Visualising Your IoT Data With Novacene

In this short blog, we will give an overview of the Novacene IoT dashboard and how it can be a useful tool to visualise your IoT data.

What is Novacene?

The Novacene platform is an IoT dashboard system that represents values from your sensors in a graphical way. Moreover, it allows you to digitise the floor plans of your building and place the deployed devices in areas where they are installed. This platform is hosted online and can be accessed from any device by simply visiting the app.novacene.io website.

Once you are logged into the platform you will see a map with all your sites. By going into the site, you can see the floor plan of your building and your sensors.


Accessing Your Data

Depending on the type of floor plan, you can have various zones that represent different floors of that building or different areas at your site. From this overview page, you can filter the view by particular device type. You can also scroll through all the graphs and data of your devices. On the digitised floor plan, you can click on any of the sensors to directly go into its data visualisation or you can also click on the desired zone to see all sensors that are added within that zone.

The Novacene platform allows you to represent data in various graphical ways. You can adjust the style of the graph as per your needs. You can also select what data should be visible on the graph or in the list below the graph. It is also worth mentioning that all the data can be downloaded in .csv format or can be pulled from the platform by using the API.

The Novacene dashboard is fully customisable which means you can adjust everything to suit your use case. To make edits all you need to do is to enter the Creator Mode which unlocks plenty of adjustments starting with the geozones, through adjusting the position of particular devices and finishing with setting up various rules and alerts.


Customising Your Dashboard

Rules and alerts can be created per zone. For example, you can create a rule where you will be notified if the temperature in a particular zone exceeds a certain value and also be notified with another message when the temperature goes below a certain value. Currently, notifications can be sent as emails or text messages (SMS). The content of the message is also fully customisable.


Simplifying Your Data & Technical Tips

The Novacene platform also decodes data from the sensors in the background allowing you to just see the data without worrying about writing a decoder to make that happen. With support for dozens of different devices including the most commonly used manufacturers such as Netvox, Elsys, Milesight and many more. The portfolio of supported devices increases all the time so even if your device is not supported at the moment, it can be supported in the future.

For the technical aspect of the portal, Novacene has an intuitive knowledge base which can be accessed through their website. Here, you can find many ‘how to’ guides showing you for example the way to add a device to the floor plan, how to download data from the platform and more. The knowledge base can be accessed by going to help.novacene.io/knowledge

If you are looking for such a platform and you are interested in what you have seen, feel free to contact us. Our team will be happy to go through more details about the platform as well as the commercials.


Discover More in Our Overview Video

Please find our overview video about the Novacene platform below.

How to Configure Eastron Meters

Common Configuration

For both meter types, there are some downlink messages that are common. Those are:
1. Open Configuration downlinks – to open the device to receive any configuration.
2. Set Number of Parameters – to set how many parameters can be transmitted in one uplink message.
3. Time interval – to set how often the device transmits the data.

It’s worth mentioning that all the downlinks need to be queued in order, one at a time and to fport 1.

Open Configuration

There are 3 downlink messages that need to be queued to enable configuration on the device. Once the downlinks are received by the device, there is a 30-minute window where the configuration can be changed. After that time, the downlinks will need to be re-sent.
The downlink messages are always the same and will replicate those listed below.

010300180002440C

01100018000204447A0000C62C

0103000E0002A5C8

Then there is the downlink to set the number of parameters per 1 uplink message.

It’s recommended to set this to 5, but it can be adjusted to suit your needs.

The downlink message that sets the number of parameters to 5 is:

0110FE1200010200057AEE

Time Interval

The time interval downlink message changes how often the device transmits data. It’s recommended to keep this setting to 30 minutes for the most reliable transmission.

It is possible to set this to send data more frequently but with a higher data transmission rate there is a chance that some packets will be missed. This could become a problem, especially in some cases where there are a lot of parameters being measured, hence the 30-minute time interval is a sweet spot.

The Downlink message to set the time interval to 30 minutes is:

0110FE01000102001E3846

A time interval change downlink message can be sent to the device at the initial configuration stage or at a later date. In order to change just the time interval, you will need to send Open Configuration messages first.

SDM-230 example of payload parameters and data structure

The Single-Phase Eastron energy meter can measure a lot of parameters. It is recommended to choose up to 10 parameters based on the list below. Choosing more than 10 may end up in data not being transmitted correctly or in data packet loss.

Parameters SDM-230

Example #01

Let’s say, we are interested in measuring the Voltage, Frequency and Current.

To do so, based on the list of parameters above, we will need to choose 00, 01, 02.

We also need to set the Number of Parameters to 3 in this case.

The downlink message itself for the 3 selected parameters will then look like this:

0110FE02000F1E000102FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF4FA8

Where:
01 – slave address

10 – function code

FE02 – address this setting is being sent to

000F – number of registers, 15

1E – number of bytes, 30 (2 bytes per register)

000102FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF – the 30 bytes of parameters, we have turned on 00, 01 & 02, all others are off (ff)

4FA8 – MODBUS CRC

To send the whole configuration we need to send the Open Configuration downlinks, Number of Parameters downlink, time interval downlink (optional), and the configuration downlink. That will result in 5 (or 6 if we selected time interval change) downlink messages to be sent one by one and one at a time to fport 1.

The downlinks in this particular example will be:
010300180002440C (open config)
01100018000204447A0000C62C (open config)
0103000E0002A5C8 (open config)
0110FE120001020003FAEC (number of parameters set to 3)
0110FE01000102001E3846 (optional 30mins time interval)
0110FE02000F1E000102FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF4FA8 (configuration)

SDM-630 example of payload parameters and data structure

Similarly like in a single-phase meter, the Three-Phase Eastron energy meter can measure a lot of parameters. It is recommended to choose up to 10 parameters based on the list below. Choosing more than 10 may end up in data not being transmitted correctly or in data packet loss. The list of parameters differs from the single-phase one so be sure to select from the correct list when deciding on which parameters you want to select.

General/Total Parameters – SDM-630
L1 Parameters – SDM-630
L2 Parameters – SDM-630
L3 Parameters – SDM-630

Example #02

Let’s say we are interested in measuring Voltage L1-N,L2-N,L3-N, Current L1, L2, L3, Active Power L1, L2, L3
To enable those parameters in configuration we need to select the following: 00 01 02 07 08 09 10 11 12

The downlink message itself for selected 9 parameters will then look like this:

0110FE02000F1E000102070809101112FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFA008

Where:

Where:
01 – slave address

10 – function code

FE02 – address this setting is being sent to

000F – number of registers, 15

1E – number of bytes, 30 (2 bytes per register)

000102070809101112FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF – the 30 bytes of parameters, we have turned on 00, 01, 02, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12 all others are off (FF)

A008 – MODBUS CRC

To send the whole configuration we need to send the Open Configuration downlinks, Number of Parameters downlink, time interval downlink (optional), and the configuration downlink. That will result in 5 (or 6 if we selected time interval change) downlink messages to be sent one by one and one at a time to fport 1.

Those downlinks in this particular example will be:

010300180002440C (open config)
01100018000204447A0000C62C (open config)
0103000E0002A5C8 (open config)
0110FE1200010200057AEE (number of parameters set to 5)
0110FE01000102001E3846 (optional 30mins time interval)
0110FE02000F1E000102070809101112FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFA008 (configuration)

You would expect 2 messages with 5 values each (because there are 9 parameters, the second message will contain only 4 valid values.)


Those messages will contain data as follows:
[“L1-N Voltage”,”L2-N Voltage”,”L3-N Voltage”,”L1 Current”,”L2 Current”],
[“L3 Current”,”L1 Active Power”,”L2 Active Power”,”L3 Active Power”,”N/A”]

To find out more about the Eastron Meter or for assistance in configuring your IoT devices, please contact our expert team today.

Need help getting started?
Talk to an expert

How to Configure the Milesight DS3604

Milesight recently launched the new DS3604 E-ink Display. We have been busy testing this new device, as we do with everything we sell. We’ve compiled a short blog covering everything you can expect from this new device and how you can set it up to work best for your use case.

What is the Milesight DS3604?

The DS3604 is a configurable display device from Milesight. This device can be used when booking your meeting rooms, but it goes a bit beyond that. You can remotely set it to display that it is reserved, display your room names, dates, the period the room is booked for, it is completely customisable! This means when you look at this handy little sign outside the meeting room door, you have all the details you need to know whether it’s worth loitering for that one person who’s always busy or quickly grab a coffee!

The payload

First, let’s go over the different parts of the payload.

Let’s look at the example above from Milesight’s user guide: FB01000474657374FF3D02

We’re going to split this up to make it easier to read:

FB

01

00

04

74657374

FF3D02 

FB is the channel we’re sending to and 01 just says we’re updating text or QR code content. We’re going to focus on the “value” as this is the part we will be changing.

00 04 74657374

As you can see there are 3 parts to the value, we’re going to label them A, B and C 

A:00 B:04 C:74657374

Payload Part A: Using Toolbox

A: 00, this indicates we’re changing template 1, module 1. But We want to change anything or at least know which module 00 is. To do this we can use the Milesight app, Toolbox, to find the module numbers. Toolbox is useful for a variety of Milesight’s products, so if you are using any of their products I recommend checking it out.

You need to scan the device making sure you have NFC turned on, then navigate to “Setting > “E-ink Display Settings” this will display a template for your device. When you select a module, you will see a little red number that tells you what the module number is. The display counts up from 1, where as the payload is from 0, this means the module is whatever the little number is minus 1. In this case to change module 1 we need to set it to 0.

I advise noting down the different parts for your chosen template so you can send downlinks from wherever you want. This is accurate for all module numbers apart from the QR code, to change the QR code you change A to “0A”.

Payload Part B and C: The actual content

B: 04, this is the size of the text you’re sending in hexidecimal. B = 04 because “test” is 4 characters. You have to convert messages that are 10+ characters, symbols or spaces to the correct format, “AllIoT Rules!” for instance would be 0D instead of 13. 

C: 74657374, This is the text you want to display, or the value you want the QR code to show when scanned, to get this value you need to get whatever text you have and convert it from ASCII to hexadecimal. There are plenty of websites which offer this, just go to your search browser and type “Ascii to hex converter”. P.s. To get to “AllIoT Rules!” use 416C6C496F542052756C657321.

The last bit of our payload is FF3D02, this refreshes the screen so you can see your changes, you should leave this as it is.

Once you’ve got everything ready, all you need to do is send it as a payload to your device at port 85. 

And that is it, you can now configure and send your own payloads to change your Milesight DS3604!  

For more technical hints and tips, why not sign up to our mailing list? We frequently share our latest blogs and devices in our monthly newsletter.

Interested in getting started with IoT? Contact us today to discuss your requirements.

Top Considerations When Selecting Your NB-IoT Connectivity Partner

We know selecting your NB-IoT connectivity partner can be an overwhelming task. Whoever you decide to go with, chances are you will be entering a partnership which will last at least 12 months.


To help with your selection, we’ve compiled our top tips to help you identify the key considerations when selecting your NB-IoT connectivity partner.

When it comes to data packages, there’s a lot to choose from. Everyone seems to be offering ‘the best price or package’, but what else should you be taking into account?

Roaming Agreements & UK Contracts

If you’re going to be deploying sensors throughout the UK & Ireland, you’re going to want to make sure you have a UK agreement in place, not a roaming agreement. These are two very different things.

A UK contract will ensure you have NB-IoT connectivity for the duration of the agreement. This is vital to any IoT project.

A roaming agreement, on the other hand may offer a low-cost alternative in the interim, but there’s nothing stopping the provider from ending their agreements with the company whose network they are piggybacking on. Such agreements tend to stand for around 30 days. Outside of these agreements, additional charges may be applied. Since Brexit, there has been a lot of instability in roaming agreements which could leave you without any NB-IoT connectivity at all.

With many NB-IoT devices offering battery lives of up to 10 years, you want to ensure your connectivity is as robust as the sensor life!

Network Experience & Reliability

No one wants an unreliable network, especially when it’s collecting important data. Vodafone supports in excess of 100 million IoT connections across over 400 networks, in 180 countries. They are currently the UK’s only NB-IoT network provider, offering coverage for around 98% of their existing networks throughout the UK. In this instance, it’s worth checking the relationship your provider has with Vodafone – are they a direct partner or are they reselling their services.

Scalability

Will your provider be able to offer the same connectivity package and migrate your billing into one consolidated sum?

As your projects scale, you will want to simplify your NB-IoT connectivity and billing as much as possible.

Support

When signing up to an agreement, it can be wise to consider where your provider is located and that their operating hours suit you.

Security

Data security is incredibly important. Vodafone offers additional protection including SIMLock, Private APN and automated usage alerts at no extra cost.

Ready to talk more?

Alliot are proud to be an official Vodafone IoT partner. Get in touch today to discuss your NB-IoT connectivity requirements and check coverage in your area. We offer bespoke packages and discounted pricing to suit your projects. Find out more about getting started today.

Looking for NB-IoT Connectivity?
Let us connect you

Alliot Become Vodafone IoT Partner

Alliot Technologies named official Vodafone IoT Partner

Looking for NB-IoT Connectivity? Look no further!

We’re delighted to announce we are now an official Vodafone IoT Partner! Find out more about what our new agreement means to you and how we can support your connectivity requirements.

WHAT WE OFFER AS A VODAFONE IOT PARTNER:

  • The very best connectivity from the UK’s only NB-IoT network provider
  • Competitive pricing with no hidden charges
  • Customised data plans to suit your requirements
  • Access to the very best Technical Support backed by Vodafone themselves
Vodafone IoT Partner benefits

 


CONNECT WITHOUT BARRIERS

Paired with our extensive hardware offering and expert support packages, we’re excited to be your new NB-IoT enabler! As an official Vodafone IoT Partner, we can now offer a range of data plans to bring your solutions to life.

Whatever you’re looking for in your NB-IoT solutions, we offer everything you need – take as much or as little as you like.

Talk to us today to get started.


WHAT IS NB-IOT?

Like LoRaWAN®, NB-IoT sits under the LPWAN umbrella. It’s optimised for low power consumption devices which record and transmit small packets of data over long distances. Unlike LoRaWAN® however, NB-IoT does not require the use of a gateway and the mobile provider is responsible for the network management.

 

With coverage for around 98% of their existing networks throughout the UK, Vodafone support more than 100 million IoT connections, across 400 networks, in 180 countries. Get in touch today to check coverage in your area.

Whatever stage you’re at in your IoT journey, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

How does Air Quality affect our Health?

Air quality can affect a number of parameters in everyday life. From crop yield to water quality and buildings. It has a profound effect on our lives. But how does air quality affect our health? Find out more in our short blog.

There are many reasons to make air quality monitoring a top priority. Research has shown that poor air quality can have a significant effect on our health. It’s been reported by the WHO that nine out of ten people now breathe polluted air, this contributes to the death of around 7 million people each year1.

These alarming figures illustrate the seriousness of the situation and the stark reality that poor air quality is hard to escape.

How does outdoor air quality affect our health?

Outdoor air quality is closely linked to climate change and the effects of our use of fossil fuels.

Cancer Research recently published their findings on how air pollution can cause lung cancer in people who have never smoked2. As part of the TRACERx Lung Study. The programme found that exposure to air pollution promotes the growth of cells carrying cancer-causing mutations in the Lungs. Particulate Matter, particularly PM2.5 (tiny pollutant particles) have been identified as causing inflammation to the lungs which can lead to cancer.

This isn’t the only potential health implication which can arise as a result of outdoor air pollution. Other conditions that can be caused by this include; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart disease and Dementia.

While there are lots of contributing factors to outdoor air quality, many of which are outside an individual’s control, monitoring PM levels with low cost LPWAN sensors can be a good place to start assessing outdoor air quality. Through careful monitoring, information recorded by deployed sensors can be used to identify trends and build up data to allow you to make more informed decisions as to how you can improve outdoor air quality. In order to maximise your project’s effectiveness, it is essential for data to be monitored before and after measures are put in place.

How does indoor air quality affect our health?

Indoor air quality on the other hand is more within our own control. We’ve outlined some potential implications which can come as a result of poor indoor air quality.

Mould & Dampness

Not only is mould unsightly, it can also cause harm to your health. Following the tragic news of the death of 2 year old Awaab Ishak, the implications of mould exposure are sadly very real.

The increased cost of energy is likely to increase the risk of mould inside buildings too. With cold weather comes condensation. Ordinarily putting the heating on would help to dry out the air indoors, but with significant rises to the cost of energy, more and more people are turning their backs on their thermostat.

The most common causes of mould are:

  • Humidity
  • Condensation
  • Rising damp
  • Poor ventilation

Caused by excess moisture, moulds emit spores which can cause a variety of health issues. For babies, young children and those with underlying health conditions including allergies or respiratory conditions such as asthma, these spores can be even more harmful. Monitoring indoor air quality is a simple, yet effective way to alert Landlords, Housing Associations and homeowners of high moisture/humidity levels which can be used to identify the dew point and the need for ventilation.

How does air quality affect our health in the office and schools?

The WELL building standard has helped to transform health and wellbeing in buildings. It’s estimated we spend around 90% of our time in enclosed spaces. During this time, we inhale pollutants which can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. Elements such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide can all contribute to the overall indoor air quality.

We recently completed a project installing CO2 sensors throughout schools in Scotland. There have been numerous studies over the years about the effect CO2 levels has on our cognitivie performance. Read more about how using LoRaWAN® technology has helped to transform the overall performance and wellbeing in the classroom.

Why use IoT to monitor air quality?

LPWAN devices are ideal for monitoring air quality. With a long battery life of 5+ years, once deployed you can access recorded data from wherever you may be. Devices can be configured to your parameters. If readings fall outside of your set parameters an automated alert will be triggered from your software platform to notify you that an action needs to be taken i.e. open a window to improve ventilation. Data recorded by deployed devices can also be used as evidence of regulation compliance.

How can Alliot help?

While the impact of air quality can be serious for our health, IoT devices can be used to minimise the long-term effects and empower us with more intelligent data to make better decisions. Alliot offer a wide variety of indoor and outdoor air quality sensors and associated software. Whatever parameters you are looking to monitor, we can help you deliver projects of all sizes and locations. Whether you’re looking to monitor indoor air quality conditions in Social Housing across the country or optimise your office environments to improve staff wellbeing and productivity, our expert team are here to help. Contact us today to discuss your air quality monitoring requirements.

1 World Health Organisation 2018, How air pollution is detroying our health, accessed 30th November 2022, <https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health>

2 Cancer Research UK 2022, Scientists reveal how air pollution can cause lung cancer in people who have never smoked, accessed 30th November 2022, <https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2022/09/10/scientists-reveal-how-air-pollution-can-cause-lung-cancer-in-people-who-have-never-smoked/>

NB-IoT Explained: The Basics

NB-IoT is really starting to gain momentum, but what actually is it and what are its benefits? Find out more about about this increasingly popular IoT technology and what it can bring to your IoT solutions in our short guide; NB-IoT explained.

What is NB-IoT?

NB-IoT is a form of cellular IoT technology. Like LoRaWAN®, it sits under the LPWAN umbrella. Unlike LoRaWAN®, however, NB-IoT solutions do not require a gateway.

Instead, NB-IoT uses existing cellular (GSM) networks. These cellular networks were set out to extend beyond what existing cellular technologies offer. It utilises low bandwidth signals, making it a great enabler for a broad range of applications, such as:

  • Asset Tracking
  • Smart Cities
  • Monitoring Utilities
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Industry 4.0
  • Wearable Technologies
  • Connected Healthcare
  • Waste Management
  • Transport and Logistics

NB-IoT technology is well suited to low power devices which record and transmit small packets of data over long distances.

Designed to reach locations which aren’t easily covered by traditional cellular technologies. NB-IoT devices will typically have a long battery life of up to 10 years; The list of available devices is growing all the time!

NB-IoT Explained: Who is it good for?

NB-IoT can pose a number of benefits to users, enabling you to:

  • Configure devices yourself to send data to your preferred platform
  • Record data from across multiple locations and assets on the move
  • Hassle free connectivity – leave the network management to the mobile provider
  • Quickly begin to visualise data by connecting your sensors to your dashboard via an IP address
  • Long battery life of up to 10 years
  • Utilises dedicated radio space making it less susceptible to interference

Things to Consider

There’s a couple of factors which are important to take into consideration when selecting which IoT technology is best for your use case.

  • Coverage: As cellular LPWAN networks are maintained by mobile network providers, coverage may not be available in all areas. Our team can help you to establish this prior to getting started.
  • Cost: With cellular LPWAN, each sensor will require its own SIM card. Depending on the size of your project and the number of end points, this could result in higher costs.
  • Sensor Locations: If you need to deploy sensors across multiple locations or monitor moving objects, NB-IoT is likely to be a good option for you.

NB-IoT Explained: What do I need to get started?

There are three key components required to get started with NB-IoT:

  • SIM card – This is your key to getting connected. In the UK, Vodafone is the only NB-IoT provider.
  • Sensors – We provide a wide range of NB-IoT sensors. Whether you’re looking to monitor air quality, energy efficiency, waste levels or track your assets, we’ve got you covered!
  • Dashboard – This is the piece which will bring your solution together. Recorded data is pushed to your chosen dashboard ready to visualise and act upon.

Getting Started with NB-IoT

Whatever your requirements, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Contact us today to begin your NB-IoT journey.

Alliot to Supply Milesight LoRaWAN Range


We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Milesight! With a brand new range of LoRaWAN® Gateways, Sensors and software now available.

Designed to optimise environmental conditions, enhance efficiencies and leverage the top trending tech, discover Milesight’s LoRaWAN® offering today with Alliot.

LIVE WEBINAR – 13th JULY

Milesight is a fast-growing AIoT solution provider committed to offering value-added services and cutting-edge technologies. Join us on Wednesday 13th July at 10 am when our Sales Director, Craig Herrett will be joined by Ana Huang from Milesight to take a look at their value proposition in the IoT and communications industries and how the Internet of Things and artificial intellgence have become a core part of the business.

Register now to get to grips with the range and discover a new host of possibilities in our next live webinar.


Whatever vertical you operate in, there’s something for everyone in the Milesight range. Get in touch today to discuss your IoT requirements. Our expert team are n hand to help you every step of the way.

How to Integrate Kerlink Wanesy with Amazon AWS

Did you know the sensor data received on the Kerlink Wanesy Management Centre doesn’t have to be stored only there? In this blog post, I will show you how you can integrate Kerlink Wanesy with Amazon AWS.

Creating ‘Things’ in AWS

Once logged into the AWS IoT platform, go to the Manage section and click on the Things tab. Then click on Create things and select Create single thing. Press next.

In the ‘Things’ properties section give your ‘Thing’ (no pun intended!) a name.
Then expand the Thing Type tab and click on Create thing type.

You will then need to give a name to your Thing type and expand the Searchable attributes section. Add 3 attributes by clicking the Add attribute button. Name it as per the picture below, then click Create.

Adding searchable Attributes

You should see the green ribbon on top of your screen saying that you successfully created a thing type. Wait for a second and under the thing type section you should see 3 boxes called Searchable attribute and Value – optional next to them. Fill in the values as per the picture below.

Searchable Attributes – Values

Now expand the Non-searchable thing attributes tab. Create 2 more attributes called app_eui and app_key and type the app_eui and app_key of your device. For example:

Non-searchable attributes

Once this is complete, scroll down and click Next. You can select Auto-generate a new certificate tab and click Create thing.

Creating the MQTT Shadow and Manage Certificates

Go to the thing you have created – Manage section > Things tab and click on the Thing name. Go to the Interact tab and click on view settings. Copy the Endpoint and save it in a safe place as you will need it to create a push config at a later stage.

Go back to your thing and click on the Device Shadows tab. Click Create shadow, give it a name and click Create. Now you can go to the shadow you’ve created and copy the MQTT topic prefix. Save it somewhere as it will be needed to configure Push config at a later stage.

Now, go back to your Thing and go to the Certificates tab. Click Create Certificate button.

In the pop-up window click Activate certificate then Download the following:
Device Certificate, Public key file, Private key file and RSA 2048 bit key: Amazon Root CA 1

Once you have that downloaded, click done.

Now from the left-hand side list, select the Secure section and choose the Policies tab.

Create a policy by clicking the button in the top right corner. Give it a name, and then make sure to sign up to all of the Policy actions starting with words iot:
The Policy effect should be set to Allow and the Policy resource should be a * symbol.

Policy details

Once you have all of that, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

Now, go back to the Things tab, your thing, Certificates tab, click on your certificate. On the top of the page, click the Actions button and select Attach Policy from the drop-down menu. A pop up will appear where you need to select your newly created policy and click Attach policies.

Creating a Push-Configuration on Wanesy Management Centre

Now is a good moment to add the device on to Wanesy. If you already have a device added to a different cluster and want to use it to push data to AWS, create a new cluster and move the device into it. Let’s now create a push configuration.

Go to Clusters under the Administration section. At the top of the screen choose the Push configurations tab and then click the + icon in the bottom right corner.

In the pop-up window, give your push config a name, select MQTT type of push and Payload detail level. Then click Next. In the Host box, paste the previously copied Endpoint link.

*If you can’t find it in the AWS go to the following path and copy the Endpoint: Things > Your thing > Interact > View Settings > Endpoint

In the Port box type 8883
The Client ID is the name of the thing on AWS.
You can change Keep alive to 60 seconds.
Tick Enable box under TLS section.
Then click Next

Integrate Kerlink Wanesy with Amazon AWS
Push Config details

On the next page titled Security don’t type anything, just click Next.
On the following page title SSL, you need to add the Certificate, Private Key and Certificate Authorities store. All of that you have previously downloaded from AWS. Just click Choose File and select the Certificate. Repeat the process for the Private Key and Certificate Authorities store (CA). Then click Next.

On the next page called Topics you need to type the Data Up topic.
You can find it on AWS, copy and paste it here.

* To find the Data Up topic on AWS, go to the following path:
Things > Your thing > Device Shadows > Your device shadow > and copy the MQTT topic prefix

Paste it in a Data Up topic box on Wanesy and click Next.

MQTT topic

On the next page titled Messages don’t fill any boxes, just click Validate.

Once you have completed all the steps, go to Clusters under the Administration section and find your cluster. Click on the pencil icon to edit it.

In the pop-up window, enable push and select the push config from the dropdown list. Then click Validate.

Now you can go to the Push configurations tab on the top of the screen and find your push configuration. You can click on the heart icon; this will test that the push config is configured properly. Once you click that, you should get a pop-up message on a green background saying that the push config is correctly configured.

You can now go to your device data up section and see if the data is being pushed. To check this, click End-Devices under Management, then click on the DevEui and Data Up tab. Wait for the next message to arrive and you should see the state Yes in the Pushed column.

Data being pushed outside WMC

Receiving Data on AWS

Once you have the push configuration set up correctly and you can see the data being pushed from Wanesy, to AWS.

To do view this, in AWS, go to the Things tab, Your thing, Activity tab. Then click MQTT test client.

Once you click that, a new tab should open in your browser and you should see the test client. You should already be subscribing to all IoT topics. In case that is not happening, go back to the previous AWS tab and go to the following path:

Things > Your thing > Device Shadows > Your device shadow and copy the MQTT topic prefix

Now go back to the tab where you have the MQTT test client opened and click to Subscribe to a topic. In the empty field below paste the MQTT topic prefix and click Subscribe.

Now wait until the next message arrives from Wanesy to AWS and it will sync and show up the current information and all previous messages.

You can compare messages between Wanesy and AWS to check if they are the same.

Payload message comparison – WMC side
Payload message comparison – AWS side

To summarise this article up to this point you can watch the above video.

Interested in finding out more about integrating Wanesy with Microsoft Azure? Check out our previous blog on How to Integrate Kerlink Wanesy with Microsoft Azure.

To speak with a member of our team about integrating Kerlink Wanesy with your chosen cloud server call us on 01484 599544 or contact us.

PRODUCT CHANGE NOTIFICATION: MultiTech Conduit® and IP67 Gateways

There have been a couple of updates to the MultiTech Conduit® Gateway and the IP67 Base Station. These changes will affect selected gateways purchased after January 2022.


To help avoid any disruption, we’ve put together a short overview of what these changes mean and what you can expect from them.

Product Change Notification – MultiTech Conduit® Gateway & IP67 Base Station

In response to the global components shortgae, MultiTech has substituted some components for the MultiTech Conduit® Gateways (MTCDT Series) and the IP67 Base Station. In addition to this, an updated version of the mPower Edge™ Intelligence Software will be required on some devices.

What does this mean for you?

  • Starting in January 2022 (February 2022 for IP67 Base Stations) MultiTech will ship select MTCDT & MTCDTIP devices with substitute components.
  • Going forward, the MultiTech Conduit® Gateways will no longer be compatible with USB cables. An alternate programming cable will be available from Alliot.
  • Select devices shipped from January 2022 will require a software update to the latest version of the mPower embedded software and will not be compatible with older firmware versions. New gateways will no longer allow firmware to be downgraded.

DOWNLOAD THE CONDUIT® GATEWAY PRODUCT CHANGE NOTIFICATION


DOWNLOAD THE CONDUIT® IP67 BASE STATION PRODUCT CHANGE NOTIFICATION

To discuss how these changes may affect you with a member of our team please call (+44) 1484 599544 or email support@alliot.co.uk