The industrial standard for metering.
Modbus is the workhorse protocol of industrial energy meters, controllers and substations. Over an RS-485 link, Metbox PRO reads your Modbus devices and sends the data to the platform over 4G - SCADA-style integration, without the SCADA.
Works with 60+ Modbus devices from 12 manufacturers
The industrial protocol for energy data
Modbus is a mature, openly published serial protocol used across industrial and building equipment. A gateway acts as the client and polls each device by address, reading values from its registers - the standard behind energy meters, heating substations and controllers.
It runs as Modbus RTU over RS-485 serial wiring, or Modbus TCP over Ethernet. Metbox PRO speaks Modbus alongside wired M-Bus, so mixed installations come online through one gateway.
What makes Modbus a good fit
An open, ubiquitous standard for industrial equipment - simple, robust, and supported by virtually every energy meter and controller vendor.
Built for industry
The de-facto standard for industrial energy meters, controllers and substations - proven on the plant floor for decades.
Open & ubiquitous
An openly published protocol implemented by virtually every meter and controller vendor - no licensing, broad support.
RS-485 multi-drop
Many devices share one RS-485 line, each with its own address, so a single run reaches a whole room of equipment.
Register-based reads
Values live in well-defined holding and input registers, giving precise access to exactly the data you need.
Modbus & M-Bus together
Metbox PRO reads Modbus alongside wired M-Bus, so mixed buildings and plants come online through one gateway.
Sent on over 4G
The gateway collects the bus and forwards readings to the Metbox platform over the 4G mobile network.
The protocol, in short
The key facts that matter when you're planning a deployment.
- Protocol
- Modbus RTU / TCP
- Medium
- RS-485 serial · Ethernet
- Topology
- Multi-drop · client polls servers
- Addressing
- Unit IDs 1–247 · registers
- Power
- Mains / loop-powered devices
- Best for
- Industrial energy meters & substations
The variants you'll come across
Modbus comes in a few flavours for different media. Metbox PRO handles the common serial ones.
Modbus RTU
Compact binary framing over RS-485 serial - the most common variant for energy meters and controllers.
Modbus ASCII
A human-readable serial framing used by some legacy devices, carried on the same RS-485 wiring.
Modbus TCP
Modbus carried over Ethernet/IP - used where equipment is already on a network.
From bus to platform in four steps
Wire the devices, connect the gateway, and readings flow up over 4G - no SCADA system required.
Devices on RS-485
Industrial energy meters, substations and controllers share one Modbus RS-485 line, each with its own address.
Metbox PRO polls
The gateway acts as the Modbus client, polling each device and reading the registers you need.
Platform ingests
Readings travel over 4G to the Metbox platform, arriving validated and structured.
Export & integrate
Export consumption as CSV/XLSX or connect by API to billing, ERP and energy-management platforms.
Devices that read Modbus
One gateway for the bus - reading Modbus and wired M-Bus alike - feeding the same Metbox platform.
Metbox PRO
Wired gateway that reads Modbus and M-Bus devices over RS-485 and sends their data to the platform over 4G.
Modbus devices
Industrial energy meters, heating substations and controllers on the RS-485 Modbus line.
Metbox Platform
Dashboards, reports, alerts and API integrations for every reading your gateway collects.
Metbox PRO reads 60+ Modbus device models, plus wired M-Bus. See the full compatibility list →
Bring your Modbus devices online
Tell the Metbox team which Modbus meters and controllers you run. We'll confirm compatibility and set up Metbox PRO for your site.
The industrial standard for metering.
Modbus is the workhorse protocol of industrial energy meters, controllers and substations. Over an RS-485 link, Metbox PRO reads your Modbus devices and sends the data to the platform over 4G - SCADA-style integration, without the SCADA.
Works with 60+ Modbus devices from 12 manufacturers
The industrial protocol for energy data
Modbus is a mature, openly published serial protocol used across industrial and building equipment. A gateway acts as the client and polls each device by address, reading values from its registers - the standard behind energy meters, heating substations and controllers.
It runs as Modbus RTU over RS-485 serial wiring, or Modbus TCP over Ethernet. Metbox PRO speaks Modbus alongside wired M-Bus, so mixed installations come online through one gateway.
What makes Modbus a good fit
An open, ubiquitous standard for industrial equipment - simple, robust, and supported by virtually every energy meter and controller vendor.
Built for industry
The de-facto standard for industrial energy meters, controllers and substations - proven on the plant floor for decades.
Open & ubiquitous
An openly published protocol implemented by virtually every meter and controller vendor - no licensing, broad support.
RS-485 multi-drop
Many devices share one RS-485 line, each with its own address, so a single run reaches a whole room of equipment.
Register-based reads
Values live in well-defined holding and input registers, giving precise access to exactly the data you need.
Modbus & M-Bus together
Metbox PRO reads Modbus alongside wired M-Bus, so mixed buildings and plants come online through one gateway.
Sent on over 4G
The gateway collects the bus and forwards readings to the Metbox platform over the 4G mobile network.
The protocol, in short
The key facts that matter when you're planning a deployment.
- Protocol
- Modbus RTU / TCP
- Medium
- RS-485 serial · Ethernet
- Topology
- Multi-drop · client polls servers
- Addressing
- Unit IDs 1–247 · registers
- Power
- Mains / loop-powered devices
- Best for
- Industrial energy meters & substations
The variants you'll come across
Modbus comes in a few flavours for different media. Metbox PRO handles the common serial ones.
Modbus RTU
Compact binary framing over RS-485 serial - the most common variant for energy meters and controllers.
Modbus ASCII
A human-readable serial framing used by some legacy devices, carried on the same RS-485 wiring.
Modbus TCP
Modbus carried over Ethernet/IP - used where equipment is already on a network.
From bus to platform in four steps
Wire the devices, connect the gateway, and readings flow up over 4G - no SCADA system required.
Devices on RS-485
Industrial energy meters, substations and controllers share one Modbus RS-485 line, each with its own address.
Metbox PRO polls
The gateway acts as the Modbus client, polling each device and reading the registers you need.
Platform ingests
Readings travel over 4G to the Metbox platform, arriving validated and structured.
Export & integrate
Export consumption as CSV/XLSX or connect by API to billing, ERP and energy-management platforms.
Devices that read Modbus
One gateway for the bus - reading Modbus and wired M-Bus alike - feeding the same Metbox platform.
Metbox PRO
Wired gateway that reads Modbus and M-Bus devices over RS-485 and sends their data to the platform over 4G.
Modbus devices
Industrial energy meters, heating substations and controllers on the RS-485 Modbus line.
Metbox Platform
Dashboards, reports, alerts and API integrations for every reading your gateway collects.
Metbox PRO reads 60+ Modbus device models, plus wired M-Bus. See the full compatibility list →
Bring your Modbus devices online
Tell the Metbox team which Modbus meters and controllers you run. We'll confirm compatibility and set up Metbox PRO for your site.