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Expand Up @@ -233,4 +233,6 @@ Make sure the IP addresses of your device and PLC are in the same subnet. If the

## Conclusion

Integrating Siemens S7 PLCs with Node-RED opens up powerful automation possibilities with minimal complexity. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily connect your PLC to Node-RED, control devices, and visualize real-time data on dashboards. Whether you're writing data to control outputs or reading sensor values, Node-RED offers a flexible, user-friendly platform for industrial automation.
Integrating Siemens S7 PLCs with Node-RED opens up powerful automation possibilities with minimal complexity. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily connect your PLC to Node-RED, control devices, and visualize real-time data on dashboards. Whether you're writing data to control outputs or reading sensor values, Node-RED offers a flexible, user-friendly platform for industrial automation.

Beyond Siemens S7, FlowFuse connects Allen-Bradley, Omron, Beckhoff, and any Modbus or OPC UA-enabled PLC to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems. See the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/) for all supported protocols and use cases.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/07/reading-and-writing-plc-data-using-opc-ua.md
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Expand Up @@ -277,3 +277,5 @@ This guide covered the basics, but OPC UA offers far more. In the next article,
When it is time to move beyond prototypes, **FlowFuse** delivers what industrial systems truly need—remote device management, instant rollbacks with full version control, built-in team collaboration, and high availability you can trust.

If you’re ready to simplify your OPC UA integration and scale industrial workflows with Node-RED, [start your free trial]({% include "sign-up-url.njk" %}) of FlowFuse today.

OPC UA is one of several protocols FlowFuse uses to connect PLCs to MQTT, cloud platforms, and enterprise systems. See the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/) for EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, Modbus, and more.
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Expand Up @@ -285,4 +285,6 @@ Managing OPC UA flows across multiple sites? FlowFuse helps teams deploy Node-RE

Following our managed MQTT broker, we've now added database services built right into the platform, plus new AI features that make building flows faster than ever.

Connecting PLCs beyond OPC UA? FlowFuse also supports Siemens S7, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU, and MQTT — see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/) for all supported protocols and use cases.

[Get started free]({% include "sign-up-url.njk" %}) and scale and manage your Node-RED deployments today.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/09/using-modbus-with-flowfuse.md
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Expand Up @@ -172,3 +172,5 @@ Modbus RTU has stood the test of time in industrial automation because it’s si
* Scale from a single sensor to a **factory-wide monitoring and control system**.

The real value comes when you stop treating Modbus as just a communication protocol and start using FlowFuse as the **bridge between industrial devices and enterprise systems**. From dashboards to alerts, from analytics to cloud integration — the possibilities are endless once the data is in your hands.

Modbus is one of several protocols FlowFuse uses to connect PLCs — see [how FlowFuse connects any PLC to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems](/landing/plc/) for the full picture.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/10/how-to-log-plc-data-csv-files.md
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Expand Up @@ -232,4 +232,6 @@ FlowFuse makes this process straightforward by combining Node-RED’s flexibilit

And while CSV is a reliable starting point, FlowFuse also integrates seamlessly with modern databases and historians like InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, and MySQL. Even better, FlowFuse Cloud includes a built-in PostgreSQL service and an AI Query Node that lets you explore your data conversationally — turning raw logs into actionable insights.

For more on how FlowFuse connects PLCs across OPC UA, Siemens S7, EtherNet/IP, and Modbus to collect and route industrial data, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).

> You can [talk to our team](/book-demo/), they’ll walk you through a live demo showing how FlowFuse helps you connect, collect, transform, and visualize your industrial data reliably and intelligently.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/10/plc-to-mqtt-using-flowfuse.md
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Expand Up @@ -195,3 +195,5 @@ Manufacturers typically see substantial cost reduction in the first year, with i
## Get Started

Connect your first PLC today. [Sign up for FlowFuse](https://app.flowfuse.com/), install the Device Agent on your edge hardware, and have data flowing to MQTT in under an hour. The platform handles the complexity—you focus on turning factory data into insights.

MQTT is one of several ways FlowFuse connects PLCs to the modern industrial stack. For a full view of supported protocols — OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, Modbus, and more — see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion src/blog/2025/10/using-ethernet-ip-with-flowfuse.md
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Expand Up @@ -239,6 +239,6 @@ Check out our [Getting Started with Dashboard guide](/blog/2024/03/dashboard-get

### Beyond Allen-Bradley

FlowFuse isn't limited to EtherNet/IP. Connect Siemens PLCs via S7, use OPC UA for vendor-neutral communication, integrate Modbus devices, or connect IoT sensors with MQTT. Mix protocols as needed—your factory floor probably isn't single-vendor anyway.
FlowFuse isn't limited to EtherNet/IP. Connect Siemens PLCs via S7, use OPC UA for vendor-neutral communication, integrate Modbus devices, or connect IoT sensors with MQTT. Mix protocols as needed—your factory floor probably isn't single-vendor anyway. For a full view of every supported PLC brand and protocol, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).

[Book a demo](/book-demo/) to see how FlowFuse connects your entire operation.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/11/building-hmi-for-equipment-control.md
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Expand Up @@ -260,4 +260,6 @@ As your system grows, organize controls across multiple dashboard pages for diff

And if you need to deploy the solution across many production lines, FlowFuse's DevOps features help you manage the scale. Build your HMI once, then deploy it across multiple edge devices and push updates centrally without visiting each location.

For a full view of the PLC brands and protocols FlowFuse supports — Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Omron, OPC UA, Modbus, and more — see [how FlowFuse connects any PLC to the modern industrial stack](/landing/plc/).

[Book a demo](/book-demo/) to see how FlowFuse can help your organization connect, collect, transform, and visualize industrial data with our low-code and AI-powered editor—without the hassle of infrastructure management, deployment complexities, or security concerns at scale.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2025/11/store-and-forward-edge-data-buffering.md
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Expand Up @@ -346,3 +346,5 @@ This pattern solves a common problem in industrial environments: maintaining com
The system you've built is production-ready as-is, but you can extend it based on your requirements—add monitoring for buffer capacity, implement data validation rules, or configure forwarding to multiple destinations. The core mechanism remains the same.

If you want to get the flow template that you can use directly and modify according to your needs, check out our [latest blueprint](/blueprints/getting-started/store-and-forward/).

Store-and-forward is just one part of a complete PLC integration. For the full picture — connecting Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Omron, and other PLCs to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems — see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion src/blog/2025/12/what-is-plc.md
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Expand Up @@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ A single Node-RED instance can simultaneously communicate with Siemens S7 PLCs,

FlowFuse adds the enterprise infrastructure: centralized management across hundreds of edge devices, version control and rollback, role-based access, audit logging, and security at every layer. Build one flow that reads from Siemens PLCs and deploy it to every facility. When something changes, update once and push the change everywhere. Edge instances run locally even if network connections drop.

FlowFuse doesn't replace your PLCs. It connects them. That Rockwell controller keeps running its proven logic. The Siemens system continues its scan cycle. What changes is the integration layer that lets isolated systems finally communicate.
[FlowFuse doesn't replace your PLCs. It connects them.](/landing/plc/) That Rockwell controller keeps running its proven logic. The Siemens system continues its scan cycle. What changes is the integration layer that lets isolated systems finally communicate.

A [large US manufacturing company](/customer-stories/manufacturing-digital-transformation/) with over 10,000 employees uses FlowFuse to manage thousands of Node-RED instances deployed across global facilities. These instances collect data from sensors, PLCs, and cameras on production lines, enabling them to transition from paper-based operations to real-time data visibility. A team of five developers—former manufacturing engineers, not software specialists—built hundreds of applications using Node-RED's visual programming. FlowFuse now manages deployment to thousands of remote devices and maintains multiple versions across all instances, solving what had become an unmanageable tracking challenge as they scaled.

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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/01/eliminate-opc-ua-bottleneck-ai-agents.md
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Expand Up @@ -103,4 +103,6 @@ This isn't about replacing people with automation. It's about making the data in

And it's not limited to OPC UA. FlowFuse's MCP approach works the same way across any industrial system—MQTT brokers, Modbus devices, SQL databases, REST APIs, whatever protocols you're running. Same natural language interface, same investigation capabilities, different underlying systems. The infrastructure you have becomes the infrastructure you can actually use.

For a complete guide to connecting PLCs via OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, and Modbus to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).


2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/01/kepware-opcua-better-alternative.md
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Expand Up @@ -112,3 +112,5 @@ Kepware functions reliably. That's not disputed. But reliability alone doesn't j
Evaluate alternatives now from strength. Or negotiate renewals later from weakness under new ownership terms.

Kepware won through early dominance and ecosystem lock-in. That's separate from being the right architecture for current operations.

See [how FlowFuse connects any PLC to MQTT, OPC UA, cloud, and enterprise systems](/landing/plc/) — without per-tag licensing or proprietary lock-in.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/01/opcua-vs-mqtt.md
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Expand Up @@ -258,3 +258,5 @@ The right question isn't "MQTT or OPC UA?"
It's "MQTT where? OPC UA where? Both where?"

Answer that based on your requirements, not vendor marketing.

For a practical guide to connecting PLCs via both OPC UA and MQTT in FlowFuse — alongside EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, and Modbus — see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion src/blog/2026/01/why-modbus-still-exist.md
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Expand Up @@ -118,4 +118,4 @@ The result is a patchwork that reflects industrial reality rather than protocol

This approach proves that Modbus survives not because it's technically superior, but because it solves real problems with minimal friction. The protocol succeeded by being simple enough that anyone can implement it, cheap enough that everyone does, and reliable enough that nobody has to think about it.

FlowFuse is the industrial data platform designed to bridge this gap between legacy Modbus registers and modern enterprise systems. Our platform provides the connectivity and security layers needed to transform aging infrastructure into a secure, data-driven operation.
FlowFuse is the industrial data platform designed to bridge this gap between legacy Modbus registers and modern enterprise systems. Our platform provides the connectivity and security layers needed to transform aging infrastructure into a secure, data-driven operation. See [how FlowFuse connects Modbus PLCs — and every other PLC brand — to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/02/modbus-tcp-vs-modbus-rtu.md
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Expand Up @@ -106,3 +106,5 @@ If you are deploying TCP: isolate Modbus devices on a dedicated VLAN or network
If you are maintaining a hybrid gateway architecture, resist the urge to rationalize it away. It is doing work.

The two protocols make different guarantees, fail differently, and require different diagnostic skills when something goes wrong. Understanding that distinction before the system is designed costs nothing. Understanding it for the first time during an incident costs considerably more.

For a practical guide to connecting Modbus PLCs — alongside OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, and Siemens S7 — to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/03/how-to-connect-to-twincat-using-ads.md
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Expand Up @@ -338,3 +338,5 @@ You now have a working ADS connection between FlowFuse and TwinCAT, reading vari
This guide covered the core nodes to get you connected and working. The `node-red-contrib-ads-client` package includes several other nodes worth exploring on your own, and future articles will cover more advanced use cases in depth.

With FlowFuse you can take this further. Build real-time dashboards that visualize live PLC data, connect TwinCAT to other systems like databases, ERP, or cloud platforms, set up alerts when variables go out of range, and create operator interfaces that let your team interact with the machine from anywhere. All of it built on the same connection you just configured, without writing a single line of custom integration code.

Beckhoff TwinCAT ADS is one of many PLCs FlowFuse connects to the modern industrial stack. For Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Omron, Modbus, OPC UA, and more, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
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Expand Up @@ -221,3 +221,5 @@ A few things worth doing before you go to production:
**Monitor connection state.** Add a status node in Node-RED connected to your mqtt out node. If the connection drops, you'll want to know immediately — not when someone notices missing data an hour later.

Industrial data pipelines aren't complex. They just have a lot of small steps that have to be right. You've done the hard part.

For more on how FlowFuse connects PLCs and edge devices — via OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, and Modbus — to cloud and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/04/diagnosing-modbus-degradation.md
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Expand Up @@ -177,3 +177,5 @@ Physical changes to the RS-485 segment (wiring, termination, baud rate or parity
What keeps a Modbus installation stable for years is mostly mundane: a poll list reviewed quarterly against the actual field, scan rates tiered with the reasoning written down, timeouts calculated from measured device response times rather than defaults, and per-device success rates visible on a dashboard that someone checks regularly enough to catch drift before it becomes failure. None of it is sophisticated. All of it requires treating the Modbus layer as something that needs ongoing maintenance, not a configuration artifact from the last integration project.

If you've worked through both parts and the installation is still misbehaving, you're likely past what configuration review can resolve. Power quality on the RS-485 segment, a device firmware bug producing malformed responses on specific register ranges, or a network infrastructure change that introduced unexpected latency: these are real causes that look like everything else until you rule everything else out. A [protocol capture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_analyzer) on the wire during an active failure event will tell you more in twenty minutes than another hour of configuration review. At that point, that's where to start.

For a guide to connecting Modbus PLCs — alongside OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, and Siemens S7 — to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/blog/2026/04/modbus-polling-best-practices.md
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Expand Up @@ -140,3 +140,5 @@ The three problems this article covers, scan rate uniformity, timeout miscalcula
The fix for all three is the same kind of work: deliberate, once, documented. Tier your scan rates to match how fast your data actually changes. Calculate your timeouts from the physics of your network rather than accepting defaults. Read the register map before you batch. None of this takes long. None of it requires downtime. It just requires treating these as decisions rather than defaults.

If you've made these changes and your installation is still misbehaving, the problem is in the operational layer: how your polling architecture handles the network and devices once they're running. The next article covers that: serial versus TCP failure modes, unresponsive device handling, live diagnostics, and how to fix what you find without taking production down.

For a complete guide to connecting Modbus PLCs — alongside OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, and Siemens S7 — to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
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Expand Up @@ -115,3 +115,5 @@ A deadband filter solves this with a single comparison. No complex logic, no add
But filtering noise is just one piece of a reliable industrial data pipeline. FlowFuse goes further. It simplifies collecting data from any device or protocol, implementing patterns like deadband filtering, [store and forward](/blog/2025/11/store-and-forward-edge-data-buffering/) to handle network interruptions, [dead letter queues](/blog/2026/03/how-to-implement-dlq-and-retries/) to catch and recover failed messages, and much more. All of it managed centrally, deployed consistently, and running reliably across your entire fleet.

The filter handles the noise. FlowFuse handles everything else.

For more on how FlowFuse connects PLCs and sensors — via OPC UA, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, and Siemens S7 — to MQTT, cloud, and enterprise systems, see the [FlowFuse PLC integration overview](/landing/plc/).
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