in your favourite text editor and paste in the correct JSON configuration from the examples above
Make any required changes
Save the file and unplug the USB memory stick from your laptop or PC
Plug the USB memory stick into any of the USB ports on your device
Reboot your device
When the device reboots it will copy the networks.json onto the device and use the new configuration for its network interfaces (this will take a minute or two)
You can then remove the USB memory stick and your device will continue to use the new network configuration.
Setting | Default Value |
---|---|
Navigate to your and login in
Database
mobius
Username
mobius
Password
RmzsXQYReLHaCS5wWGjAPjtJ7VnTw4qL
Configure a connector to connect to a MobiusFlow® instance
A device with a web browser such as a laptop, tablet or smart phone, capable of connecting to a 2.4GHz WiFi access point
A SIM card removal tool, large paper clip or pin to push the configuration mode button
A powered MobiusFlow® connector
The connector's Serial Number
If you leave the connector in configuration mode for more than 5 minutes it will automatically reboot and leave configuration mode
The connector's configuration mode can be enabled in two ways:
Using a pin hold in the configuration mode button (inside the small hole to the right of the USB connector) on the front panel for 2 seconds
Release the button and the green LED will flash rapidly
Using your laptop / tablet / smartphone look for a WiFi network with the same name as the connectors serial number
Connect to this network and enter the connector's Config Mode Password. The default is mobiusflow
Open a web browser on your laptop / tablet / smartphone and enter http://192.168.4.1 into the browsers address bar and hit enter
The web browser will show the connector's configuration Home page
This method is only available if you already know the IP address of the connector
Make sure that the connector and your laptop / tablet / smart phone are connected to the same Ethernet network
Open a web browser and browse to <your connector IP address>:8080 e.g. 192.168.1.20:8080
You will need to enter a user name and password. The user name is admin and the password is the same as the connector's Config Mode Password. The default is mobiusflow
After a short delay the web browser will redirect to the connector's configuration Home page
Configure your MobiusFlow® Connector and connect it to a MobiusFlow® instance
The Connector collects data from sensors and sends data to actuators via standard wireless sensor protocols such as EnOcean and Workplace Occupancy, and sends this data securely to a MobiusFlow® Gateway or MobiusFlow® Virtual Cloud Gateway using the MQTT based MobiusFlow® Sensor Protocol.
Once the data has been received by a MobiusFlow® Gateway it is decoded and the associated MobiusFlow® object is updated with the latest sensor readings which can then be processed by the gateway.
It is possible to have up to two radios for wireless sensors in a single connector. This is useful when you have combination of sensors using different protocols.
The current options are EnOcean and Workplace Occupancy using either 868MHz for the EMEA region of 915MHz for the USA and Canada.
You have three options to power the connector
You can connect to your network via wired Ethernet or 2.4GHz WiFi
The image and table below describe the connections and LED indicators on the front panel of the connector.
The serial number is required when configuring both the connector and your MobiusFlow® instance. Make sure you take a note of the serial number before starting
Configure a MobiusFlow® instance for connectors
Your connector's serial number (see label on bottom of connector)
A running instance of MobiusFlow®
A configured MQTT broker (this is usually an MQTT broker running in your MobiusFlow® instance
The configuration screenshots in the guide assume you are using an MQTT broker running in the same instance of MobiusFlow®. You should adjust the configuration to suit your setup. An example of the broker configuration is shown below
Login in to your MobiusFlow® instance and navigate to the Configuration tab
Drag a mobius connectors service from the palatte on the left into the centre configuration tree
Ensure that Enabled and Run At Start or ticked and optionally add a service description
In the MQTT Broker field enter the IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your MQTT broker. If you are using a broker configured in the same MobiusFlow® instance enter localhost
If you are using an MQTT broker running in the same MobiusFlow® instance enter localhost into the MQTT Broker field.
You can prefix your broker name with MQTTS:// to enable TLS for this connection e.g. MQTTS://my-broker.com
Enter the port that the broker is listening on into the MQTT Port field
This is usually 1883 for unsecured connections or 8883 for TLS connections.
If you entered localhost into the field above use 1883
If your MQTT broker requires a username and password for authentication enter these into the MQTT Username and MQTT Password fields. You can leave these two fields blank if your MQTT broker does not require them
Click Save Changes
Search for a mobiusFlowConnector object in the left hand palatte and drag one onto the mobius connectors service you have just configured
Optionally change the Name, and add a Description and Location. Leave the default Instance and Parent field values
Changing the Name will make it easier to find the connector in the diagnostics tab
In the Serial Number field enter the serial number of the connector you are adding. This can be found on the label on the bottom of the connector and usually starts MF_00
The connection between the connector and the MobiusFlow® instance is authorised and encoded with a pre-shared key (PSK) or password. You can freely define this PSK but the same key must be entered into the MobiusFlow® configuration and the corresponding connector.
We recommend a difficult to guess pre-shared key of at least 16 characters
Click Save Changes
Navigate to the Diagnostics page
Click on the mobius connectors service start button ▶️
The service will start and show that it has connected to the MQTT broker
If you make any changes to the mobius connectors service, any configured connectors, or add a new connector you should restart the mobius connectors to make the new configuration take effect
The Home page has the following buttons
Configure the wired or wireless Ethernet network settings
Manage all certificates for TLS connections. The default certificates are for MobiusFlow® cloud hosted instances but you can add your own if required
Change the configuration mode password
See information about the connector such as the software version, serial number, andwhich modules are installed
You can also update the firmware on this page
Reboot the device to exit configuration mode and use the new settings
Part Number | Region | EnOcean | Workplace Occupancy |
---|---|---|---|
Power Option | Details |
---|
Item | Description | Comments |
---|
The product label is on the bottom of the connector. It shows the , software version and serial number of the product.
Configure the connection to the MQTT broker you chose when
EXT00102
EMEA (868MHz)
EXT00110
EMEA (868MHz)
EXT00112
EMEA (868MHz)
EXT10102
US (915MHz)
EXT10110
US (915MHz)
EXT10112
US (915MHz)
PoE | Power over Ethernet (30 watts) |
DC Supply via screw terminals | 5 to 24Vdc 500mA |
USB | 5V 500mA via micro USB |
1 | Ethernet port and PoE Supply |
|
2 | 5 to 24vdc screw terminals |
|
3 | USB power |
|
4 | Configuration button | Push and hold to enter config mode or factory reset |
5 | Power OK indicator | Connector is powered |
6 | 5 to 24vdc power OK |
|
7 | USB power OK |
|
8 | PoE power OK |
|
9 | MobiusFlow® connected | Connected to MobiusFlow® gateway |
10 | Network connected (upstream) | Network connection established |
11 | Module present in slot 1 |
|
12 | Module 1 activity | Flashes when module 1 sends or receives data |
13 | Module present in slot 2 |
|
14 | Module 2 activity | Flashes when module 2 sends or receives data |
Configure the wired or wireless Ethernet connection
You can choose to use a wired or wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) connection to connect a connector to your MobiusFlow® instance
Select your network type using the Connect Via dropdown. The page layout will change depending on the option selected
When using a wireless connection you need to enter the WiFi network's SSID (name) and password. You can click on the Scan WiFi Networks button to get a list of available WiFi networks
You can set a connection timeout in minutes. If the connector fails to connect to a network within this time it will reboot and try again
You can choose to use a DHCP server to allocate the connector an IP Address or set a static IP Address. If you choose to use a static IP Address a few more options will be shown. Set these according to your network
Once you have configured all network settings click the Save button
Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page
Manage certificates for TLS connections
When using TLS you will need to set the correct CA / Server certificates. You can have up to three certificates set. If the connector fails to connect using one of the certificates it will cycle through all three, trying each one until it connects
The default certificates are ISRG Root X1 certificates which are used when connecting to MobiusFlow® hosted instances of MobiusFlow®
You can set the certificate by pasting the certificate text into the selected certificate slot
If your setup requires the use of Client certificates you can set up to four different certificates and keys. Paset these into the selected certificate and key slots
Configure the MQTT connection to MobiusFlow®
You can choose any MQTT client ID but this must be unique for your MQTT broker. The default is the connector's serial number
Enter the IP Address or URL of the MQTT broker. You do not need to specify MQTT:// or MQTTS:// before the URL
Enter the MQTT Port number. This is normally 1883 or 8883 for TLS enabled connections
If required enter the MQTT broker authorisation Username and Password. These can be left blank if no authentication is required
Once you have configured all MQTT settings click the Save button
Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page
MobiusFlow® connectors send and receive data via MQTT. You need to configure the MQTT settings to match the configuration you set in the section of this guide.
Enter the same pre-shared key (PSK) as you entered in the section of this guide
If you are using TLS make sure you check the TLS using CA Certificate option. You must also set the correct CA Server Certificate on the page
You may also choose to use a Client Certificate and Key. Check this option if required and ensure that you have setup your client certificate and key on the page
Return all settings to factory default
If you forget your connector's Config Mode Password or want to fully reset all settings to the factory default follow the procedure below
A SIM card removal tool, large paper clip or pin to push the configuration mode button
Using a pin hold in the configuration mode button (inside the small hole to the right of the USB connector) on the front panel for 10 seconds
While you are holding the button in the green LED will start to flash rapidly and after 10 seconds the connector will reboot. Once you see the power on LED sequence release the configuration mode button
Set the configuration mode password
The Config Mode Password is used to login to the configuration pages of the connector. The default password is mobiusflow
You can change the password on this page
If you forget your password you will have to factory reset the connector
Click the Save button
Click the Home button on the settings saved confirmation page to return to the Home page
Get connector details and update firmware
The about page shows you information about the connector. You can also update the connector's firmware by clicking on the Update Firmware button
Click on the Update Firmware button on the About page
Click on Choose File and select the firmware file you want to upload
Click on the Update button
After a few minutes the connector will reboot and start running the new firmware
Make sure that you choose firmware with the same model number as your connector!
UP Board from Aaeon
Image supports:
UP2 Edge
UP2 Edge Pro
Up Extreme Edge
and more..
Raspberry Pi 4
Perfect for:
Low cost deployments
Proof of Concept applications
Testing and demonstrations
Intel NUC
Many different manufacturers
Wide range of prices depending on specification
Always available