Everything the InteliHive reads from or switches is a device — a probe, a sensor, a relay, a pump. Devices connect three ways, and which one you use is mostly decided by the equipment and where it is.
| Kind | Connection | Powered by | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modbus RTU | Two-wire RS-485 daisy chain | The controller’s bus supply, or its own | Water-quality probes, relay boards, dosing pumps |
| Wireless | WiFi, on the controller’s own network | Its own mains supply | Switching pumps and outlets away from the controller |
| IO-Link | One sensor per port, M12 cable | The controller | Level, distance, pressure, and flow sensors; water meters and switches |
Use Modbus RTU for water-quality probes, and for wired relays and pumps. Several devices share one pair of wires.
Use a wireless device when the thing you are switching has its own power and running a cable to it is impractical — a pump across a plant room, an outlet on another circuit. Up to four can be active at once.
Use IO-Link for a smart sensor, or for a simple contact such as a water meter, flow switch, or level switch. Controllers fitted with the IO-Link board have two ports.
Supported Devices lists exact models. For how each kind of instrument works and each model’s ratings, see Instrumentation.
Every device, regardless of kind:
Every device also has Used by, in its options, listing the control modes that use it — and, on firmware with Calendar, the calendar programs (Calendar output, Calendar sensor, Calendar lockout). Edit opens the mode. A device used in more places than the list holds ends with N more — Too many to list here.
Removing a device keeps the control modes that used it enabled but blocked, with their output in its safe state, so they can be pointed at a replacement without being rebuilt. The removal dialog says how many modes will stop — This will also stop 1 control mode until it gets a new device. Interlock rules on the device are kept and block their mode — see Interlocks. (Earlier firmware disabled the modes and deleted the interlock rules.)
Start with which devices dropped. The pattern usually points straight at the cause.
| What dropped | Most likely | Look at |
|---|---|---|
| Every wired device — Modbus and IO-Link — while wireless keeps working | Controller input power | Power fault (600). Power light blinking red confirms it. |
| Every port-powered Modbus device, externally powered ones fine | The Modbus bus supply — Bus Power switched off, or a supply fault | Bus Power on and off |
| Every Modbus device, input power fine | Bus wiring or bus settings | Modbus troubleshooting |
| Every wireless device at once | The controller’s WiFi network restarted or moved | Wireless troubleshooting |
| One device | That device, its cable, or its own supply | The page for that kind of device |
| Every port-powered Modbus device, about once a minute | Modbus recovery power-cycling a silent port-powered device | Automatic recovery |
Wired devices share the controller’s power; wireless devices do not. If wireless devices keep working while every wired device drops, the problem is controller input power, not the devices.
For the first 30 seconds after start-up, control modes wait for their devices and no disconnect alarms are raised. Some devices are slow to start — Sensorex probes take more than ten seconds and the Keyence FD-H10 around fifteen — so give a device that seems missing a moment before chasing it.
Devices rarely fail on their own. Recent panel work, a replaced cable, a new drive installed nearby, or a changed address are all more likely than a random failure. Check what changed first.