Put a dashboard on
your machine today.
The free LineKeeper app for iPhone and iPad talks straight to Allen-Bradley, Siemens S7 and Modbus PLCs. One network scan finds your controller; a live dashboard and an operator panel with start/stop buttons take minutes to build — and they're saved on your phone for the day the panel isn't there. No cloud, no PLC program changes.
- ~15 minutes from download to a live dashboard
- Allen-Bradley · Siemens S7 · Modbus TCP
- Built-in demo line — try it with no PLC at all
The HMI panel just died.
Now what?
- Replacement panel: 2–6 weeks lead time
- Integrator visit: days of waiting + travel invoice
- SCADA quote: license costs that rival the machine itself
- Meanwhile the line is dark — every hour is money
Open the app. Connect.
Keep producing.
- Download the free app — a scan finds the PLC in ~15 minutes
- Build the operator screen you need: buttons, indicators, setpoints
- The machine's own program keeps running untouched
- The screen is saved on your phone — ready before you ever need it
The app is a minimal temporary stand-in, not a full HMI replacement — exactly enough for the operator to see the key values and press the right buttons, so production continues while the proper repair is on its way. Panel dead right now? Start with the 10-minute triage guide →
From "the panel just died" to better than before
Four steps, ordered by how fast they get you producing again. Start wherever today's emergency puts you — they stack.
A screen on a phone
The free LineKeeper app turns a phone or iPad on the PLC network into the temporary screen: live values, start/stop buttons, alarms. Allen-Bradley, Siemens S7 and Modbus TCP.
Get the app → In about an hour · freeRecover the old screens
Upload the dead panel's project export — FactoryTalk View, TIA Portal, Weintek and more — and the converter rebuilds it as a LineKeeper screen, instead of you redrawing it by hand.
Convert a project → For keepsThe LineKeeper device
A plug-in touchscreen — 7″ or 10″ — that stands in for the panel — and then stays: data logging, dashboards, on-device analytics and up to 5 years of history for the machine.
In development See the device plans ↓Data keeps flowing
Every LineKeeper publishes MQTT Sparkplug B into any SCADA today. Next up: LineKeeper Hub — a plant-wide SCADA-lite that picks up every LineKeeper on the network automatically.
Hub — in developmentBuild your first screen tonight
Install free, open the built-in demo line, and have a working dashboard before your coffee cools. Tomorrow, point it at a real machine.
One scan finds every PLC
Type an IP — or scan the subnet and watch every controller appear, whatever the brand. On Allen-Bradley Logix the app reads the whole tag list by itself; on Siemens S7 and Modbus you name points once, with a live value preview.
Find by action
Don't know which tag is the start button? Press the machine's real button and the patent-pending scan finds it for you — on Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Modbus alike.
Dashboards & operator panel
Gauges, trends and counters on one screen; start/stop buttons, jog and setpoints on another. Build them in minutes, save them on the phone — they're ready the day the panel isn't.
Machine history
A parameter snapshot from the first connection and a timestamped change log of every dashboard tag — the honest answer to "what changed since Friday?".
When the panel dies, the line doesn't.
The LineKeeper device — a plug-in touchscreen that stands in for a dead panel and stays as the machine's logger — is in development, in two sizes: 7″ and 10″. No preorders, no deposits; leave an email on the pricing page and we'll write once, when ordering opens. Here's what it's built to do:
Operator control panel
Drag-and-drop builder for the screen your operator actually needs: hold-to-run and latching buttons, indicators, numeric setpoints, section headers. Multiple panels for different line sections.
- Buttons release safely if the browser tab closes
- Button + feedback indicator on separate tags
- Use it on the built-in touchscreen or from any browser on the network
Dashboards & history
Pick the tags worth keeping and LineKeeper logs them on change — charts, gauges, uptime, counters, error codes. 12 widget types, from 15 minutes to 30 days back, exports to CSV.
- Smart storage: raw → hourly → daily aggregates
- Boolean analytics: uptime %, cycle times, start counts
- CSV export for the customer report
Live tag diagnostics
The whole controller at a glance — every tag with live values, UDT structures unfolded, bit-level view of integers. Write a value, toggle a bool, flip a single bit. No licensed engineering software required.
- Full tag list in one batch read, refreshed twice a second
- Timers, counters, arrays, UDTs, I/O modules
- Every write logged: who, when, which tag, what value
| Conveyor_Run | BOOL | 1 |
| Line_Speed_SP | REAL | 128.5 |
| Filler.State | DINT | 3 |
| Reject_Count | DINT | 147 |
| Recipe.Name | STRING | "COLA_05L" |
Remote access & integrations
Built-in Tailscale lets your OEM or integrator diagnose the machine remotely — access granted per person, revocable, no router port forwarding. Outgrew the basics? Publish data to any SCADA/IIoT platform over MQTT Sparkplug B by entering one broker address. And LineKeeper Hub — our plant-wide SCADA-lite, in development — will pick up every LineKeeper on the network automatically.
- Remote access toggled from the screen — no IT skills needed
- MQTT Sparkplug B: NBIRTH/NDATA/NDEATH, off by default
- Multiple machine profiles on one device
On-device AI analytics
A built-in analytics engine watches the recorded data for real problems — drift toward alarm limits, abnormal cycling, stalled counters, creeping cycle times — and an optional local AI turns the findings into a plain-language daily health report. Everything runs on the device: no cloud, no subscription, your data never leaves the plant.
- Daily report with issues ranked by severity and likely causes
- Tracks whether yesterday's issues are resolved, persist or worsen
- Ask your own questions: "Is Motor_Speed trending down over 8 hours?"
One interface — on the touchscreen and in any browser.
Actual screenshots of LineKeeper's interface. The same UI runs on the built-in touchscreen and opens from any computer, tablet or phone on the plant network. Click to zoom — or see every screen explained, tab by tab →
From box to running line in three steps
Plug it in
Power + Ethernet into the machine network. LineKeeper boots straight into its touchscreen interface. Wi‑Fi works too.
Connect to the PLC
Type the controller's IP address. LineKeeper discovers every tag automatically — values go live in seconds.
Run the line
Build the operator panel, pick tags to log, hand the operator a one-page guide. That's the whole rollout.
Have the dead panel's project file? Drop it in.
The free converter reads the vendor export and rebuilds it as a working LineKeeper screen — instead of you redrawing it button by button. Everything runs in your browser: the project file never leaves your computer.
FactoryTalk View ME/SE View Designer FactoryTalk Optix TIA Portal / WinCC Weintek Tag CSV
One box: screen, brains, storage.
Deliberately not a built-in panel. During an outage it stands next to the machine on its own; the rest of the time it can live anywhere on the plant network — dashboards, history and analytics don't care whether it's in the workshop or on an office shelf.
- 7″ or 10″ capacitive touchscreen — same interface in any browser on the network
- Quad-core compute module, fanless and silent
- Gigabit Ethernet + Wi‑Fi on board
- No installation — power + Ethernet, stands wherever needed
- 128 GB SSD on board — up to 5 years of history stored locally
Plain-language specifications
Three ways plants use LineKeeper
The panel died on a Friday
A bottling line's HMI failed; the replacement quote said four weeks. LineKeeper showed the key tags and start/stop buttons within an hour of unboxing — the line ran until the new panel arrived.
The travelling engineer
A service engineer keeps one in the van. On site: plug in, see every tag, write setpoints, check I/O — without licensed engineering software on the laptop.
History without a SCADA project
A small plant wanted temperature trends and downtime stats for one machine. LineKeeper logged the tags and drew the dashboards — no server, no licenses, no integrator weeks.
Scenarios drawn from the product's design targets.
What fixing a dead panel actually costs
| LineKeeper | New HMI panel | SCADA system | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Free app today · device in development ($1,290 planned, one-time) | $1,500–$4,000 + programming | $5,000+ licenses + server |
| Time to running | ~15 minutes with the free app, no programming | 2–6 weeks lead time + panel project rebuild | Weeks of integration |
| Needs a programmer | No | Yes — panel project rebuild | Yes — ongoing |
| Data logging & trends | Included | Rarely | Included |
| Remote diagnostics | Included (Tailscale) | Extra hardware | Depends on vendor |
| Recurring fees | None | None | Support contracts |
| Grows with you | Yes — feeds any SCADA via MQTT Sparkplug B later | No | — |
What does waiting for a panel cost you?
Three numbers from your plant — no email required to see the result.
Fair questions
Is it safe to control the machine through this?
LineKeeper writes tags exactly like a normal HMI does — through the PLC, whose own safety program stays fully in charge. On connection loss it never forces or holds outputs; hold-to-run buttons release automatically. Every write is recorded in an audit log with the user role, time and value.
Will our IT department allow a phone on the PLC network?
That's IT's call, and the app gives them a clean case to review: no cloud at all — traffic stays phone-to-PLC on the local segment — reads over the same ports an HMI already uses, nothing installed or changed on the controller, and the free version is read-only by design. The phone doesn't even have to join OT Wi-Fi: a USB-C Ethernet adapter wires it into a spare switch port. The full answer — and a one-page summary you can forward to IT — is on the app page.
Is the app really free?
Yes. The download is free, and browsing tags, building dashboards, the operator panel layout, alarms, the network scan and Find by action all work in the free version. LineKeeper Pro — a one-time in-app purchase, no subscription — unlocks writing values and machine history on real controllers.
Which PLCs does it work with?
The free app covers all three protocols today — Allen-Bradley ControlLogix and CompactLogix over EtherNet/IP (including UDTs, arrays, timers/counters and I/O modules), Siemens S7comm and Modbus TCP — with Find by action tag discovery on every one of them. The device (in development) targets Allen-Bradley EtherNet/IP first; its communication core is modular, so Modbus TCP and OPC UA drivers are on the roadmap.
Do I need a programmer or an integrator?
No. If you can type an IP address, you can connect it. Building the operator panel is drag-and-drop. The included operator guide is written for line staff, not engineers.
Does it need internet or a cloud account?
No. Everything — live view, control panel, logging, dashboards — runs on the device itself. Internet is only needed for optional remote access and software updates.
Can it replace our HMI permanently?
It's designed as a bridge, not a full replacement: enough for the operator to keep the line running while the proper panel is repaired or replaced. Many customers keep it afterwards as a diagnostics and logging tool.
What happens when we grow into a real SCADA?
Flip one switch: LineKeeper publishes its data over MQTT Sparkplug B — the standard spoken by Ignition, AWS IoT and most modern platforms. The device becomes an edge node; nothing on it needs replacing.
What about updates and support?
Updates install from the settings screen in one tap. If a new version fails to start, the device automatically rolls back to the previous one. Remote support is possible via built-in, per-person revocable Tailscale access — only when you enable it.
What about the device — when can I buy it?
The plug-in touchscreen is in development in two sizes — 7″ and 10″ — at a planned price of $1,290 one-time, no subscriptions. There are no preorders and nothing to pay today — leave an email on the pricing page and we'll write once, when ordering opens. Meanwhile the free app covers the temporary-screen job.
Our line is down right now — can you help faster?
Two things, both free: install the app — it can put live values and start/stop buttons on a phone in about 15 minutes — and tell us in the form that the line is down. The remote triage call is free, and often the panel failure has a workaround (or a repairable cause) that gets you producing before any hardware arrives. Start with the 10-minute triage guide.
Ask an engineer — free
The mobile app
Allen-Bradley, Siemens S7 and Modbus TCP on your iPhone or iPad — the 15-minute bridge when a panel dies. Free on the App Store.
Download on theApp Store See the app tour · Android closed betaThe device
The plug-in touchscreen, 7″ or 10″ — backup HMI, logging, dashboards and analytics, everything included, no subscriptions. $1,290 planned, one-time.
In development — one email when ordering opens. No deposits, no payment details. Details on the pricing page.Stuck on a dead panel, a stubborn PLC, or wondering if the app fits your setup? Write to us — a real engineer answers, line-down messages first.