IoT for Charging Boxes
The electric vehicle charging market is booming. Housing associations, companies, and public operators (Charge Point Operators) are rolling out infrastructure at record speed. The hardware is getting better and better, and cars are charging faster and faster. But there’s a weak link that’s often overlooked in the equation: connectivity.
Today, a charging station is an advanced IoT device. It must handle user authentication, load balancing with the building, and, most importantly, payment transactions. If the connection fails, the entire operation grinds to a halt.
When connectivity becomes business critical
For a charging station operator, operational reliability equals revenue. A charging station that is offline cannot charge for its services. It also causes frustration for electric car owners who are left with 5% battery power and an app that cannot connect. This damages the brand faster than anything else.
Relying on local Wi-Fi or simple prepaid card solutions is not sustainable for a professional operator. Wi-Fi is unstable and difficult to support remotely. Simple SIM cards provide no insight into what happens when the technology malfunctions.
Full control with the Cisco platform
Advisera offers an infrastructure built for scalability. Cisco IoT Control Center gives you the tools to manage thousands of charging points from a single interface. We democratize the technology used by the biggest players.
- World-class diagnostics: If a charging station goes offline, you can immediately see in the portal whether the problem lies in the network or the hardware. You can view signal strength, connection attempts, and network status in real time.
- Automation: If a charging station starts to draw an unusually high amount of data (perhaps due to a bug in a software update), the system can automatically alert and limit traffic before the bill skyrockets.
- Roaming for maximum coverage: Our IoT SIMs are not locked to a single operator. They constantly search for the best available cell tower. This is crucial for charging stations, which are often located in garages or rural areas.
Safe load balancing
Load balancing is crucial to prevent the property's electrical grid from crashing when everyone comes home and plugs in their cars at 5 p.m. This requires lightning-fast communication between the charging stations and the property's energy meters. With our optimized IoT solutions, we ensure that this data is prioritized and delivered without delay.
We provide the infrastructure that allows you to focus on expanding your network, rather than troubleshooting connections.
Frequently asked questions about connected charging boxes (FAQ)
Why shouldn't I use Wi-Fi for my charging boxes?
Wi-Fi is susceptible to interference, password changes, and range issues. If the router in the building is replaced, all charging stations will lose connection. A dedicated IoT SIM makes the charging station independent of local IT infrastructure and guarantees higher uptime.
What is OCPP and why does it require a good connection?
OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) is the language that the charging station uses to communicate with your central system. It is used to start charging, send meter readings, and handle payments. A stable connection is required for OCPP to function properly.
Can I use your SIM cards in any charging box?
Yes, our SIM cards comply with the standard format (M2M) and work in virtually all modern charging boxes on the market that have a SIM card slot, including brands such as Easee, Zaptec, Charge Amps, and CTEK.