EnOcean enters the consumer market

Stuttgart, Reichelsheim, –. July 2018.

Intelligent and batteryless Smart Home components which are based on the EnOcean wireless standard, connect to the Apple world (iOS App, Siri, HomePod) via the HomeKit certified EnOcean Gateway. Finally, there is a solution that is consumer friendly, but still meets professional requirements.

The first devices entering the market end of August are the Opus® SmartHome Gateway and a set of sensors and actuators from JÄGER DIREKT. Originally the gateway, developed by Digital Concepts, was designed for professional digital building solutions, connecting to IBM Watson and Microsoft Azure. But now, since it was certified for HomeKit, it also can be combined and controlled with various components within the Apple HomeKit world (iOS App, Siri, HomePod). The Opus® SmartHome Gateway complies with Apple’s strict implementation guidelines and usability requirements. The real uniqueness of the Opus® solution however is the EnOcean Energy Harvesting technology used in the sensors. This allows battery and cable less installation so it is maintenance free, easy to install, cost effective thus perfect for retrofitting homes.

By end of August, the Opus® SmartHome Gateway and HomeKit compatible products will be available to electricians via the JÄGER DIREKT online shop, and to consumers via Tink, the expert for all Connected Home products.

JÄGER DIREKT is the first one to move and builds his OPUS® SmartHome Gateway on the Software and Hardware of Digital Concepts. There is not better solution than the EnOcean Gateway at present, if manufacturers of EnOcean based devices want to be successful in the consumer market.

“We worked with JÄGER DIREKT in many projects, that is why we are very confident to have the perfect partner to enter the market with this new category of Smart-Home-Solution. Our HomeKit certified Gateway connects the professional EnOcean world with the consumer world like Siri voice control”, explains Marek Machacek, sales director at Digital Concepts. “We support many members of the EnOcean Alliance. We are fully convinced that EnOcean Vendors benefit from this technology, simply because it will be highly appreciated by the users due to Apple HomeKit”.

HomeKit certification for Digital Concepts Gateway

„We are very happy about the certification by Apple. This way it reaches the long-awaited consumer level of user experience and usability and finally increases the attractiveness of the proven OPUS®-System.” Thomas Jäger, managing director at JÄGER DIREKT, points out and continues: “This way Smart Home is now feasible for everyone – available as a flexible System adapting to all levels of requirements and the easiest retrofittable components in the market.”

The EnOcean technology combines the standardized energy efficient 868,3 MHz radio with Energy Harvesting. The devices generate the required energy from light, heat or kinetic sources. The EnOcean data is transmitted up to 30 Meters even through walls. Digital Concepts is now recognized as the leading software specialist for gateways. The DC-OS Software translates the EnOcean messages bidirectionally into IP and is able to connect the devices simultaneously into various cloud and local IOT networks, such as IBM Watson, Microsoft Azure, and now also HomeKit.

JÄGER DIREKT offers such a Smart Home System under his Opus® GreenNet brand. It consists of battery less window contacts, smoke-, water-, temperature, humidity and other switches and actuators.

 

About  JÄGER DIREKT
JÄGER DIREKT- Jäger Fischer GmbH & Co.
KG, is an owner-operated manufacturer and distributer of electric products for buildings. The company delivers to a vast Network of electricians and construction companies. Together with the affiliates in Austria, Netherlands and the German Headquarter there are over 250 employees. Their most successful product assortments produced in Germany are OPUS® switch program, DELUNA® recessed spotlights, VOTHA® distribution cabinets, JUMBO® cable reels und SIROX® mobile power supplies. www.jaeger-direkt.com

About Digital Concepts
Digital Concepts (DC) was founded by Steffen Hahn and Gernot Müller in 2012. The company is specialized on innovative building automation based on batteryless EnOcean technology. Following the trend of low energy, climate neutral technology DC focuses on the EnOcean Alliance to support manufacturers and software companies as well in the communication between sensors, actuators and networks and in cloud development. DC is a member of the Board of Directors and the Technical Working Group of the EnOcean Alliance (
www.enocean-alliance.org ), and offers OEM software and hardware for the interoperability between EnOcean protocol and IP based systems such as IBM, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple HomeKit.

 

Apple, Apple Watch, iPad, iPad Air, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. HomeKit is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Smart EnOcean Gateway goes Apple HomeKit

At the world’s leading trade fair for building automation Light & Building, we presented an absolute trade fair highlight that represents a big step forward for the smart home market: batteryless devices from EnOcean technology are now also working with the Apple HomeKit solution.

The gateway which is in the final phase of the Apple certification, will be sold through the distributor Jäger Direkt (OPUS series) and will be available soon. It covers all important Smart Home functions from 1-channel switch, dimmer, blind control, temperature sensors and window contacts to smoke detectors.

IoT Solutions World Congress 2017

According to the guideline „Wireless & Self-powered IOT“ EnOcean and Digital Concepts demonstrated how maintenance-free solutions for building automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) lend new dimensions to services and business models, intelligent buildings into cognitive buildings. Visitors could experience battery-free radio switches, sensors and actuators as well as maintenance-free radio sensor solutions on the basis of the EnOcean radio standard in the sub-1 GHz range (ISO / IEC 14543-3-1x). The battery-powered devices enable flexible, maintenance-free applications for worldwide use in building automation, smart homes, LED lighting control and industrial applications. Together with leading industry partners, such as IBM and other members of the EnOcean Alliance, EnOcean is working on the development of innovative building solutions for the Internet of Things. Combined with intelligent IoT systems such as IBM’s Watson IoT platform, battery-based sensor solutions help optimize the use of buildings, develop new service models, and make buildings more flexible, energy-efficient, and cost-effective.

Incisor.TV 2017 USA IoT Roundtable

This annual event brings together experts from the world of Internet of Things, connected devices, smart home and smart car. Important topics such as standards, regulation, security and privacy are discussed.

MEE 2017 / DC goes Dubai

The Middle EastInforma_MEE_Tagline_Black Electricity in Dubai is a fair for the energy industry. It is rated by visitors and exhibitors as the leading energy event of its kind all over the world. MEE2017 is host to the world’s leading companies and innovators from the energy sector. The fair is visited every year by more than 21.000 high-ranking decision-makers from the industry from 130 countries. It is the hub for the electrotechnical industry in the United Arab Emirates and the leading event for this sector in the entire region.

We are very pleased to be part of the exhibition at Golden Sands Trading Co LLC (H6.A29). Thank you for your support!

14 – 16 FEB 2017
DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE, UAE

 

 

EnOcean Alliance, IBM team on energy harvesting smart building standards

The EnOcean Alliance, backed by German energy harvesting pioneer EnOcean, has teamed up with IBM (Armonk, NY) to standardize intelligent building technology for the Internet of Things (IoT).

The EnOcean Alliance is a consortium of more than 400 companies which standardises and develops intelligent building solutions integrating energy harvesting wireless technology. With IBM as a promoter member, the Alliance aims to bring sensors to the cloud and develop self-powered solutions as a standard for the Internet of Things.

EnOcean-based sensors and devices operate large numbers of IoT devices efficiently and supply reliable data to IoT systems. The Alliance provides a broad ecosystem of interoperable energy harvesting wireless sensors and gateways for intelligent buildings worldwide with new service models to make buildings more flexible, more energy-efficient and more cost-effective.

EnOcean has standardized its ultra-low power sub-1-GHz band technology as ISO/IEC 14543-3-1X for building automation and smart homes worldwide. This enables self-powered ‘fit and forget’ sensors that gain energy from the surrounding environment, including motion, light or temperature differences, to power wireless modules.

The sensors will connect to IBM’s Watson IoT platform, which is a fully managed, cloud-hosted service that makes it simple to build and deploy apps for IoT devices, sensors and gateways. When combined with the IBM Bluemix environment, and the secure Watson APIs, the platform allows integration and predictive, cognitive, and contextual analytics so that organizations can securely and easily connect devices from chips and intelligent appliances to applications and industry solutions.

The Alliance is wokring with IBM to define and expand standards for self-powered solutions for the IoT, starting with the EnOcean to IP interface that is used for the gateways to simplify the usage of applications in the IoT. This allows the integration of energy-harvesting wireless technology into the IBM Watson IoT Platform to conduct predictive and real-time analysis, and can be used in various cases from asset management, ambient assisted living projects, insurance or hotel and campus projects, giving maintenance-free wireless switches and sensors based on EnOcean technology.

The deal is a big step forward for the Alliance, potentially giving access to large enterprise customers that will operatecorporate, industrial and even home networks.

EnOcean and IBM have already launched a certified development kit with Digital Concepts and distributor element14 for self-powered IoT in intellligent buildings using batteryless wireless sensors.

ibm_enocean

IBS Paris 8./9. Nov 2016

From 08. to 09. November 2016 the french exhibition put their focus again on intelligent building systems. Service providers and manufacturers from around the world took this opportunity to present new solutions or products to french customers. DC had joined up with a strong partner (Vicos) and convinced the visitors with an impressive demo.

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DC YouTube Channel

On our YouTube Channel, you will find help for a variety of Smart EnOcean Gateway topics. We uploaded a new video today, illustrating the entire process, from the teach-in process of a Rocker button to the presentation in the IBM Watson Cloud. The extensive registration for the Watson Cloud we took the occasion to create this video. We hope that many users will be able to put their devices into operation faster in Watson.

 

EnOcean to IP – we’re off to the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gradually taking shape. The technologies are moving toward a comprehensive network that will make our everyday lives easier, safer and more comfortable. Energy harvesting switches, sensors and actuators that supply necessary information for the IoT from billions of measuring points form an important element of this development. To do this, the EnOcean wireless technology must communicate with the Internet Protocol.

By Oliver Fischer, Managing Director, Digital Concepts GmbH

 

A unified IP Interface creates the link to different IoT platforms

A unified IP Interface creates the link to different IoT platforms

A unified IP Interface creates the link to different IoT platforms

All it takes is a flip of the energy harvesting wireless switch and the smart refrigerator starts the freezer turbo. Minutes later, the apple juice is cold. At the press of a button – even from the sofa. This is only one example of a new application made possible by seamless communication between different standards. In other scenarios, IP-enabled cameras are networked with energy harvesting sensors, the water sensor talks to the washing machine or the inlet valve and the house organizes its own optimum energy consumption according to the residents’ requirements.

Interoperable network

These scenarios are all possible if the EnOcean protocol (ISO/IEC 14543-3-1X) seamlessly talks to the IP protocol via a gateway. This communication, in turn, forms the basis for integrating the data of energy harvesting wireless sensors into cross-standard, open platforms. The result is a fully interoperable network in which, once collected, the data can be used for intelligent control of different devices independently of the technology used, the wireless system or the manufacturer.

Translating EEP into IP

In terms of its technical implementation, a system of this type requires an IP interface that consistently translates the represented EnOcean equipment profiles (EEPs) for the IP side. To do this, the content specified in the EnOcean profiles must be prepared in such a way that the user on the IP side needs little or even no knowledge of the EnOcean protocol in order to operate the particular devices. This is how the “things” on the Internet of Things can be represented. The Representational State Transfer method (REST or RESTful) has proven to be particularly useful here.

However, not all systems can address a RESTful API and therefore require an alternative notation. For this purpose, a second API is provided, which dispenses with hierarchical structures. A line-based API, whose communication is based purely on the TCP layer, maps the full range of “RESTful API” functions. This so-called “string API” allows programmable logic controllers, for example, to be integrated.

Consistent communication

A gateway connects energy harvesting wireless sensors and actuators to the Internet

A gateway connects energy harvesting wireless sensors and actuators to the Internet

The IP representation of all EnOcean telegrams and functions must be standard. This means that the syntax of an IP specification must always be mapped the same way across all EEPs. In addition, the EnOcean gateway must be able to provide the states of all devices and also deliver them on request. In particular, it must represent and store the different states of the EnOcean profiles individually.

The gateway also ensures that the translations of IP calls in EnOcean telegrams are always complete and unique. As a result, IP-based devices can directly address individual values and functions of a sensor.

Talking API

To ensure smooth communication between the EEP and IP, dependencies must also be resolved and related profile functions aggregated and supplied centrally. The gateway also resolves the coding of functions in such a way that IP-based devices do not have to know this coding.

All these specifications mean that the gateway can deliver the communication structure of all EnOcean-based devices (EEPs) to the IP subscribers on request. It thus meets the need to represent the EnOcean-based devices in a “friendly” manner so that they can be more easily implemented in the IoT network.

 

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Intelligent Building – IoT Starter Kit (Enterprise Edition)

  • An out of the box IoT development kit for Intelligent Buildings
  • EnOcean energy harvesting wireless technology enables switches and sensors to work without the need for wires and batteries
  • They use miniaturised energy converters, which gain energy from the surrounding environment – from motion, light and temperature – to power wireless signals.
  • Together with wireless modules, comprehensive energy management and ultra-low power radio communication, EnOcean offers OEMs a complete energy harvesting platform for simple fit and forget cloud solutions
  • Flexible and cost effective gateway using Raspberry Pi Single Board Technology platform
  • Direct integration with the IBM Watson IoT Platform and TRIRIGA / Presence Insights

Overview

Enterprise Edition Self Powered IoT Solution: element 14 and EnOcean Solution for IBM Watson IoT Platform for Real Estate Management

The Enterprise solution includes EnOcean OEM self-powered sensors and EnOcean Gateway from element14, as well as access to software and services from IBM including IBM’s Watson IoT Platform and IBM TRIRIGA facilities management software.

Using the popular Raspberry Pi single board computer, these out-of-the-box, IoT-ready starter kits are flexible and cost-effective gateways to developing intelligent building products for hospitals, homes, airports and other venues on the way to a seamlessly connected IoT. The Entrepreneur edition is more technical in nature, for ‘makers,’ engineers and start-ups, while the Enterprise model caters to facilities mangers, property owners and property management companies.

EnOcean Sensor Kit includes self-powered wireless sensors and a switch, ideal for home automation applications. No cables are required to switch lights, control blinds and acquire sensor information including temperature, humidity or presence detection. Sensors and actuators can directly communicate with each other or they can be controlled through an intelligent smart home server. Users can also use in home automation applications that require remote sensing and remote control via PC or smart phones. For example, the Raspberry-Pi is an ideal platform to setup a smart home server where the EnOcean-Pi acts as a bridge (Gateway-Controller) to the EnOcean radio world.

The IBM Watson IoT Platform allows organizations to securely and easily connect devices, from chips and intelligent appliances to applications and industry solutions. Scaling through cloud-based services and using rich analytics, IBM Watson IoT Platform provides organizations with new insight for innovation and transformation. IBM TRIRIGA provides a single system to manage the lifecycle of facilities. Its integrated workplace management system increases the operational, financial and environmental performance of facilities.

Applications:

  • Commercial Buildings
  • Office
  • Retails
  • Airports
  • Hotels
  • Hospitals

Ships With the Product

  • Sensors (EnOcean)
  • EnOcean Gateway (Digital Concept)
  • Watson IoT Platform (IBM)

 

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