Monnit Edge - Welcome 00
Getting started with the Monnit Edge Gateway
Welcome to Monnit Edge Flows documentation.
Monnit Edge includes a built-in Flows editor (Node-RED). Flows let you take live sensor data from the gateway, apply logic on the Edge, and hand that data off to building systems, dashboards, email, webhooks, and other integrations — without waiting on the cloud for every decision.
This Welcome 00 article is the starting point: the high-level premise, how the guided example set fits together, what Monnit support covers, and an index of the detailed articles.
Article index
Start here, then follow the series:
| # | Article | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | This page — Welcome | Premise, usage, support, index |
| 01 | Node-RED Basics | Editor, nodes, wires, Deploy, debug |
| 02 | Edge Path (Sensors UI vs Flows) | Where data lives: UI vs Flows |
| 03 | iMonnit-Edge | Live sensor stream into Flows |
| 04 | See Data (Debug) | Inspect messages safely |
| 05 | Sensor Filter | Route by sensor ID |
| 06 | BACnet | Edge as BACnet/IP device |
| 07 | Modbus TCP | Edge as Modbus TCP server |
| 08 | MQTT | Publish sensor data over MQTT |
| 09 | Interface Status | Status cards, support tests, disable/hide lab tabs |
| 10 | Alert Example with Delay | Monnit - Alert, Disarm/Rearm, delay cancel, email & webhook |
Premise (high level)
| Idea | What it means on Edge |
|---|---|
| Sensors UI | Pair, name, and monitor sensors in the Edge web UI. |
| Flows | Wire nodes so data moves from Edge sensors into filters, alerts, BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, email, webhooks, and more. |
| iMonnit-Edge | The built-in node that brings the live sensor stream into Flows. |
| Monnit modules | Palette nodes Monnit ships for Edge (filter, BACnet, Modbus, MQTT helpers, Alert, Interface Status, simulators, etc.). |
| Your logic | Conditions, delays, templates, and third-party nodes you add for site-specific behavior. |
Typical path: Sensors online in the Edge UI → iMonnit-Edge (or a simulator in the lab) → optional Sensor Filter → protocol or notification nodes → Deploy → verify with Debug / Interface Status.
Work the articles in order when you are new (01 → …). Skip ahead only if you already know Node-RED and the Edge data path.
What this Welcome covers (and what it does not)
Covered here
- Why Edge Flows exist and how the lab/docs are organized
- Basic usage expectations (read → configure → Deploy → test)
- Support boundaries (what Monnit will help with)
- Index of the detailed articles
Covered in the linked articles (not repeated here at full depth)
- Node-RED editor basics
- Sensors UI vs Flows
- Each Monnit module and example Flow (BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, Alert + Delay, etc.)
Not covered by Monnit Edge Flows docs
- Designing your entire BMS/PLC program
- Third-party SMTP, Slack/Teams, cloud webhook products (beyond wiring patterns in examples)
- General Node-RED community nodes not built by Monnit
For those topics, use the articles below plus the vendor’s or Node-RED’s own documentation.
Basic usage
- Open Flows on the Edge Gateway.
- Read the guided tab / article for the feature you need.
- Double-click nodes, set IDs / thresholds / ports / credentials as required.
- Click Deploy — changes do not run until Deploy.
- Confirm with debug, the protocol client (YABE, Modbus master, MQTT subscriber), or Interface Status.
- When finished with example tabs, disable and optionally hide them so lab Flows stop running (see Interface Status article).
Empty sensor IDs or blank webhook/email fields in a template example are intentional until you copy the Flow for a real site.
Support
Contact: [support@monnit.com](mailto:support@monnit.com)
What Monnit supports
| Area | Support |
|---|---|
| Edge Gateway UI and operation | Yes — local UI, gateway operation, pairing/monitoring sensors, and using Flows on the Edge as shipped. |
| Monnit-created Flow modules | Yes — behavior and configuration of modules Monnit provides (for example Sensor Filter, BACnet, Modbus TCP, MQTT-related Monnit nodes, Monnit - Alert, Interface Status, Express / sensor simulator, and related guided examples). |
What to use instead of tickets for everything else
| Area | Where to go |
|---|---|
| How to wire or configure a lab example | The articles indexed below |
| Node-RED editor, core nodes, Deploy, messages | Node-RED documentation and the Node-RED Basics article |
| Third-party nodes, SMTP providers, webhook hosts, BMS/PLC tools | That product’s documentation and support |
Monnit support for Edge Flows is focused on the Edge Gateway and Monnit modules. Outside that scope, please use these Knowledge Base articles and whatever third-party or Node-RED support is available for the rest of the stack.
Included Monnit modules
These Node-RED packages ship with (or alongside) this lab:
- node-red-contrib-monnit-bacnet
1.5.0— BACnet/IP server - node-red-contrib-monnit-modbus
0.1.3— Modbus TCP server - node-red-contrib-monnit-sensor-filter
0.1.4— Route by sensor ID - node-red-contrib-monnit-gateway-status
0.1.4— Interface status + support tests - node-red-contrib-monnit-express-sim
1.2.0— Monnit - Edge - Sensor Simulator
The Edge also provides the built-in iMonnit-Edge node (sensor stream into Flows). That node is part of the Edge software image, not a separate npm package in this repo.
Non-Monnit provided nodes:
- node-red-contrib-markdown-note
1.1.8— Markdown lab notes (this documentation) - node-red-contrib-markdown-note
1.1.8— Email nodes to use SMTP servers
The standard package of nodes included in Node-RED are also included.
Next step
New to Flows? Open Node-RED Basics.
Already comfortable with the editor? Continue with Edge Path (Sensors UI vs Flows).
Questions: support@monnit.com