Name: MacSync WX1 RS485 Modbus to Wi-Fi MQTT Converter
Brand: Macnman
SKU: MACSYNC-WX1
Availability: InStock

Question 1

How do I publish Modbus registers to an MQTT broker?

Accepted Answer

Wire the equipment's RS485 A and B terminals to the MacSync WX1, then open the Maya app over Bluetooth. Add each value as a field: slave ID, function code, register address, data type and how many registers to read. Join the device to your Wi-Fi, enter the broker's host and port, and set a publish topic such as macsync/device001/data. From then on the converter polls the registers on its own schedule and publishes the values to that topic. The Check button shows a live reading for each field, so the register map can be verified before you leave site.

Question 2

What does the MQTT payload look like?

Accepted Answer

Each upload is published to the topic you set, for example macsync/device001/data, and carries the values of the fields you configured under the parameter names you gave them in the Maya app, such as Energy_Meter_KW. Commands travel the other way as JSON on the subscribe topic: a message with the slave ID, register address and value writes a register on the connected equipment. The sample on this page shows an example of both; ask us for the current payload reference before you write a parser.

Question 3

Is this an RS485 to Wi-Fi serial server?

Accepted Answer

No, and the difference matters. A serial server is a transparent bridge: it passes raw serial bytes across the network and relies on a SCADA or PLC master to do the polling through it. The MacSync WX1 is the Modbus master itself. It polls your equipment, converts the registers into values and publishes them to a broker or HTTPS endpoint. If you need a virtual COM port or Modbus TCP for an existing SCADA system, buy a serial server. If you want data delivered to a platform without writing a polling application, this is the right device.

Question 4

Which MQTT brokers and cloud platforms does it work with?

Accepted Answer

MQTT always runs through a broker, and the MacSync WX1 works with any standard one, such as Mosquitto, EMQX or HiveMQ, whether it runs in your own server room or in the cloud. You enter a hostname or an IP address, so a local broker on the plant network works exactly like a hosted one. The datasheet also lists AWS IoT Core, Microsoft Azure IoT Hub and Google Cloud, alongside on-premise servers, private cloud, REST APIs, webhooks, SCADA and BMS platforms. Where there is no broker, the device can post to an HTTP or HTTPS endpoint instead. The standard firmware signs in with a username and password, so a platform that expects a client certificate on every device, as AWS IoT Core does by default, needs the client-certificate firmware option, which is offered on orders of 1,000 devices or more.

Question 5

Does it support TLS and secure MQTT?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn on TLS in the MQTT settings and use port 8883 for an encrypted connection, with a toggle to validate the broker's server certificate. Plain MQTT on port 1883 remains available for a closed local network. In the standard firmware, authentication is by username and password. Client-certificate authentication (mutual TLS) and a change to the MQTT QoS level are firmware customisations, available on orders of 1,000 devices or more. On the Wi-Fi side the device supports WPA2-PSK and WPA3, and firmware is protected by secure boot and signed over-the-air updates. The converter only makes outbound connections to your broker, so no inbound ports need opening on the plant firewall.

Question 6

Can the MQTT QoS level or client certificates be customised?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as a firmware customisation. The standard MacSync WX1 firmware signs in with a username and password over TLS and validates the broker's server certificate. If your platform needs a client certificate on each device (mutual TLS), or a specific MQTT QoS level, we build that into the firmware for orders of 1,000 devices or more. Tell us the broker and its authentication requirements when you enquire.

Question 7

What happens when the Wi-Fi or the server goes down?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is lost. The MacSync WX1 keeps polling the Modbus equipment and stores the readings in onboard memory, up to 30,000 records, then forwards them once the connection returns. At one record every five minutes that is roughly 100 days of cover. That store-and-forward behaviour is one of the practical differences from a transparent serial server, where a dropped link simply means the master's polls time out and that period is missing from your history.

Question 8

Does it work on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and does it support Wi-Fi 6?

Accepted Answer

Yes to both. The MacSync WX1 is dual-band and supports Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) as well as the older 802.11 b/g/n/ac standards, so it joins Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 access points, where many low-cost RS485 to Wi-Fi converters are 2.4 GHz only. In a plant, 2.4 GHz usually reaches further and passes through walls and machinery better, while 5 GHz has more clean channels where access points are close by. On a Wi-Fi 6 access point the battery variant can also use Target Wake Time to cut idle power. The Maya app scans for networks and shows signal strength for each, and a hidden network can be added manually with the band chosen explicitly.

Question 9

Will it join our enterprise Wi-Fi?

Accepted Answer

The supported security modes are WPA2-PSK and WPA3, with DHCP or a static IP address. If your corporate network uses 802.1X enterprise authentication with per-user certificates, ask us before ordering. In practice most IT teams place devices like this on a separate IoT network or VLAN with its own passphrase, which also keeps plant-floor equipment away from office systems. The converter needs only an outbound connection to the broker.

Question 10

Which Modbus function codes and data types are supported?

Accepted Answer

For scheduled polling, function code 03 (Read Holding Registers) and 04 (Read Input Registers). Values can be read as INT16, UINT16, INT32 or FLOAT32, with either word order for the 32-bit types, and several consecutive registers can be read as one group. Each field has its own slave ID, so one RS485 line can carry multiple devices. Serial settings cover the common baud rates up to 115200 bps with none, even or odd parity.

Question 11

Can I write to a Modbus register from the server?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The converter subscribes to a command topic, and a JSON message containing the slave ID, register address and value writes a register on the connected equipment. Coils can be written the same way, and a one-time read of any register can be requested on demand. Because the device holds an MQTT connection rather than waiting for a radio window, commands reach a powered unit promptly. On the battery variant, commands are picked up when the device next wakes.

Question 12

Can a battery-powered Wi-Fi converter really last for years?

Accepted Answer

It can, and the upload interval decides how many. A Wi-Fi connection costs far more energy than a LoRaWAN transmission, so the MacSync WX1-BO sleeps at around 100 µA between readings, wakes briefly to poll and transmit, and goes back to sleep. On the 19 Ah cell, the Macnman Wi-Fi battery life calculator estimates about 0.9 years at 5-minute uploads, 2.5 years at 15 minutes, 4.3 years at 30 minutes and 6.7 years at hourly uploads, with DHCP, a TLS connection and one Modbus read each time. A static IP shortens every connection and raises those figures to about 3.5 years at 15 minutes and 8.2 years hourly. Sampling mode helps more: reading every 5 minutes but uploading the 12 readings once an hour gives about 5 years. The device also supports Wi-Fi Power Save Mode on any access point and Target Wake Time on Wi-Fi 6 access points. These are estimates; a sensor powered from the converter and a weak Wi-Fi signal both shorten them. For reporting every few seconds, choose the 9–36 V DC variant, and where battery life matters most, the LoRaWAN version of this converter lasts longer on the same cell.

Question 13

Do I need a gateway, a hub or a SIM card?

Accepted Answer

No. The converter joins your existing Wi-Fi as an ordinary client and talks to the broker directly. There is no gateway or hub to buy, no SIM and no monthly data plan per device. That makes it the simplest option wherever the equipment already sits inside Wi-Fi coverage.

Question 14

Can the data stay on our own network?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The broker can be a machine on your local network, entered by IP address, so readings never have to leave the site. The device supports on-premise servers and private cloud as well as public platforms, which suits plants that need local data ownership or have no outbound internet access from the production network.

Question 15

Wi-Fi or LoRaWAN — which should I choose for Modbus equipment?

Accepted Answer

Choose Wi-Fi when the equipment is inside reliable Wi-Fi coverage and you want frequent or detailed data: there is no gateway, messages can carry many registers at once, and commands arrive quickly. Choose LoRaWAN when the equipment is spread across a large site, outdoors, or beyond the reach of your access points: one gateway covers kilometres, at the cost of smaller messages and slower updates. Macnman builds the converter for both, as the MacSync WX1 for Wi-Fi and the MacSync LX1 for LoRaWAN.

Question 16

Can it read 4–20 mA and 0–10 V signals as well?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with one limit you should know about. The MacSync WX1 has two 4–20 mA inputs, two 0–10 V inputs and two digital inputs with 12-bit resolution, but the RS485 and analog inputs share the same channels, so the device runs in either RS485 mode or analog mode, not both at once. A site with a Modbus meter and an analog transmitter side by side needs two units, or a transmitter with a Modbus output.

Question 17

How is it set up and tested on site?

Accepted Answer

From an Android phone, using the Maya app over Bluetooth, with no programming and no web interface to find. The app scans for Wi-Fi networks, takes the MQTT settings and the Modbus field list, and has a Send Uplink test that checks network connectivity, measures Wi-Fi signal strength and confirms that a message reached the broker. Settings can be changed later from the server by sending JSON commands.

Question 18

Is the converter made in India?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Macnman Technologies designs and manufactures the MacSync WX1 in Pune, Maharashtra. It is WPC compliant and conforms to the RoHS directive, and support comes directly from the engineering team in Indian Standard Time.

Question 19

Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP and MQTT — what actually changes?

Accepted Answer

Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP are the same request-and-response protocol on different wires: a master asks and a slave answers, over RS485 for RTU or over a network for TCP. MQTT works differently. A device publishes a message to a broker whenever it has data, and any number of applications can subscribe to it. Converting RTU to TCP only changes the cable, and something still has to keep polling. Converting RTU to MQTT changes who starts the conversation and where the data can go, which is why it suits dashboards and cloud platforms.

Question 20

How many Modbus devices and registers can it read?

Accepted Answer

One RS485 line carries 20 to 32 Modbus devices, 32 being the standard RS485 limit without a repeater. Each value you configure carries its own slave ID, in the Modbus range of 1 to 247, and a single read can cover up to 125 consecutive registers. All devices on the line must share the same baud rate and parity. Send us your device list and register map and we will confirm the configuration.

Question 21

What does our IT team need to know before approving it?

Accepted Answer

Six things. The device joins Wi-Fi as an ordinary client using WPA2-PSK or WPA3, on 2.4 or 5 GHz. It takes an address by DHCP or a static IP. It makes one outbound connection to the broker, on port 8883 for TLS or 1883 for plain MQTT, so no inbound port or port-forward is needed. Traffic can be encrypted with TLS and the broker's certificate validated. It signs in to the broker with a username and password; client-certificate authentication is a firmware option on orders of 1,000 devices or more. And the broker can sit inside your own network, so no data has to leave the site. Most IT teams place it on a separate IoT network or VLAN.

MacSync WX1 Technical Specifications

Versions

Technology

General Specifications

Interfaces

Chips

Wireless Coverage

Cloud Platforms

MacSync WX1 Dimensions

What's in the Box?

RS485 Modbus Interface

Analog & Digital Inputs

Wi-Fi Connectivity

Protocols & Cloud

Logging & Reporting

Device Management

Power

Physical Characteristics

Security & Encryption

Certifications & Compliance