Customer
Daikin, the world’s leading manufacturer of heating and cooling equipment, turned to Softeq to develop mobile and cloud web solutions for their Daikin One ecosystem.
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.
- Business Name Daikin/ GOODMAN MANUFACTURING
- Location USA
- Business Activity HVAC manufacturer
Solution
A Mobile App to Register and Configure Indoor Air Quality Sensors
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streamer and filtration functions in order to decompose and remove airborne allergens or to replace filters if they’re out of date or clogged.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
A Mobile Application to Manage and Remotely Control Daikin One+ Smart Thermostats
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.
Application Functionality
Homeowners can use the mobile app to:
- Monitor and control multiple Daikin One+ smart thermostats installed at home
- Edit schedules for the Daikin One+ smart thermostat
- Select Adjustment or Away mode
- Change thermostat settings remotely
- See current weather and forecasts for each location
- Receive thermostat reminders and alerts
- Configure a geofence perimeter to automatically switch between Adjustment and Away modes
Security
Both apps utilize a secure connection with user authentication and authorization steps.
WatchDog Monitoring Portal
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.
WatchDog Support Edition
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.