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Unlike fragmented solutions that require multiple tools glued together, ThingsBoard provides the full system operators actually use, from device connectivity to role-based dashboards, out of the box. By the end of this guide, you will have:
  • ThingsBoard running on a reComputer R2100
  • A device connected via MQTT
  • Simulated telemetry generated from Node-RED. In our guide, we will be using Node-RED to emulate device data for this setup. Learn more about Node-RED here
  • A live industrial dashboard (motor, energy, vibration, etc.)
  • Optional RPC control from the dashboard to the device

Want to get started with ThingsBoard? Sign up here.

Hardware & Software Used

Hardware

  • reComputer R2100 (Edge device) from Seeed Studio
  • Development PC / Laptop

Software

  • ThingsBoard Community Edition (CE)
  • Node-RED (for sending simulated telemetry data)
  • MQTT Broker (built into ThingsBoard)

Step 1 – Install ThingsBoard on the reComputer R2100

You can use any Linux-based edge device with at least 4GB of RAM. Get more information here
1

Log in to reComputer via Putty

ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
2

Install ThingsBoard

You can follow the instructions given on thingsBoard documentation here: https://thingsboard.io/docs/user-guide/install/rpi/?utm_source=inf&utm_medium=rjvr&utm_campaign=edgesetupOnce you have finished installing ThingsBoard, come back here.

Step 2- Start ThingsBoard and open the WebUI

1

Start ThingsBoard on your edge device

2

Open WebUI

Open this on your browser: http://192.168.0.195:8080 where 192.168.0.195 is the IP address of the edge device.
3

Log in as Admin

Log in using the following credentials:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
4

Create a new Tenant

Multitenancy in ThingsBoard enables you to manage multiple organizations within a single system. Each tenant works like an independent environment with its own users, devices, and dashboards.
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
The steps to create the tenant are given here: https://thingsboard.io/docs/user-guide/ui/tenants/?utm_source=inf&utm_medium=rjvr&utm_campaign=edgesetup
5

Add the user in the Tenant as 'Admin'

The System administrator can also create multiple users with the Tenant Administrator role in each tenant.
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
6

Log in as 'Tenant user.'

ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)

Step 3- Add a new device and send a test value

Let’s add a device that sends telemetry data to ThingsBoard.
1

Add a device

2

Select the communication protocol

There are multiple ways to connect to the ThingsBoard device. In our example, we will use MQTT.
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
3

Get ThingsBoard MQTT connection details

The ThingsBoard has an internal MQTT Broker running on port 1883. You will find more details for the connection in the wizard.
In the above lines of code, we can extract the following information needed to send telemetry data to ThingsBoard via MQTT:
  • Broker URL: 192.168.0.195 (IP Address of the edge device)
  • MQTT Port: 1883
  • MQTT Topic: v1/devices/me/telemetry
  • Username: IPOJzEMJHs0wWhzz2K3R
  • Password: — leave blank —
4

Send a test value to ThingsBoard via MQTT

Take the inject node as ‘Timestamp’ with an interval of 1 second.
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Add a function node to simulate temperature value
Take the MQTT out node and set up the ThingsBoard’s MQTT broker parameters as shown in the image:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Enter the username:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Define the MQTT topic:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Once the connection is established, send a test value as ‘temperature’:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Open the telemetry log to view the temperature value. Navigate to Entities > Devices > IoT1 > Latest Telemetry
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)

Step 4- Update telemetry data in the Node-RED

To visualize multiple parameters on the ThingsBoard dashboard, we need additional telemetry data. Use the following code in the function node of Node-RED.
This updated code will give you multiple simulated values as shown below:
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)

Step 5- Create Dashboard

We will now create a dashboard to visualize telemetry data. The step-by-step information on creating the dashboard is given here: https://thingsboard.io/docs/user-guide/dashboards/?utm_source=inf&utm_medium=rjvr&utm_campaign=edgesetup
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
1

Add new widget

Open your dashboard and click on ‘Add new widget’
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
2

Select 'Cards' in the widget bundle

ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
3

Select Label & value card

ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
4

Configure the parameters

  • Locate your IoT device. In our case, it is ‘IoT1.’
  • Update the label to ‘Temperature.’
  • Update the icon and color as required.
  • Click on ‘Add’
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Best practice (recommended for shared dashboards)In production or reusable dashboards, avoid selecting a fixed Device.
Instead, use an Entity Alias resolved from the dashboard state.
This allows the same dashboard to work across different devices and instances.
5

Visualize the Dashboard

You will instantly see the Temperature value on the dashboard
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)

Step 6- Import dashboard

ThingsBoard makes it really easy to share a dashboard. Follow these steps to duplicate my ThingsBoard dashboard.
1

Click on Add Dashboard > Import

ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
2

Download my dashboard

Click on the file below to keep a copy of the dashboard

dashboard (3).json

3

About Entity Alias & Reusability (Important)

This dashboard is exported using an entity alias instead of a fixed device.What this means:
  • The dashboard is not hard-coded to a specific device
  • It can be reused across different ThingsBoard instances
  • All widgets dynamically resolve the device from the dashboard state
During import, ThingsBoard will automatically use the default state entity defined in the dashboard.
You can change this at any time to point the dashboard to your own device.

Importing Dashboard

Drag and drop the file into the wizard, then click ‘Import.’ You will find the imported dashboard in the list.

After importing the dashboard

If your device name is different from IoT1, follow these steps:
  1. Open the imported dashboard
  2. Click Edit → Aliases
  3. Select the alias (for example: IoT1)
  4. Choose your own Device
  5. Save the dashboard
All widgets will update automatically. Click it to view all sample telemetry data on your screen.
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
ThingsBoard (Edge Setup)
Enjoy exploring the dashboard elements.
Using Entity Alias instead of selecting a device directly:
  • Makes dashboards portable and shareable
  • Prevents broken widgets after import
  • Allows the same dashboard to work with multiple devices
  • Follows ThingsBoard’s best practices for production dashboards

Work With Me

I regularly test industrial automation and IIoT devices. If you’d like me to review your product or showcase it in my courses and YouTube channel: Email: rajvir@codeandcompile.com or drop me a message on LinkedIn