MTConnect Machine Monitoring Software
If your machines already speak MTConnect, you are most of the way to real-time monitoring. FEAI Machine Monitor connects to your MTConnect agents from a Windows PC on your own network — read-only, local, and free for two machines.
MTConnect is the open, royalty-free standard that lets CNC machines publish what they are doing in a common format over a normal network. An MTConnect Agent serves that data over HTTP. Any MTConnect client can read it.
FEAI Machine Monitor is an MTConnect client built for CNC shops. It runs on a Windows PC, connects to the agents on your network, records machine data in a local database, and turns it into live status, timelines, utilization, OEE, downtime analysis, and reports.
If an MTConnect endpoint already answers on your network, monitoring is a configuration task, not a hardware project.
How MTConnect monitoring works
| Layer | What it does | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Machine control | Holds the real-time machine state | The machine builder |
| Adapter (sometimes) | Translates controller data into MTConnect's format | Built into some controls, or installed separately |
| MTConnect Agent | Serves data over HTTP: /probe, /current, /sample | Built into some controls, or run on a PC or gateway |
| Client software | Reads, stores, and analyzes the data | FEAI Machine Monitor |
FEAI talks only to the agent. It requests the device description (/probe), the latest values (/current), and the stream of changes (/sample) with plain HTTP GET requests. It never sends commands to the machine. For the full picture, read How MTConnect Works.
What you get from MTConnect data
Depending on what your agent publishes, FEAI turns MTConnect data items into:
- Live status — running, idle, stopped, alarm, and offline from execution state, availability, and conditions
- Timelines — minute-by-minute history of every state change
- Utilization and OEE — availability from the timeline, performance from part counts and your ideal cycle time
- Downtime analysis — stop windows ranked by duration and frequency
- Production history — part counts, programs, and cycles
- Alerts — when a machine stops or idles longer than expected
- Reports — exportable shift and period summaries
The exact data items vary by control and agent configuration. What Data Does MTConnect Provide? explains execution states, part counts, programs, alarms, and more.
Why a Windows, local-first MTConnect client
Most MTConnect monitoring products send data to a vendor cloud. FEAI keeps it on a PC in your shop.
- Fits job-shop IT. A Windows PC on the shop network is something every shop already knows how to run.
- No cloud dependency for daily monitoring. The status board works when the internet is down.
- Data stays with you. History lives in a local database on your computer, which matters to many defense, aerospace, and medical shops and their customers.
- No per-machine gateway hardware when your machines already provide MTConnect.
The trade-off: FEAI is not a multi-plant corporate cloud dashboard. For single-site shops monitoring 2 to 50 machines, local is simpler and cheaper.
MTConnect for job shops
Job shops get a lot out of MTConnect because the standard is the same across brands. A shop with Haas mills, a Mazak lathe, and an Okuma horizontal can see them side by side in one view — provided each one exposes MTConnect. Brand-specific notes are on our Haas, Mazak, Okuma, and Fanuc pages.
High-mix work makes the timeline especially valuable. With frequent changeovers, most lost time hides between jobs — setups, first-article checks, waiting for programs — and MTConnect execution state shows every one of those gaps.
Requirements checklist
Before connecting, confirm:
- Each machine has an accessible MTConnect Agent or compatible endpoint. Check the control's options, ask your dealer, or look for an existing agent your shop already runs.
- You know the endpoint address — IP address, port (5000 is common but not universal), and path.
- The monitoring PC can reach it. Same network or routed VLAN, with firewalls allowing the port.
- The agent returns data. Opening
http://<ip>:<port>/currentin a browser on the monitoring PC should return XML. - A Windows 10 or 11 PC to run FEAI Machine Monitor.
Step-by-step instructions are in Already Have MTConnect? and Connect a CNC Machine. If something does not answer, work through How to Test an MTConnect Connection.
Finding MTConnect endpoints
FEAI includes a read-only Scan LAN tool that probes candidate addresses and ports for MTConnect responses. It can save time on a network with several agents, but it does not find every machine — agents on other subnets, unusual ports, or behind firewalls will not show up. You can always enter an endpoint manually.
The app also includes connection diagnostics that tell you whether an endpoint is reachable, whether it returns valid MTConnect data, and which devices it describes.
MTConnect vs other ways to get machine data
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| MTConnect | Open standard, multi-brand, read-only, HTTP | Requires an agent and sometimes an adapter, data items vary by control |
| Vendor protocols (e.g. FOCAS on Fanuc) | Deep access on that brand | Brand-specific, often needs licensed options and custom software |
| Hardware sensors (current clamps) | Works on almost any machine | Only knows power or load, not programs, counts, or alarms |
| Manual logs | No technology needed | Misses short stops, slow, inconsistent |
FEAI is built on MTConnect. For the Fanuc-specific comparison, see MTConnect vs FOCAS.
Pricing
| Plan | Machines | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 | $0 |
| Shop | 5 | $99 |
| Growth | 10 | $199 |
| Scale | 25 | $399 |
| Pro | 50 | $699 |
| Enterprise | 50+ | Contact sales |
Connect your first MTConnect machine
Already have an agent answering on your network? You can be looking at a live timeline the same day. Start free — 2 machines.
FAQ
What is MTConnect monitoring software?
It is software that reads machine data published by MTConnect agents and turns it into status boards, timelines, utilization, OEE, and downtime analysis. It is a client of the MTConnect standard, not the standard itself.
Does FEAI Machine Monitor include an MTConnect agent?
No. FEAI connects to an existing MTConnect Agent or compatible MTConnect endpoint on your network. Some controls provide one built in or as an option. Others need an agent and adapter installed separately.
Is MTConnect monitoring read-only?
Yes. MTConnect is a read-only standard. FEAI sends HTTP GET requests to the agent and never writes to the control.
Does it run on Windows?
Yes. FEAI Machine Monitor is a Windows 10 and 11 desktop application. Data is stored locally on that PC.
Can one PC monitor many MTConnect machines?
Yes. Each machine is added by its agent address. Plan limits range from 2 machines free up to 50 on Pro, with Enterprise beyond that.
What if my machines use FOCAS instead?
FEAI Machine Monitor uses MTConnect, not FOCAS. Some shops run an MTConnect adapter that translates controller data into MTConnect so it can be read by MTConnect clients.