Use of QR Codes
The settings page in the app offers an option to scan a QR code containing the connection parameters. The selection options with regard to security are less extensive in comparison with a manual connection setting. In addition, the user should consider that anyone can gain access via the QR code, depending on the location.
It is possible to equip a QR code with the so-called lock parameter. In this case, a connection can be established via the QR code, but no connection details are displayed to the app user. It should be noted at this point that a user can access the data by directly reading the QR code.
The content of an example QR code looks like this:
http://iotdemo.beckhoff.com/app?&broker=iot.beckhoff.com&port=1883&topic=TOPICNAME
The connection parameters for the broker address and the broker port as well as for the topic “TOPICNAME” are entered here by scanning the QR code. The following list describes the possible parameters that can be mapped via the URL:
Parameter | Values |
|---|---|
broker | IP address or host name of the broker. |
port | Port of the message broker (normally 1883 or 8883). |
clientid | Client ID of the app, if required. |
topic | Topic to which the Communicator PLC library publishes. |
user | User name for logging into the message broker. |
password | Password to log in to the message broker. |
lock | The possible values are “true” or “1” if you want to hide the connection details. |
tls | Possible values: “Default”, “TLSv1_0”, “TLSv1_1”, “TLSv1_2”. No paths to certificates can be specified via the QR code. TLS can therefore only be used without a client certificate and by skipping the validation of the server certificate. As a result, encryption is achieved, but this does not guarantee any security in communication! |
skipCertCheck | The possible values are “true” or “false” to enable or disable the validation of the server certificate. Further description in the “tls” line. |
favoriteName | Name under which a connection is saved as a favorite immediately after scanning the QR code. If there are already three configured favorites, adding another favorite will fail. |
mode | Choice of the connection mode. Possible values: |
issuer | Issuer URL from the identity provider. |
oauthclient | Client ID with the identity provider. |
profile | Profile name at the identity provider. |