Features mobile apps and cloud web solutions for homeowners and Daikin dealers
Mobile applications would help Daikin engineers integrate the Daikin indoor air quality (IAQ) sensor with the Daikin One+ smart thermostat, and assist homeowners in remotely controlling and adjusting Daikin One+ smart thermostats. Web solutions would help detect issues related to data discrepancy, and serve as a troubleshooting service.
Daikin Industries Ltd. is the world’s largest manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for residential, industrial, and commercial use. Their advanced, environment-friendly products and services are marketed in more than 150 countries. Daikin actively uses AI/IoT technologies in their solutions to meet the challenging needs of the future.
With the introduction of the Daikin One ecosystem and the Daikin One+ smart thermostat at the heart of it, the company dominates the HVAC market, leading the way with advanced technology. The Daikin One ecosystem is a complex groundbreaking solution for temperature, humidity, and air quality control. The Daikin One+ smart thermostat is an intelligent home air controller that offers full two-way communications with all Daikin HVAC systems.
Daikin turned to Softeq to make their advanced technologies and solutions even more accessible. Softeq stepped up to help Daikin make the team stronger and bring their innovative products to the market.
The company tasked Softeq with creating two mobile applications. The first one would help Daikin dealers integrate the Daikin indoor air quality (IAQ) sensor with the Daikin One+ smart thermostat. The second app provides homeowners with comprehensive control over their personal thermostats.
The client also wanted to develop a tool to collect data from both the IAQ sensor and thermostat clouds. We also delivered a support edition of the tool—an assistive portal for the Daikin support team.
The Softeq team designed a mobile solution (iOS, Android) for Daikin dealers which helps them install the IAQ sensor, connect the sensor to the app, and integrate with smart thermostats. The sensor measures the indoor level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter particles (PM) in the air. If the level is exceeded, the system automatically sends notifications to start streamer and filtration functions in order to decompose and remove airborne allergens or to replace filters if they’re out of date or clogged.
The app, as well as the thermostat, needed to display indoor air quality indexes measured by the sensor. If a homeowner doesn’t have IAQ sensors, the thermostat can display an estimate based on filter runtime.
How the App Works
1) Daikin engineers initiate the provisioning of the sensor: install it, switch it on, launch the app, and log in
2) Next, the app connects to the IAQ sensor via Bluetooth
3) Engineers find the homeowner’s account by email and request to connect the thermostat to the IAQ sensor
4) After successful installation, homeowners can see the IAQ data both on the Daikin One+ thermostat and in the app
Our engineers also helped the customer create a mobile application (iOS, Android) compatible with all Daikin One+ smart thermostats. The app helps homeowners remotely monitor and adjust heating and cooling systems in their homes, and provides full control over all thermostat functions.
Homeowners can use the mobile app to:
Both apps utilize a secure connection with user authentication and authorization steps.
The IAQ sensor stores its data in the IAQ data cloud, while the thermostat uses its own IoT thermostat hub. To display the data from the sensor on the thermostat, the thermostat hub should collect the data from the IAQ cloud and deliver it to the thermostat.
We built WatchDog—an internal analytical web portal with the primary goal of collecting data from both clouds, comparing it, and identifying data discrepancies. The web tool unloads data every 5 minutes and checks for any differences. This kind of data monitoring helps discover and fix all potential issues related to data inconsistency.
To assist the Daikin support team in troubleshooting their products remotely, we developed a support edition of the WatchDog portal. The support portal contains the emails of all users. When a user has some issues with the thermostat or IAQ sensor, they call the support team. A specialist finds the user in a list and sends a request to remotely access a homeowner’s thermostat. Then the specialist sees the thermostat’s history, as well as sensor actions, operating modes, and errors, and is able to assist in fixing the problem. If they are unable to assist remotely, the specialist will refer the issue to the appropriate dealer.
Softeq met the deadline and helped get the products to market on time. Both apps are currently available for iOS and Android users on the App Store and Google Play. The collaboration is ongoing, and the Softeq team is currently working on improvements and some new solutions for the customer.