Getting started with Azure IoT hub

NOTE

MQTT protocol is only implemented in base 28 and above FW and Configurators. This guide will not work with earlier versions of FW and CONFIGURATOR.

Setup your Azure account

Refer to the online Azure documentation. Follow the steps outlined in the sections below to create your IoT hub and get started:

• Create a free Azure account
• Sign in to your account

NOTE – The examples in this document are intended only for dev environments. All devices in your production fleet must have credentials with privileges that authorize only intended actions on specific resources. The specific permission policies can vary for your use case. Identify the permission policies that best meet your business and security requirements.

Create Resources in Azure IoT

Refer to the online Microsoft Azure documentation. Follow the steps outlined in these sections to provision resources for your device:

• Create an IoT hub
• Install and use IoT explorer

NOTE – The examples in this document are intended only for dev environments. All devices in your production fleet must have credentials with privileges that authorize only intended actions on specific resources. The specific permission policies can vary for your use case. Identify the permission policies that best meet your business and security requirements.

Guide in PDF

The full Azure IoT guide can be downloaded in PDF format [here]

Azure IoT hub Creation

When logged in the Azure console, Press  and select – create new resource. 

Figure 1. Create new resource

Select Internet of things in the Categories on the left.

Figure 2. Accessing Things

Press Create near the  icon.

Basics tab

1. In the Basics tab choose your subscription. Create a new Resource group. Enter IoT hub name (Can be any created name). Select Region that is closest to you (North Europe for Lithuania). 
2. Choose the wanted Tier, Free tier should be used for testing purpose, alternatively use standard. (You can find all the necessary information about tiers when you click Comapare tiers below option box). 
3. Then choose your Daily message limit according to your needs (8000 for Free plan) (You can find all the necessary information about Daily message limit when you click See all options below option box).
4. Press: Review + create

Figure 3. Selecting IoT

Check if all the parameters are as you intended and click Create.

Figure 4. Review + create

Add device to IoT hub

Press  , Home and click on your created IoT Hub.

Figure 5. Selecting IoT hub

Copy hostname and press devices In the left menu.

	If you see a warning:
	This resource uses a certificate on the Baltimore CyberTrust Root which will expire in 2025 and must be migrated to the DigiCert Global G2 root. Go to: Migrate to DigiCert Global G2 at the bottom of this tutorial.

Figure 6. Hostname and devices

Select Add Device in Devices tab.

Figure 7. Add Device

Once you are inside Create a device tab:
1. Enter your device IMEI in the device ID field.
2. Other fields here should be left default
3. Authentication type: Symmetric key Connection this device to an Iot Hub: Enabled 
4. Press save.

Figure 8. Creating a device

Shared access policies

To get your primary and secondary keys go to Shared access policies, change Connect using shared access policies to Allow and click on iothubowner.

Figure 9. Device data endpoint

An iothubowner tab will pop out on the right (These files will be used in configuration).

Copy:
1.Primary key
2.Secondary key
3.“iothubowner”

Figure 10. Certificate files

Configuration

Please note: Configurator > System > Data protocol: Codec 8 or JSON protocol can be used.

In the GPRS tab, under Server Settings select: 

1.Domain – Hostname (copy here the host name from your Iot Hub overview window in Azure) 
2.Port: 8883 
3.Protocol – MQTT 
4.TLS Encryption – TLS/DTLS 

In the GPRS tab, under MQTT Settings select: 

1.MQTT Client type – Azure IoT 
2.Device ID: IMEI
3.Primary SAS key – Primary key from ‘iothubowner’ shared access policy 
4.Secondary SAS key – Secondary key from ‘iothubowner’ shared access policy 
5.SAS Policy Name – iothubowner

Figure 11. Device configuration

Certificate creation and upload

Download DigiCert Global Root G2 certificate and put it inside a new folder: Download DER/CRT

Converting certificate to .pem format

Follow the tutorial to convert certificate here

Please note: Configurator only accepts PEM FILE format. You can use any method to convert .crt file to .pem format.

Upload certificate to device

Upload the file you have created to the device using configurator > Security > Certificate > upload

Data sending

Trigger a high priority event so that device would start to send data to the server.
In the device configurator screen check for the Status > GSM Info > Records Sent records count.

Figure 12. Sent records count

On the Azure service > IOT hub > Overview there is a Device to cloud chart that will show the records received. 

Please note: This window has noticeable delay.

Figure 13. IoT hub overview

c

Downloading and installing Azure IoT Explorer

Data sent from device can be found in the Azure IoT Explorer

Go to: Azure IoT Explorer releases
Find the latest version and download the file with .msi header:

Figure 14. IoT Explorer download

After opening Azure explorer click:

1. IoThubs 
2. Add connection

In the pop-up bar enter primary connection string which you can get from Shared access policies which was explored in section Shared access policies.

Click save after completion.

Figure 15. New connection

Click ib the Name of your hub which will be in blue color. 

Select the device that you want to explore by clicking on it’s IMEI.

On the following window click Telemetry and the Start.

Figure 16. Telemetry

Example of data sent in JSON format:

Figure 17. Records in JSON format

Example of data sent in Codec 8 format:

Figure 18. Records in Codec 8 format

Migrate to DigiCert Global G2

In overview window click on the red error message

Figure 19. Warning message

In the following window click Migrate to DigiCert Global G2

Figure 20. Migrate to G2

On the next window check all the boxes and click Update

Figure 21. Update resource certificate

Migration may take up to a minute. You can now continue with the instructions from where you left off.