In an era where sustainable living and energy efficiency have transcended from mere buzzwords to critical priorities, the management of home energy consumption has become increasingly pivotal. As households strive to reduce their carbon footprint and curtail energy expenses, the adoption of smart home energy solutions has emerged as a transformative step forward. Central to this evolution is the implementation of comprehensive home energy monitoring solutions, facilitated through a seamless synergy of smart IoT gateways and smart sockets.
Dusun IoT, collaborating with a manufacturer specializing in smart home energy solutions, facilitated the transition from first-generation to second-generation gateways, offering a cost-effective yet highly reliable solution. This partnership yielded impressive results, and a continuous stream of orders in the pipeline.
Customer Testimonial
We highly value the professionalism demonstrated by the Dusun IoT team. Their consistent delivery of expert insights, responsive answers, and decisive actions has greatly expedited our collaborative efforts. Our experience working alongside the Dusun team has been marked by remarkable efficiency, and we have every confidence that together, we can attain resounding success.
— Co-Founder of the customer’s company
Background and Requirement
- Customer: a home energy management solution provider
- Country/Region: Canada
- Application: Smart Home Energy Management
- Project Scale: 10000+ IoT gateway ODM
- Products: DSGW-030 MTK7628 Zigbee WiFi Gateway
This Canadian customer specializes in IoT-based energy management solutions, boasting a strong reputation as a manufacturer of energy management hardware solutions. Their core mission revolves around empowering users to gain deep insights into their energy consumption patterns, enabling informed decisions that lead to reduced energy consumption, lower utility bills, and a positive environmental impact.
The IoT products and services offered by this customer are meticulously crafted to provide users with the tools they need to monitor, manage, and ultimately optimize their energy consumption, fostering a more efficient utilization of energy resources. While the customer has established a solid presence in the United States and Canada, they have set their sights on expanding into the Australian market. To facilitate this expansion, they are actively seeking robust IoT gateway design and software support services that will empower their venture into this new territory.
Challenges
Empowering the New Market Entry with Cost-effective but Robust Hardware Solutions
The customer initially possessed their own first-generation gateway, produced within the United States. However, they approached us with a keen interest in cost reduction to enhance their entry into a new market. This necessitates a gateway alternative with a delicate balance to integrate all three wireless protocols functioning at the same time without increasing the cost of the product, but still maintaining robustness. This means the internal alignment of the IoT gateway product is very intricate, presenting considerable challenges in terms of layout and assembly. This inherent design complexity significantly intensified the layout process.
The DSGW-030 MedisTek Wi-Fi gateway, meticulously crafted and supplied by Dusun IoT, emerged as the solution that harmonizes with their requirements. Functionally, the DSGW-030 aligns closely with their original gateway, offering a streamlined yet cost-effective alternative. In PCB design, the DSGW-030 exhibits a carefully designed spatial layout for multi-module integration (up to three protocol simultaneously). This compact and robust framework of the gateway ultimately yields exceptional performance and reliability, ensuring that users benefit from a resilient and high-performing solution.
Unlocking Enhanced Connectivity with Multiple Zigbee Gateway Hub Solution
To meet the customer’s specific requirements of integrating two Zigbee modules and a Wi-Fi module for enhanced sub-device connectivity and seamless data reporting to the cloud, the customer needs an IoT gateway manufacturer to deliver a sophisticated blend of functionality. The two Zigbee modules serve distinct roles within this intricate ecosystem. One module operates as the host, facilitating real-time monitoring of energy consumption data from end devices. Simultaneously, the other Zigbee module functions as a slave, connecting to a Zigbee coordinator, enabling the gateway to establish connections with multiple devices concurrently and efficiently manage their communication.
Overcoming Signal Interference Challenges in Multi-Module Connectivity
The quest for aesthetic appeal posed a distinctive challenge: the need to accommodate three antennas within the confines of a compact product enclosure. This design decision introduced the potential for signal interference issues that could jeopardize communication stability. To surmount this obstacle, it is necessary to execute a strategy of physical isolation, tactically situating the various modules in separate locations to minimize physical interference. This strategic approach need to ensure that signals between the diverse modules remain free from interference, bolstering the overall stability and reliability of communication.
Strategic Hardware Optimization for Enhanced Heat Dissipation in IoT Gateways
How can the gateway hardware still run smoothly under high indoor temperature? The customer’s first-generation products do not have a cooling mechanism, and when the ambient temperature is relatively high, the operating temperature of three modules working at the same time may be higher than 100 degrees. Such excessive temperatures invariably lead to compromised device performance and disruptions in normal operation, underscoring the critical significance of rigorous temperature rise testing for the IoT gateway product.
This requires IoT hardware company to leverage the hardware development expertise to meticulously distributed key components, including heat sinks, RAM, Zigbee modules, and the main chip, in order to ensure an exceptional heat dissipation capacity. This strategic distribution can effectively reduce operating temperatures, prolong the product’s lifespan and significantly mitigate the risk of malfunctions. Even within enclosed environments characterized by elevated temperatures, the IoT gateway product consistently maintains reliable operation.
Certifying Connectivity: Overcoming Challenges for Perfectly Matched End Device Integration
The home energy management gateway’s mission is to connect a multitude of end devices, collecting and monitoring energy consumption. Among these, smart sockets emerged as pivotal components, offering the capability to monitor energy usage in connected smart home appliances and relay data back to the gateway.
However, adhering to Australian standards and possessing comprehensive certification were non-negotiable prerequisites for the customer. Their quest for a perfectly matched socket in the relatively small Australian market posed a significant challenge. Many manufacturers hesitated to certify their sockets, leaving the customer in a quandary. Undeterred, Dusun IoT took the initiative and identified smart socket suppliers willing to embark on the certification journey. We not only facilitated the certification process but also tailored software solutions to align with their specific requirements.
In this niche market with limited certification services for smart sockets, we made a deliberate choice to prioritize our customer’s needs. Our commitment to their vision led us to undertake rigorous software development, meticulously fine-tuning the system to ensure seamless connectivity between the gateway and the socket, ultimately securing successful certification.
Our unwavering dedication, coupled with a highly professional and comprehensive approach, enabled us to surpass customer expectations. By delivering trusted Australian standard sockets, we made a substantial contribution to their product readiness, showcasing our problem-solving prowess and customer-centric ethos. This steadfast commitment ensured the smooth market launch of their products, underlining our capacity to meet and exceed customer needs.
Solutions – ODM All-encompassing Home Energy Management Hardware Kits
Dusun IoT delivers a comprehensive and economical solution tailored to the customer’s needs. This solution comprises a multiple Zigbee Gateway with Wi-Fi backhaul, built upon the DSGW-030-1 Zigbee MQTT gateway. Significant enhancements include an adjustment to the main chip, transitioning to the MTK7628 (MIPS24KEc(580MHZ)), and a complete redesign of the PCBA. Additionally, our portfolio includes Zigbee smart socket to further enhance their IoT-based home energy management ecosystem.
For Home Energy Monitoring Gateway Hardware
Enhanced Connectivity and Versatility
This gateway product boasts not only dual Zigbee module support but also harnesses the full potential of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi capability integrated into the main chip. This advanced configuration enhances versatility and amplifies connectivity, all while safeguarding against signal interference. Furthermore, this gateway is equipped with a 100Mbps Ethernet port for high-speed wired network connectivity, as well as a Type-C port for seamless power supply.
Simplify Integration with Our Comprehensive SDK
The customer has successfully launched its first generation of gateways with corresponding software programmer. To meet the needs of our customers, we offer a complete Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK helps customers to easily port the programmer they already have to our gateways, reducing development and testing time while increasing speed-to-market.
For Smart Sockets
Tailored Sofeware Support and Australian Standard Certification for Zigbee Smart sockets
Our valued customer is a dedicated manufacturer in the realm of smart home energy solutions, and we are proud to offer comprehensive support for their endeavors. Within our collaborative partnership, we provide tailored assistance for Zigbee smart sockets, catering to their unique software requirements.
Moreover, we facilitate the attainment of Australian standard certifications for these sockets, a service that extends to all our customers. As part of our integrated approach, the customer’s home energy monitoring solution meticulously tracks energy consumption within the smart home environment through these intelligent sockets, efficiently relaying power usage data to the central gateway.
Packaging Design Service
Tailored Packaging Design for Home Energy Management Kits to Strengthen the Appeal
Packaging serves as the initial point of contact for any product, often forming the basis for a consumer’s first impression. A visually appealing packaging design has the potential to capture the interest of prospective buyers and influence their purchase decisions. In our commitment to providing a comprehensive product experience, we’ve meticulously customized the packaging for the customer’s home energy management kit.
Our packaging design encompasses not only an aesthetically pleasing presentation but also a well-organized layout that includes the gateway, smart socket, and comprehensive, easy-to-follow instructions. This ensures that customers have a seamless and informative unboxing experience.
To further facilitate on-site installation and streamline inbound statistics, we go the extra mile by offering support for the automatic generation of essential details such as QR codes, installation codes, MAC addresses, and more. These can be conveniently applied to various locations, including the back sticker, side sticker, and packaging box, ensuring clarity and efficiency throughout the setup process.
Why Dusun IoT?
At Dusun IoT, our commitment to excellence is underscored by our extensive capabilities across Research and Development (R&D), Quality Control, Manufacturing, and Technical Support & Maintenance. Our R&D prowess allows us to design cutting-edge solutions, while our stringent Quality Control measures ensure that our products meet the highest standards. In Manufacturing, we employ advanced technologies and efficient processes to deliver bespoke solutions with precision and speed. Additionally, our dedicated team offers comprehensive technical support and maintenance services, ensuring the uninterrupted performance of your systems. All in all, we take pride in our multifaceted capabilities to fuel customer’s innovative home management hardware solutions.
R&D Capability for Innovative Tailored Hardware Solutions
- PCB design: Even within tight spatial constraints, we excel in resolving product heat dissipation issues. Our PCBAs are intricately aligned, navigating intricate layout challenges.
- RF Specialization: We offer support for multiple wireless protocols, leveraging astute layout strategies to ensure seamless signal compatibility without interference.
- Software Customization: Tailoring software to meet customer specifications is our forte, enhancing compatibility with user devices.
- SDK Source Code: We empower customers with SDK source code, enabling swift transplanting of existing software programs and dramatically reducing development timelines.
Quality Control for Reliability and Excellence
- Complete Certification: At Dusun IoT, we place paramount importance on rigorous certification processes. We proudly furnish certified test reports, including SAA, RCM, and IC, for our gateways (end device included), assuring compliance with Australian and Canadian standards.
- Comprehensive Performance Testing: We go above and beyond to fulfill the temperature rise and RF requirements, addressing the Attest standards with utmost diligence. Our testing procedures involve meticulous simulations of various usage scenarios to assess performance. For temperature-related tests, we subject our products to challenging environments, including closed and unventilated indoor spaces with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Additionally, we meticulously fine-tune RF components to minimize signal interference between Wi-Fi and Zigbee, ensuring optimal performance in real-world situations.
Temperature Rising Test of IoT Gateway product
Under non-ventilated conditions at room temperature, while the gateway is pairing sensors during operation.
| Working time | 0h | 4h | 8h | 24h |
| CPU temp | 25.6℃ | 60.2℃ | 60.4℃ | 60.3℃ |
| PCB temp | 25.6℃ | 44.9℃ | 44.6℃ | 45.1℃ |
| C64 capacitor temp | 25.6℃ | 50.9℃ | 51℃ | 51℃ |
| C66 capacitor temp | 25.6℃ | 52℃ | 52.1℃ | 52℃ |
| L2 inductor temp | 25.6℃ | 49.6℃ | 49.5℃ | 49.8℃ |
In a non-ventilated, closed environment with temperatures below 40°C, while the gateway pairs with sensors during operation.
| Working time | 0h | 4h | 8h | 24h |
| CPU temp | 40℃ | 64.4℃ | 64.3℃ | 64.4℃ |
| PCB temp | 40℃ | 51.1℃ | 51℃ | 51.1℃ |
| C64 capacitor temp | 40℃ | 51.3℃ | 51.2℃ | 51.4℃ |
| C66 capacitor temp | 40℃ | 52.4℃ | 52.1℃ | 52.3℃ |
| L2 inductor temp | 40℃ | 49.8℃ | 49.6℃ | 49.9℃ |
Efficient Manufacturing with Precision
- PCB Assembly: Our company excels in offering tailored PCB assembly and system integration services, harnessing cutting-edge technology. Standard processes, including SMT (Surface Mount Technology), THT (Through-Hole Technology), and IC programming, are seamlessly integrated into our operations.
- Final Product Assembly: Our robust assembly infrastructure boasts an impressive theoretical capacity of 5,000 sets per hour, ensuring efficient and timely production.
- Logistics Management: With a specialization in packaging design and customization, we prioritize the safe and secure delivery of our products. Our array of logistics services further ensures reliable and on-time delivery.
- Supply Chain Management: We place a premium on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness. To achieve this, our company adopts cutting-edge strategies such as rolling forecasts and long-cycle materials management, guaranteeing optimal resource allocation.
- Production Process Management: Our comprehensive management approach encompasses flowcharting, foolproof design, and cycle time management. These elements work in harmony to maintain the highest levels of efficiency and quality throughout our production processes.
Ongoing Technical and Maintenance Support
The journey of home energy management solution extends beyond product launch. It encompasses the provision of ongoing technical support and maintenance to guarantee seamless operations. Our dedicated team stands ready to provide comprehensive technical support, ensuring the seamless operation of your systems and swift resolution of any issues that may arise.
Result & Influence
Our second-generation gateway stands as a cost-effective alternative to the customer’s first-generation model, all without compromising on product reliability. This gateway, when paired with a spectrum of sub-devices, aligns seamlessly with the customer’s solution. It empowers users to effortlessly connect a diverse array of sub-devices to the gateway, fostering exceptional interoperability while maintaining steadfast communication stability.
In the past year alone, Dusun IoT successfully delivered 10,000 gateways, 10,000 sockets, and 2,000 bulbs to the customer. This fruitful collaboration shows no signs of slowing down, with continuous orders in the pipeline. The deployment of our ODM Gateway played a pivotal role in enabling the customer to successfully execute their smart energy project, contributing to significant growth within the energy management industry.
FAQs
What is the benefit of home energy management?
Studies have shown that home energy monitoring systems can help improve energy efficiency in households by 10% to 20%. Plus, It is estimated that home energy management IoT will have an economic value of between 80 and 150 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, and is expected to grow to between 130 and 230 billion U.S. dollars by 2030。The home energy monitoring solution based on an multiple Zigbee gateway and smart sockets empowers users with insights, control, and the ability to make informed decisions to optimize their energy consumption, reduce costs, and contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient home. Beyond the individual benefits of lower utility bills and environmental consciousness, home energy management contributes to broader societal goals of energy conservation and grid stability. By fostering greater control and insight into energy consumption patterns, households can make informed decisions to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable future.
Reference: Vailshery, L.S. (2022) Economic value from home energy management IOT, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1319046/economic-value-from-iot-home-energy-management/
What is the working principle of home energy monitoring solution based on IoT gateway and smart sockets?
Through home energy management system, users can monitor, control, and optimize their energy consumption. By providing real-time insights, user-friendly interfaces, and integration with utility meters, the solution enables individuals and organizations to make informed decisions, reduce energy waste, and promote sustainability. The working principle of a home energy monitoring solution based on an IoT gateway and smart sockets operates in nearly ten steps:
- Data Collection: Smart plugs are IoT-enabled devices that can be connected to electrical outlets throughout the home and provide control over the power supply to connected appliances or devices. Wen strategically integrated with an IoT gateway within a HEMS (Home Energy Management System), it can play a significant role in monitoring and recording the energy consumption of the connected devices.
- Data Transmission: Smart plugs are typically designed to connect to a home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing them to communicate with other IoT devices, and the central IoT hub gateway, which acts as an aggregator of energy consumption data from all the smart sockets within the household. Once connected to the IoT gateway, smart sockets can transmit real-time energy consumption data to the HEMS platform. This data can include information such as power usage, on/off status, and energy consumption trends.
- Data Processing: The gateway may perform various data processing tasks, such as data normalization, time synchronization, and data validation, to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the information.
- Data Storage: Processed data is then stored locally within the gateway’s memory or transmitted to a cloud-based server for storage and further analysis.
- Analysis and Visualization: The cloud platform can display energy consumption information to homeowners through a user-friendly interface, typically in the form of a mobile app or web portal, providing insights into the energy consumption of individual devices.
- Energy Insights: Users can see which appliances or devices are consuming the most energy and identify opportunities for energy conservation.
- Customization: User can set energy usage goals, receive alerts for abnormal energy consumption, or schedule the operation of certain appliances during off-peak hours to save on energy costs.
- Remote Control: Remote operation of connected devices through the mobile app or web portal allows users to turn appliances on or off remotely, set schedules, or create automation rules based on specific conditions, further optimizing energy usage. For example, they can schedule the smart plug to turn off the coffee maker after a certain period or automatically turn off devices when no one is at home.
- Energy Efficiency Recommendations: Homeowners can view detailed reports, track energy usage trends, and identify energy-intensive devices or behaviors. This information helps them make informed decisions and take actions to optimize their energy consumption. The system may also provide energy efficiency recommendations by integrating with energy management algorithms, which can analyze historical usage patterns, detect anomalies, and provide recommendations for more efficient energy consumption. For example, the system may suggest turning off specific devices during peak demand periods to reduce overall electricity costs.
- Alerts and Notifications: Users can receive alerts and notifications in real-time if there are sudden spikes in energy consumption or if any connected devices are left on when they shouldn’t be, enhancing energy-saving efforts.
What are challenges for IoT-based home energy management hardware solution?
The pursuit of an IoT-based home energy management hardware solution is undeniably transformative. However, this technological marvel is not without its share of challenges.
Device Interoperability
IoT devices in homes often use different communication protocols and technologies, such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Ensuring interoperability and seamless communication between devices using different protocols can be a challenge. A high-performance multi-protocol gateway can bridge the gap by supporting multiple protocols and facilitating communication between devices with different technologies.
While our client’s main request was the integration of the smart plug with the gateway, a multi-protocol gateway could allow other smart devices in the house to be integrated into the system. A high-performance gateway with support for multiple connectivity options can handle different network configurations and ensure reliable connectivity across various devices and platforms. The DSGW-030 gateway supports multiple communication protocols, including BLE, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi.
This broad protocol support enables interoperability and seamless communication between devices using different protocols. It acts as a central hub, allowing devices with different technologies to connect and exchange data through a single gateway.
Security and Privacy
IoT devices in homes are susceptible to security risks, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, or device tampering. Managing the security and privacy of the IoT ecosystem is crucial. A high-performance gateway with robust security features can help protect data transmission, authenticate devices, and implement encryption protocols to ensure the integrity and privacy of sensitive information.
The DSGW-030 gateway incorporates robust security features to ensure data transmission and device security. It supports encryption protocols to protect data integrity and privacy. The gateway implements authentication mechanisms to verify the identity of devices before granting access. This helps prevent unauthorized access and protects sensitive information within the IoT ecosystem.
Additionally, the DGGW-030 gateway offers a USB dongle feature, which enhances its versatility and expandability. The USB dongle allows for easy connection of additional IoT devices or peripherals, expanding the gateway’s capabilities and supporting further device interoperability.
Software Platform Integration
Home energy management systems may rely on different software platforms, such as cloud-based analytics, energy management applications, or third-party platforms. Integrating these software platforms and ensuring seamless data exchange and interoperability can be a challenge. The gateway plays a vital role in docking different software platforms, enabling data synchronization and facilitating smooth communication between platforms.
The DSGW-030 Wi-Fi gateway facilitates software platform integration. It can dock with different software platforms, allowing for seamless data exchange and interoperability. This means that the gateway can integrate with various energy management applications, cloud-based analytics platforms, or third-party software solutions.
It enables the gateway to synchronize data with different platforms, providing a unified view of energy consumption and enabling efficient management and control. In this case, the customer has its own cloud platform, and Dusun IoT’s engineer team has helped the customer realize the seamless connection between the platform and the device.
Cost-Effectiveness
Our customers were grappling with the challenge of high hardware costs. Like many companies in the industry, they encounter various factors contributing to this issue. Rising component costs, manufacturing expenses, and research and development investments significantly impact the overall cost-effectiveness of their hardware products. To address these challenges, the company decides to negotiate favorable supplier deals, and seek cost-effective component alternatives.
By allowing customization in module selection, the DSGW-030 gateway offers a cost-effective solution for IoT home energy management systems. It enables users to tailor the gateway to their specific requirements, providing the necessary functionality while minimizing costs associated with unused features or protocols. This flexibility and scalability contribute to an optimized cost-performance balance in deploying an energy management system.
What’s the biggest advantages of DSGW-030 Wi-Fi Gateway?
The DSGW-030 gateway is a multi-protocol smart hub gateway that supports the latest ZigBee 3.0 protocols and with both Wi-Fi and Ethernet backhaul choices, and a WLAN/LAN port is included. It is a small-size indoor gateway with a compact design (70mm x 70mm x 25mm), suitable for any place, extensively used and proven successful in the field of smart home automation to collect data from various field sensors (e.g. temperature and pressure).
This smart home hub gateway’s most important characteristic is its programmability and ease of interaction with any public (Microsoft IoT Hub and AWS IoT Core) or private cloud. We provide a variety of API interfaces for clients to use (Zigbee2MQTT/BLE2MQTT, for example) as well as SDK fast guides, development tool chains, and Luci configuration manuals to assist you simply design your own home automation apps, with firmware porting support.
Reference:
https://devicecatalog.azure.com/devices/013cd31e-15f0-4f17-85db-e3cb0fd37fd5
https://devices.amazonaws.com/detail/a3G8a00000E37YOEAZ/Smart-Gateway-S-Serial
The DSGW-030 gateway can be applied in numerous IoT projects of different fields, you can fill the form or use the chat to tell us your needs. The professional team of Dusun IoT will help you to complete your IoT solution.
