SUMMARY
Real-time data only creates value when it reaches the people and systems that can act on it. The BG5 Controller Comms sheet describes how the BG5 Biofilm Growth Detector delivers biofilm activity data for monitoring, analysis, and response.
Bluetooth Low Energy is standard on every BG5 controller. Paired with the BGMobile app on an iOS or Android device, a technician at the panel can display system status, change operating parameters, and download data without cables or a laptop — useful for controllers mounted outdoors, in tight spaces, or spread across a large cooling water system.
At a desk, BGConnect software on a Windows PC provides the same bidirectional control over a direct USB connection. Ethernet extends that link either directly or through the plant network, so results can be reviewed from a chemistry office or control room instead of at the probe. Networked units communicate over ModBus TCP/IP, allowing biofilm activity to be trended alongside other process data.
The practical effect is a monitoring system that matches how plants actually run: local access when someone is standing at the instrument, networked access when no one is, and a single data set behind both. Communications options sit within the wider equipment and plant monitoring capability offered through SI’s Operational Support Services organization. Full hardware detail is published in the BG5 specifications sheet.