Sparkplug B is a lightweight, efficient protocol specification designed to enhance MQTT communications in industrial IoT applications. It defines a structured format for data transmission, ensuring consistent messaging between devices, gateways, and platforms. By standardizing the way data is encoded, Sparkplug B streamlines integration with platforms like Ubidots.
Sparkplug reduces bandwidth consumption by transmitting only relevant data changes, improving performance for devices operating in remote or bandwidth-limited environments. Its state management capabilities ensure data integrity, minimizing the risk of incomplete or outdated information.
Aware of the need to provide support for this specification, Ubidots has incorporated Sparkplug into its MQTT broker.
Learn how to easily forward data from your Sparkplug-enabled devices to Ubidots.
1. How to Send Data to Ubidots Using Sparkplug B
To send data from your Sparkplug B-compatible devices to Ubidots, follow these steps:
1.1. Configure Your Device
Ensure your device is set to publish data using the Sparkplug B protocol. The topic structure must follow this format:
spBv1.0/<group_id>/<message_type>/<edge_node_id>/<device_id>
Where:
group_id: Identifies the group of devices.message_type: Indicates the type of message (e.g.,NBIRTH,DBIRTH,NDATA,DDEATH).edge_node_id: Identifies the gateway or node sending the data.device_id: The unique ID of the device, which will become the Device Label in Ubidots.
1.2. Authentication
Sparkplug authentication is the same as in plain MQTT, where you only need your Ubidots token as the username. The password can be left empty.
1.3. Viewing Data in Ubidots
Once your data reaches Ubidots, it will be automatically mapped as follows:
Each Sparkplug B device will appear in Ubidots as a device with a label matching its
<device_id>.Defined numeric variables like
tempandhumidity(or any other) will be available as independent variables within the device.The variable
sparkplug_datawill contain non-numeric data points,group_id, andedge_node_id.
For example, with this topic (which follows the Sparkplug specification):
spBv1.0/myGroup/DDATA/myNode/myDevice
Your device (and its variables) will look like this in Ubidots:
Notes:
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