iNut RS485: Turn Wired RS485 Networks Wireless with WiFi Mesh, Modbus RTU Intact
Drop the RS485 signal cable while keeping Modbus RTU exactly as it is: iNut RS485 transmits over a self-forming WiFi Mesh, is configured remotely via the app, and aggregates at iNut PC for monitoring and alerts. A wired-to-wireless RS485 solution for factories, monitoring stations, and agriculture.
A traditional RS485 network is inseparable from its cabling: every sensor, every meter, every PLC needs a pair of A/B wires run back to the central cabinet. The more measuring points, the more cable — installation and maintenance costs climb, adding a new point means pulling more cable, and every time a device is relocated it's another round of drilling walls and running conduit. Out in the field, cabling is also a weak point against lightning, rodents and moisture.
iNut solves this in the gentlest way possible: keep the Modbus RTU standard over RS485 at the device side, and simply replace the "link back to the center" segment — swapping copper wire for WiFi Mesh radio.
BEFORE (CABLE CLUTTER) → AFTER (WIRELESS)
WiFi Mesh — measuring points link up on their own
Each iNut RS485 module at a measuring point doesn't just collect data — it also automatically pairs up with other modules to form a WiFi Mesh network. Data "hops" from node to node until it reaches the central point (an MQTT endpoint or an iNut Datalogger). This lets a distant point still send its data back without a router covering the whole site, and without laying a single meter of cable.
DATA HOPS ACROSS THE MESH TO THE GATEWAY
How it works: Modbus RTU stays the same, only the transport changes
Nothing changes on the measuring-device side: iNut RS485 still speaks Modbus RTU over the two A/B lines as an ordinary master/slave setup. The difference is in the leg that carries data back to the center — instead of running over copper, the data frame is packaged and sent over WiFi. The industrial standard is preserved in full; the wiring infrastructure is the only thing that disappears.
SENSOR → [RS485 A/B] → iNut RS485 →))) WiFi → iNut PC
MODBUS RTU FRAME PACKAGED & SENT
Remote configuration — no need to visit the site
Every Modbus parameter (Slave ID, Function Code, data type), display settings and data source are all configured directly from the iNut app. Swap a sensor, add a register, adjust an alert threshold — do it all from a phone, no climbing gear or laptop trip to the site required.
iNut PC — the brain that aggregates data, alerts and connectivity
At the Edge layer, iNut PC acts as the brain: it aggregates data from the wireless RS485 network, runs SCADA/HMI (FUXA), diagnoses the system, and pushes alerts via Email/Telegram when thresholds are exceeded. Where there's no fixed internet connection, iNut PC can also uplink over a 4G SIM — wherever the station is, the data still gets back to the center.
THRESHOLD EXCEEDED → INSTANT ALERT
Real-world outdoor use — monitoring stations
At outdoor monitoring stations, removing the signal cable eliminates half the risk. The iNut RS485 unit sits neatly inside the electrical cabinet, powered by a solar battery, sending data back to the center over WiFi Mesh — no long cable runs buried underground, no worry about lightning traveling along wires.
ADDING A MEASURING POINT = WIDER COVERAGE, NO NEW CABLING
// Quick specs
Modbus RTU over RS485 (A/B)
Self-forming WiFi Mesh
MQTT · iNut PC · Datalogger
Remote via iNut app
Email · Telegram · 4G SIM
Indoor & outdoor · solar-powered
What do you gain by removing the cable?
No signal cable runs, no conduit, no drilling through walls — materials and labor both drop sharply.
Adding a measuring point just means plugging in power — the new node joins the Mesh on its own, without touching the existing system.
Fewer cables mean fewer weak points against lightning, moisture and rodents — well suited to monitoring stations and agriculture.
Existing Modbus RTU devices keep working — no need to replace sensors or change standards.
Is that last cable really necessary?
The Modbus RTU standard stays exactly where it was, your measuring devices remain untouched — the only thing that disappears is the meters of signal cable and the costs that come with them. Sometimes, modernizing a system isn't about replacing everything, but about removing the one thing that's holding it back.
As for your RS485 network — how many meters of cable could become radio waves?