Demonstration and Testing
You can demonstrate and test EdgeBridge without any hardware at all. Simulation exists at two separate levels — one in the gateway that produces readings, one in the ERP that decides whether to accept them — and both are deliberately restrictive, so a demo can never be mistaken afterwards for something that really happened.
The two levels of simulation
| Gateway simulator | ERP demonstration mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Device Setup, per device — see the gateway. | Accept simulated events in Settings. |
| What it does | Produces sample readings as if a device were connected. | Decides whether the ERP acts on those readings. |
| Default | Off — devices are Live. | Off — simulated events are refused outright. |
Both are needed for a demonstration. Turning on the gateway simulator alone gets you readings that the ERP rejects — you will see them in Events with "Simulated read — not recorded", which is the system working as intended, not a fault.
Running a demonstration
- In the ERP, switch on Accept simulated events in Settings. A warning banner appears across the module and stays there.
- Map some tags to items so reads resolve to something — see Item Tags.
- Create a read point so the ERP knows what a read at that reader means.
- On the gateway, set a device to Simulate in Device Setup.
- Watch Events and Sightings fill.
- Switch demonstration mode off when the demo is over.
What simulated data is allowed to do
| Outcome | Simulated event |
|---|---|
| Sightings | Created, and each one carries a simulated label on screen. |
| Counter | Pieces appear on the pad. |
| Attendance | Never. Refused in every mode, on every company. |
Attendance is pay, so no toggle opens that door. A simulated punch is recorded as Ignored with "Simulated event — not recorded as attendance", because payroll is computed from attendance and a demo must never reach it.
The same rule applies to a simulated card read at a door: it is refused with "Simulated read at a door — never recorded as attendance", even with demonstration mode on.
What a read point can currently do
Not every intent is implemented. When demonstrating, choose one that is live, or the read is recognised and deliberately parked.
| A read here means | Status |
|---|---|
| Asset / tool tracking — record where it was seen | Live |
| Door / access — employee card becomes an attendance punch | Live (real events only) |
| Billing counter — pieces put here are being sold | Live |
| Ignore reads from here | Live |
| Receiving (dock-in) | Not enabled yet |
| Dispatch (dock-out) | Not enabled yet |
| Stock count | Not enabled yet |
A read at a parked intent still produces a sighting and reports which intent was parked — so the message distinguishes "the ERP does not do this yet" from "my reader is broken".
Testing without the gateway simulator
You do not need simulation to prove the ERP side. Create the mappings and read points, then check the screens behave as expected with the test data already in place. On a demo company you can also seed tagged items directly — items whose tags are mapped and bound will appear correctly in Item Tags even before any reader exists.
Hardware for a real test
What you need depends on which flow you are proving. Nothing here is required for a simulated demonstration.
| Flow | Hardware needed |
|---|---|
| Asset / tool tracking | A UHF RFID reader with at least one antenna, and RFID tags. A Bluetooth handheld sled works — the gateway remaps its events to tag reads. |
| Billing counter | A short-range RFID reader on the counter, plus tagged pieces. |
| Attendance | A biometric terminal — fingerprint or face — on the network. |
| Door / access | A card reader and access cards. |
| Weighing | A scale on a COM port or network address. |
| Barcode | Any scanner the gateway can reach. |
| Printing | A network printer on the same LAN as the gateway. |
The minimum real-hardware test
To prove the whole chain end to end with the least equipment: one UHF RFID reader, one antenna, and a handful of tags. That covers reading, mapping, read points, sightings and the counter — the majority of the module.
| Also needed | Why |
|---|---|
| A Windows PC on the same network | To run the gateway. |
| The reader's IP address and port | Entered in Device Setup. |
| The reader id | Must match the read point, or reads arrive unattributed. |
Attendance needs its own hardware. It cannot be proven with a simulator at all, by design — so if attendance is what the customer is buying, a biometric terminal has to be in the room.
Cleaning up after a demonstration
- Switch Accept simulated events off. The banner disappears.
- Set the gateway's devices back to Live, or Off if the hardware is not there yet.
- Simulated sightings stay, labelled. Remove them if the company is going into real use.
Nothing simulated ever reached attendance, so payroll needs no cleanup.
Related pages
- Settings — where demonstration mode is switched on
- Gateway Dashboard — Simulate mode as a diagnostic
- Read Points — choosing an intent
- Item Tags — mapping tags before a demo