The Connectivity Challenge in the Field
Smart machines distributed to retail locations, MSME hubs, or remote areas often face connectivity issues. Cellular signals are unstable, WiFi is not always available, and data costs can spiral if telemetry is transmitted continuously.
ElektroBee applies a store-and-forward approach to solve this. Here are the core principles.
Store-and-Forward Architecture
Each machine carries a microcontroller that handles two primary tasks:
- Local logging — sensor data (temperature, current, transaction counts) is written to internal flash memory with timestamps. The local buffer can hold up to 30 days of data without any connection.
- Opportunistic sync — when connectivity appears (WiFi or cellular), the microcontroller sends batched data to a cloud server using the lightweight MQTT protocol.
Why This Works
- Machines keep recording all data even when offline for weeks.
- Bandwidth usage stays minimal because data is sent in compressed batches.
- Field operators can still read local data through the machine’s built-in HMI screen.
Hardware Components We Use
For smart machine projects, we typically combine the following:
- ESP32 or STM32 as the main microcontroller, with built-in WiFi/BLE.
- Cellular module (SIM7600 or equivalent) as a connectivity fallback.
- Flash storage (SPI NOR or SD card) for the local data buffer.
- Sensors tailored to the machine’s function: current sensors, temperature probes, vibration modules, or optical counters.
Dashboard and Notifications
Data arriving at the cloud is processed and displayed on a web dashboard accessible to the operations team. The dashboard shows:
- Online/offline status of every machine.
- Trend charts for energy consumption and throughput.
- Automatic alarms when anomalies are detected (e.g., temperature exceeding a threshold).
- Machine locations on an interactive map.
Critical notifications are delivered via WhatsApp or email to the field technician responsible for each area.
Lessons from Deployment
Across several rollouts, we have learned that firmware simplicity is key to long-term reliability. The fewer software dependencies, the more stable the operation over time. We also always include an OTA (over-the-air) firmware update mechanism so bug fixes can be delivered without a physical visit.
Interested in adding telemetry to your machines? The ElektroBee team is ready to discuss an architecture that fits your project requirements and budget.