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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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About IXON

What is the history of IXON?

IXON was founded in 2014 by the current CEO and owner Willem Hofmans. He started IXON because he saw an increasing demand from people who want to connect to their industrial machines remotely. By connecting to machines remotely you can do off-site maintenance, monitor performance and predict when physical maintenance is necessary. This is how IXON is trying to create added value with IoT.

For who is IXON?

IXON products are used by machine manufacturers, system integrators and users of industrial machines over the world.

How do I place an order at IXON?

You can contact us at sales@ixon.cloud to request a product demo or to place an order.

How do I create an IXON account?

If you'd like to try IXON products you can register for a free product tour in our demo environment. You can also create an account yourself when you want to start using your own IXON Cloud environment.

What does IXON do to ensure a safe environment?

Safety is of the highest priority of IXON. We have an extensive ISO 27001 certified Information Security Management System (ISMS), managed by our dedicated security officer. The IXrouter has a built-in firewall and only uses outgoing ports. We monitor and test our safety measures continuously. You can read more in our security whitepaper.

About the IXON Cloud

What is the difference between the old IXON Cloud and IXON Cloud?

The new platform creates new possibilities with its completely new design, an even more comprehensive user management system and advanced customization options in the IXON Studio. Everything you need to work together in the best possible way.

Why does the IXON Cloud consist of different apps?

IXON started with a core service, and at the time the only service, of VPN remote access. Since then not only additional remote access services like VNC, HTTP and WebSocket have been added, but a lot of administrative actions, device settings and platform customization options have been added as well. To make all of these things easier to find, IXON has divided the platform into four different apps. Please take a look at The IXON Cloud explained for an overview and description of each individual IXON Cloud app.

What can the IXON Cloud be used for?

The IXON Cloud can be used to access your machine remotely over a secure VPN connection. Additionally we offer the options to connect to your machine using VNC, HTTP and WebSocket services. You can also be notified about important machine events by using Alarming. When you use Historical data you can store, visualize and analyze machine data in the IXON Cloud. If you only want to view live data, then Live data may be interesting for you.

For who can the IXON Cloud be useful?

The IXON Cloud can be useful for everybody who wants to access an industrial machine remotely. This can be a machine builder who wants to change settings for remote troubleshooting. But it can also be an engineer who wants to make changes to a machine without having to visit the machine site every time adjustments are necessary.

An end customer may want to remotely view the machine performance when using Live data or Historical data. Or perhaps they want to receive alarms about important machine events.

About user management

Why isn't IXON's user management system a little easier to understand?

IXON has an extensive user management system providing advanced users the configuration freedom needed to precisely specify who has access to which devices and services.

But if you don't need to give a lot of people access or don't manage a large fleet of devices, you can simply use the default settings of the user management system. This way it is very easy to use the IXON user management system.

What is the difference between roles and access categories?

Some users might only need access to a specific service or page in the IXON Cloud. To make that kind of distinction possible, IXON has introduced access categories. For example, within one machine the end customer might need to see the machine data report, and a service engineer might need to connect to the machine using VPN. These two people need access to the same device, but not to the same services. You can resolve this issue by creating two different access categories, then assigning the access categories to the data report and VPN service respectively, and allowing both user's roles access to their respective access category.

About customizability

How do I visualize machine data?

When you use Live data or Historical data to get machine data, you can easily visualize that data by creating a page and then adding components like tables, line graphs, bar charts and more.

Can I customize the IXON Cloud?

You can customize the IXON Cloud in two ways: You can brand the IXON Cloud using your own company colors, logos, favicon, contact details and URL. You can also customize the information you see on your cards (the device cards you see in the IXON Cloud Portal app) and pages (the pages you see when you click on your device in the IXON Cloud Portal app).

Can I view data from multiple machines in one page?

In a way, yes. The "card view" in the IXON Cloud Portal app will show you the device card of each machine in a single overview. You can then customize the information you see on each card.

Does IXON offer custom branding options?

You can fully brand your IXON experience with the purpose to market it as your company's own IIoT portal.

Specifically, you can brand your IXON Cloud company using your own company logo, colors, and even custom URL. This feature removes all IXON logos as well. Additionally, you can get a custom mobile app (Android, iOS) and custom front foils for the IXrouter. Please contact your IXON account manager or IXON distributor for more information.

About remote access

Which remote access options does IXON provide?

There are several ways to access your machine remotely. You can always connect to your machine using a VPN connection, enabling you to do everything you would normally do on-site. Additionally, you can easily connect to your machine using an HTTP service, VNC service or WebSocket service without establishing a VPN connection, if your machine runs an HTTP, VNC or WebSocket server.

What kind of devices can I access remotely?

Commonly, the IXON Cloud is used to access PLC's and HMI's, but through the VPN connection you can access every IP address in your machine network.

About the IXrouter

What is an IXrouter? and what about different models?

The IXrouter is a router made by IXON, specifically made to establish a secure connection between your machine and the IXON Cloud. Currently, the most recent model is the IXrouter3. IXON offers four different models of the IXrouter3. An overview and details can be found in the Hardware catalog & documents.

Can the IXrouter be used as an ordinary Wi-Fi router?

IXON understands that you don't always have Wi-Fi reception yourself when you are at a large factory. That is why you can use the IXrouter3 as a regular Wi-Fi router by setting up a hotspot. This way you can connect your smartphone, laptop or any other device to the internet using the IXrouter3.

How do I configure my IXrouter?

The IXrouter can be configured in a few easy steps, all explained in detail in The basics.

Why do I need to upgrade my IXrouter's firmware manually?

Firmware upgrades are needed to fix bugs, improve security, and add new features. 

As part of the firmware ugrade process the IXrouter will reboot twice. This means that any communication going trough the IXrouter will be interrupted for a few seconds. This includes any communication between devices directly connected to the IXrouter's LAN ports (e.g. a PLC and HMI), and any communication going from WAN to LAN and vice versa, if applicable.

This may interrupt production on some machines (machine dependent) and will also disconnect any users that may be remotely connected. To prevent this from happening at critical moments, you can only upgrade the IXrouter's firmware manually. Allowing you to analyze the situation first.

In order to use all the latest features and keep your router secure, we recommend to always keep your IXrouter updated.

What can I do when I have bad reception?

For an overview of possible causes as well as solutions that you can try, please take a look at this part of our IXrouter connection troubleshooting article.

Which cellular providers are supported by the IXrouter?

Generally you can assume that any provider will work in an IXrouter. However, for some providers you may require a specific SIM card to be compatible. We've compiled an overview:

Country Provider Info
Any Any Generally you can assume that any provider will work in an IXrouter. However, some SIM cards, mainly M2M or IoT SIM cards, have a very limited bandwidth which is insufficient for a VPN connection. Read the provider's fine print for remarks about limited bandwidth and avoid those SIM cards.
France Orange Required SIM card: Orange Business M2M SIM card.
USA Verizon Required SIM card: Cat1 and above SIM card.

If you're using a SIM card that should work, but doesn't, please consult Troubleshooting - unable to connect your IXrouter to the IXON Cloud.

What if my IXrouter doesn't show up in the IXON Cloud after to configuration?

There are a few possible causes. We've compiled an extensive troubleshooting article that will help you find and resolve the problem: Troubleshooting - unable to connect your IXrouter to the IXON Cloud.

About different IXON products

What is an IXagent? and what about different models?

The IXagent is our software-only solution, as an alternative to the IXrouter. The IXagent offers seamless integration with the IXON Cloud, without requiring additional hardware in the form of an IXrouter.

The powerful IXagent software is specifically developed to be integrated in the hardware of various manufacturers and operating systems:

What are Live data, Historical data, and Alarming?

Live data is the service by IXON that will let you view machine data live in various components like a line graph. Historical data will enable you to log that machine data in the IXON Cloud and also view in it various components. Alarming enables you to receive notifications about important machine events.

For more information, please contact your IXON account manager or IXON distributor.

What data logging protocols does IXON support?

Live data, Historical data, and Alarming will only work with logging protocols that are supported by the IXON Cloud. The supported protocols are:

Some PLCs only have a serial interface, while the IXrouter requires a network connection to the PLC. To resolve this, a serial converter can be used. For example, an RS-485 to Ethernet converter. There are many third party converters available.

What kind of data can I log in the IXON Cloud?

Historical uses a time-series database. This means that you can log all single points of machine data with a timestamp, as long as the logging protocols are supported.

Can I create a permanent VPN connection with IXON products?

Some advanced solutions may require a permanent VPN connection between your computer/server and your machines. We offer the M2M Cloud Cluster for these specific projects. Please contact us at support@ixon.cloud to discuss if the M2M Cloud Cluster is right for your situation.

Miscellaneous

What if I want to integrate IXON in my own portal?

IXON is all about integration with different solutions. You can use the IXON API to fully integrate IXON's functionalities in your own IT-solution.

How can I return an IXON product?

We're sorry to hear that IXON isn't the right solution for you. Please view our return policy for the correct procedure.

What if I want to integrate other elements within the IXON Cloud?

It is IXON's mission to help to you create maximum value out of the IoT. Sometimes solutions are so specific that an out-of-the-box solution won't cut it. For these situations, IXON allows you create your own custom components and add them to the IXON Cloud.