Wiznet makers

Overview

This project was developed to solve a common challenge in industrial and IoT sensing environments: although sensor devices can collect valuable field data, it is often difficult to connect that data directly to a customer’s cloud platform because each customer may require different communication methods, protocols, or integration rules.

To address this issue, the company built a sensor gateway platform using WIZnet’s W5500 and a Nordic MCU. The system receives data from sensors such as vibration sensors and temperature/humidity sensors, forwards that data to a gateway, and then sends it to a server. From there, the platform automatically selects and processes the appropriate sensor protocol before delivering the data to the customer’s cloud.

At the same time, the server also allows users to monitor the sensor values directly, providing both protocol conversion and real-time data visibility in one solution.

Background

In many real-world sensing projects, the sensor itself is not the main problem. The bigger challenge is what comes next: how to transfer raw field data into the customer’s cloud environment in a form that the customer can actually use.

Different customers often require different data structures, transport methods, and protocol handling. Because of this, even when sensing hardware is already installed and working properly, integrating sensor data into a cloud platform can still become a major obstacle.

This creates several practical requirements:

• Reliable acquisition of field sensor data
• Stable Ethernet-based communication from the sensing device
• A gateway layer that can bridge sensors and servers efficiently
• Automatic protocol selection and conversion for different customer environments
• A monitoring environment where users can view sensor values directly from the server

To solve these issues, the project introduced a gateway-centered architecture in which only the gateway needs to be installed on site, while the server handles protocol conversion and cloud integration automatically.

Solution

In this architecture, the field device is built around a Nordic MCU and WIZnet’s W5500.

The device collects data from sensors such as:

• Vibration sensors
• Temperature and humidity sensors
• Other sensor types using different protocols

The collected data is transmitted to a gateway, which forwards it to the central server. The server then automatically determines how the data should be processed and converted based on the customer’s required protocol or cloud environment.

This means the customer does not need to redesign each sensor integration separately. Instead, once the gateway is installed, the backend system can handle protocol adaptation automatically while also making the sensor data visible from the server side.

The W5500 is well suited to this kind of embedded Ethernet design because it integrates a hardwired TCP/IP stack together with 10/100 Ethernet MAC and PHY, allowing the external MCU to implement stable wired networking more efficiently over SPI.

System Architecture

The system can be understood in the following flow:

1. Sensor Data Acquisition

Field devices collect data from vibration, temperature, humidity, and other industrial sensors.

2. Embedded Processing

A Nordic MCU handles local control logic and sensor-side processing.

3. Ethernet Communication with W5500

The W5500 provides Ethernet connectivity so that sensor data can be transmitted reliably from the embedded device to the gateway. WIZnet states that the W5500 supports a hardwired TCP/IP stack, embedded 10/100 Ethernet MAC/PHY, and up to 8 hardware sockets, making it suitable for compact embedded Ethernet products.

4. Gateway Forwarding

The gateway receives the field data and passes it to the central server.

5. Automatic Protocol Conversion

The server automatically selects and processes the protocol required for the target customer environment.

6. Customer Cloud Integration and Monitoring

The converted data is sent to the customer’s cloud, while the same server environment also allows users to view and monitor sensor values directly.

Key Technologies

W5500

The W5500 is WIZnet’s Ethernet controller with a hardwired TCP/IP stack, integrated 10/100 Ethernet MAC/PHY, SPI interface, and multiple hardware sockets. These features help simplify Ethernet implementation in embedded products and reduce networking complexity on the MCU side.

Nordic MCU

The Nordic MCU is used as the main controller for sensor interfacing, device logic, and overall embedded processing.

Gateway-based Integration

Instead of forcing each sensor device to connect directly to a customer cloud with custom protocol logic, the architecture uses a gateway + server model to centralize integration.

Automatic Protocol Handling

One of the most important features of the project is its ability to automatically select and process different sensor protocols on the server side before forwarding data to the customer’s cloud.

Server-side Monitoring

In addition to protocol conversion, the server also provides direct visibility into sensor values, making the platform useful for both integration and monitoring.

Benefits

This W5500- and Nordic MCU-based platform provides several practical advantages:

• Simplified cloud integration
  Sensors do not need to connect directly to each customer cloud with custom-built logic.
• Gateway-centered deployment
  Installing the gateway on site is enough to connect field sensors to the broader integration platform.
• Automatic protocol conversion
  The server can process different sensor protocols and adapt data automatically for customer-specific cloud environments.
• Improved data visibility
  Sensor values can be checked directly on the server while also being delivered to the customer cloud.
• Efficient embedded Ethernet design
  By using the W5500, the device can implement stable Ethernet communication with less networking burden on the external MCU. 

Conclusion

This project demonstrates how WIZnet’s W5500 and a Nordic MCU can be used to build a practical sensor gateway platform for cloud integration.

By collecting sensor data from devices such as vibration and temperature/humidity sensors, forwarding it through a gateway, and automatically converting protocols on the server side, the system solves one of the most difficult problems in industrial sensing: connecting field data to a customer-specific cloud environment in a scalable and manageable way.

With the gateway acting as the installation point and the server handling both protocol adaptation and sensor monitoring, this architecture provides a practical path for turning diverse sensor data into cloud-ready information.