Care home monitoring
A leading-edge wireless IoT system built on the LoRaWAN protocol and a cloud platform, designed for centralised remote monitoring and control of the building’s heating and cooling system
Hardware: system architecture
The hardware is designed to fit alongside the existing air conditioning system without any invasive alterations to the installation:
Wireless room thermostats (LoRaWAN): Devices for local control in each room (on/off, temperature and fan speed). Available both as a standard 220V-powered version and as a battery-powered wireless option, which removes the cost and time of electrical installation altogether.
Optimo IoT AL300 gateways: Smart hubs fitted in the false ceilings of the corridors, positioned during the pilot phase for the best possible radio coverage. They collect the data sent by the thermostats over long-range LoRaWAN and pass it on to the central system.
Centralised connection and integration: The gateways talk to the system’s central controller over the local Ethernet network. The whole system connects directly to the main control panel, in the reception area, using Modbus TCP/IP, which makes centralised control of the air conditioning units straightforward.
Software: user interface and Web App
The system is supervised from the Optimo IoT Cloud platform, a web application reachable securely from anywhere, which turns comfort management into something intuitive and powerful:
Full remote control: Real-time control of temperature setpoints, scheduling of night setback and quick configuration of seasonal scenarios (summer/winter).
Multi-site capability: A single central dashboard for monitoring and coordinating several systems, or several wings of the building, at once.
Custom user profiles: Accounts can be created with different levels of access and permission, for example distinguishing administrators from view-only users.
Alerts and notifications: Automatic SMS and email warnings in the event of faults, alarms or when user-defined critical thresholds are crossed.
Automated reporting: Analytical reports generated and sent periodically to the mailboxes you configure, to keep energy efficiency in view at all times.
Flexible dashboards: A fully customisable interface: the administrator can create and edit monitoring widgets to suit how they need to see and run things.
- Advanced management with AIMS: Asset Integrity Management System. An integrated environment (an advanced CMMS) for storing all the plant documentation, keeping a digital logbook of work carried out and running the building’s maintenance in an orderly way. It combines document management with the physical IoT data collected on site by the gateways, so asset reliability and safety can be monitored from every angle.
FAQs
No, none at all. The system is designed to talk to the existing VRV installation over a network connection (Modbus TCP/IP) straight to the central control panel in the reception area. No structural changes to the air conditioning system are needed.
There are two options. The standard thermostats run on 220V and need an electrician to prepare the wiring. Alternatively, fully battery-powered wireless thermostats are available, which makes installation as simple as it gets. Battery charge level can always be checked from the cloud app.
The supply covers the hardware and software, but physically installing the devices (thermostats and gateways) is not included and should be handled by your own maintenance provider or electrician.
The rollout is deliberately gradual and low-risk, in two steps. Phase 1 is a “pilot” installation in a limited number of rooms, which is what tells us how well the LoRaWAN radio signal carries and exactly how many gateways are needed. Phase 2 then completes the work and extends the system to every room in the building.
The cloud platform has an advanced alarm system built in. You can set your own critical thresholds: if one is crossed, or if an alarm is triggered on the plant, the system sends automatic email and SMS notifications to the administrators straight away.
It is an advanced CMMS module for storing documents, recording work carried out and planning the building’s maintenance. By combining the IoT data from the AL300 gateway with document management, it lets you monitor plant reliability and safety from every angle. For more detail, see the page on AIMS.
Optimo IoT s.r.l.
via Francesco Restelli, 3
20124 Milan (MI) Italy
VAT no. 03834900130
Call us on +39 039 596 9780
Operational office: via Sant’Anna, 16 – 23875 Osnago (LC), Italy
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