Build the connected layer once. Roll it out to every site.
You already deliver the PLC panel. AppBlocks adds the part customers keep asking for: remote access, alarms, and data in the cloud. Build the logic once, run it on DIN-rail hardware at every site, and manage all your customers from one workspace, with no cloud back end to build.
The parts of a connected rollout you’d otherwise build yourself.
AppBlocks isn’t a PLC replacement. It’s the connected controller that sits next to the PLCs you install, so you can sell the monitoring and remote-access layer on every job.
One app, many sites
Device groups bind devices to a firmware version plus shared settings and tables. Devices you add later inherit them.
A tenant for every customer
Each customer sees only their own devices, while your team manages everything from the workspace.
Updates without a site visit
Push new firmware to one device or a whole group over the air, instead of driving out with a laptop.
Alarms that reach people
SMS, email, and SNMP traps straight from the flow, over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or 4G LTE for sites without a network.
No back end to build
Cloud connectivity is a toggle in the Designer. An HTTP API connects it to your own systems.
Hardware for the panel
Tibbo devices with relays, isolated inputs, RS-485, and 4G LTE, in DIN-rail enclosures tested to IEC 60068 for shock and vibration.
From the first site to the fiftieth.
Sit next to the PLCs you already install
Put an AppBlocks gateway in the panel. It polls the PLC’s registers over Modbus RTU or TCP, scales them, and publishes them to MQTT, an HTTP API, or AppBlocks Cloud. The PLC keeps running its program, whichever brand the customer chose.
PLC to MQTT gatewayOne workspace, every customer
Build the application once and group devices by firmware version. When a customer joins, give them a tenant of their own. Your team sees everything; they see their own sites.
- Workspace roles: Owner, Admin, Member, and Operator
- Tenant roles: Admin and Member
- An audit log of firmware assignments, variable writes, and commands
Workspace: Your company ├─ Application: pump-station, v1.4 ├─ Device group: District A → v1.4 + shared settings ├─ Device group: District B → v1.3 │ ├─ Tenant: City of Ashford Admin · Member └─ Tenant: Harbor Water Co. Admin · Member
Most jobs need both.
The common setup is the customer’s PLC for control and an AppBlocks device next to it for data, alarms, and remote access.
AppBlocks fits when…
- The same connected controller goes to many small sites
- The job is monitoring, alarming, or simple on/off and setpoint control
- Customers want remote access, dashboards, or SMS alarms
- You need a gateway that gets existing PLC data out over Modbus
- You’d like the logic to be readable by people who don’t program PLCs
Keep your PLC stack when…
- The application includes safety functions or needs a SIL or PL rating
- You need a deterministic scan cycle for fast machine or motion control
- The plant runs on PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, or another fieldbus that needs a Modbus path first
- The customer’s standards specify a PLC platform and an engineering tool
Works with the PLCs your customers already own.
AppBlocks talks Modbus. Here is how each major PLC family serves it.
Built for integrators serving many customers.
The Designer is free on Tibbo hardware, including for commercial projects. The Business plan adds unlimited tenants and Cloud members, audit logs, SMS alerts, and a private block library shared across your team. Paid plans are in early access.
Questions, answered.
Does AppBlocks replace the PLC at my customers?
For simple, non-safety control at connected sites, often yes. For machine control, motion, and safety functions, keep the PLC and use AppBlocks alongside it for data, alarms, and remote access. AppBlocks vs. a PLC.
Which PLCs and protocols does it work with?
Any PLC, drive, or meter that speaks Modbus RTU or Modbus TCP, plus MQTT, HTTP, SNMP, and Azure IoT on the cloud side. PLCs that only speak another fieldbus need a Modbus option or a protocol converter.
Can customers see only their own devices?
Yes. Create a tenant for each customer. Tenant users see only their own devices, while your team manages everything from the workspace. Workspaces and tenants.
Do my customers own the firmware?
You can download the generated Zephyr source at any time on every plan, and firmware you’ve already deployed keeps working if you change plans or cancel.
Can I put my own branding on it?
Custom branding for the Web Console and tenant views is planned for the Business plan but isn’t available yet.
Do I have to use the AI assistant?
No. The AI assistant is optional, and the Designer works fully without it. When you do use it, it produces ordinary blocks in your project that you can read, edit, and test on real hardware before anything ships.
Can I connect it to my own back end or SCADA?
Yes. Devices can publish to any MQTT broker or call HTTP APIs, and AppBlocks Cloud has an HTTP API with scoped keys. A device can also act as a Modbus slave that your SCADA reads. HTTP API.
Ready to connect your first device?
Start free in your browser, follow the tutorials, or book a free one-on-one session. No board yet? We’ll demonstrate everything on ours.