Talk2M light

Talk2M Versions Compared

Compared to the free version, Talk2M light offers enhanced features at a price significantly lower than the premium version Talk2M pro. You can use 2 simultaneous connections to different Ewon routers at the same time. If this capacity is not enough, you can upgrade to the Talk2M pro version.

Talk2M light (TM50044) mainly offers 2 simultaneous eCatcher connections, i.e. 2 Ewon routers used by 2 users at the same time. It also offers 5 M2web connections, 50 SMS messages per month (e.g. alarms) and 5 GB of data transfer per month. If you exceed this amount, your access will be restricted until the end of the month. You will be notified by email in due course that you are approaching your data limit. If you find yourself in this situation frequently, we recommend that you upgrade to the Talk2M pro service.

With a new EWON router, you can use the Talk2M free service free of charge for 12 months. This type of account does not allow simultaneous connection of multiple users and the data flow is limited to 3 GB, but for a certain type of customer it is quite a sufficient solution. After 12 months you will have to switch to a paid account or register a new EWON router.

If Talk2M free is not enough for you, we recommend choosing the light or pro service. Let us give you an example:

You are a company that manufactures bottle production lines and sells them all over the world. In each of the countries where you are present, you have a partner company that sells and maintains your machines. As the manufacturer, you want to be able to remotely access your machines. Your distributors also need remote access to the machines that they have sold. Therefore, you need a solution that enables you to:

All the situations above are covered by the Talk2M light and pro versions.

Main Talk2M light Features

Talk2M Hosting

Talk2M free, Talk2M light and Talk2M pro servers are hosted by the company Rackspace. Being one of the top players worldwide, it offers hosting services to all kinds of customers. Rackspace was established in 1998. Based in Texas, it has over 70,000 customers, 25 data centres all over the world and 2,600 servers. Its services come with a guarantee on 100% service availability and replacement of defective hardware within 1 hour.

Talk2M servers provide only connectivity between Ewon modems and users. This means that we are talking about connectivity hosting here, not data hosting. These servers do not store any of the data transferred between Ewon modems and users.

What Is the Talk2M Cloud? How Does It Work?

Talk2M is an Ewon HMS cloud service that allows you to connect remotely to Ewon routers. It is a large-scale data infrastructure based on more than 30 servers in secure data centres around the world. For added reliability, the servers are operated by three independent providers. If one provider fails, the Talk2M service will continue to operate. 
 

Normally, Ewon routers are always connected to the Talk2M cloud. It is also possible to connect an Ewon to the cloud based on our SMS message, or the router connects to the cloud just to perform a task. When it is finished, it will disconnect. The remote user connects to Talk2M from their computer using the eCatcher.exe program (VPN client). If you cannot install any software on your computer, you can also connect via the M2WEB portal.

The Talk2M free service is free for 12 months when you buy a router and is sufficient for 90% of users. With the Talk2M free service, the programmer only connects to one Ewon router = PLC  within their account, does the required job, disconnects and only then can they log on to another router. If you need to connect several users to a router at the same time, or if within a company account several users will connect to different Ewons at the same time, then choose the paid Talk2M light or pro service. You will also need to choose between the two paid services after 12 months of registering your router with Talk2M. While the light service is an affordable product for smaller businesses, the pro version is suitable for machine builders or large plants where multiple programmers need connect to machines and equipment remotely at the same time. The paid Talk2M pro version allows you to connect a larger number of users at once and set different user rights. It offers better security options for access to Ethernet stations behind the Ewon router, etc.

Comparing Talk2M free, Talk2M light and Talk2M pro
Talk2M free (a free service) provides a connection between one user and one Ewon modem, with the proviso that if a second user wants to log in, the first user must log out. You can, of course, set up multiple Talk2M accounts and assign one Ewon modem to each. At that point, again, one user logs in to one modem and another user logs in to another modem. However, they will never be logged in to one modem at a time. In addition, the Talk2M free service is limited to 12 months from the first registration of a new modem in the system. After that, you will have to choose one of the two paid services.

• Talk2M free = Users can log in to a Talk2M account (at the same time), but only one user can be connected to a modem at a time (i.e. if you have 5 Ewon modems in your Talk2M account, you will be able to connect to only one of them at a time). The service expires 12 months after a router is registered with the Talk2M service.
• Talk2M light = 2 users connect simultaneously to several Ewon modems within one Talk2M account (flat rate).
• Talk2M pro = multiple users connect to multiple Ewon modems within one Talk2M account (flat rate).

How to Use Talk2M

• On your computer you have to install the eCatcher application, which acts as VPN client and thus enables you to establish a connection between your PC and the Talk2M cloud service. eCatcher can also be installed and run on Android/iOS devices.

• On the side of your production line or machine you have to install an Ewon router (Cosy or Flexy). You connect the Ewon router to any device that you would like to access remotely in the future, typically a PLC.

• If you need to establish a remote access connection to the Ewon router, which is installed in a control cabinet in production, you start the eCatcher VPN client, log in to your Talk2M free account, choose the Ewon router that you want to connect to and connect to it. Using a secure VPN tunnel, the Talk2M service connects you to the Ewon router, allowing you to carry out servicing remotely.

What do you need for remote access via an Ewon router?

• An Ewon industrial router connected to the Internet through LAN, WiFi or a mobile network
• A free Talk2M account created through the eCatcher VPN client
• A computer with the Windows operating system and the eCatcher VPN client installed

How do you create a Talk2M account?

You create your Talk2M account directly in the eCatcher application, which you can download on our website. When you have installed it, start the application and click on Create Talk2M free Account (1). Enter the name of your account and your username, email and password (2). You also need to enter your company's name, address and company type. Then activate your account, following the instructions in the activation email sent to your mailbox.

How do you pair an Ewon router with your Talk2M account?

To pair an Ewon router with your Talk2M account, connect to the Ewon using, for example, eBuddy. In your Ewon, follow the steps in the Quick Launch Wizard, which will help you configure your router in three quick steps. First, set your router's name and password (1). Second, choose the right type of Internet connection (2). Third, using the activation key from eCatcher, pair your router with your Talk2M free account (3).

How do you access a machine remotely using an Ewon router?

Having paired an Ewon router with your Talk2M account, you can now connect to the router or rather the devices connected to the router's LAN ports. Run the eCatcher program installed on your computer and log in using your Talk2M free account.

Choose the Ewon router from the list, click on it, and connect to it by clicking on the Connect button (1). Then you just connect to a given device using the device's software or by entering the device's IP address into your browser.