Success Stories

Success Stories

Home Security Gateway Hub

Home Security Gateway Hub

In the Home Automation/DIY market, there are several companies/users that purchase sensors from customer but are looking for hubs that can work with these sensors.  The customer was looking for a hub where the hardware cost and the running cost is minimum. The customer will be offering this product as a combination of IoT Gateway + few sensors.

Results / Outcomes

  • Developed a complete system with home gateway, cloud application, and mobile app.  
  • Brought down the overall cost of the system to few tens of dollars
  • The system can support millions of Hubs and users
  • Simple and reliable Hub for securing homes against fire, flood, and freeze
  • Supports multiple wireless technologies for sensor and actuators at 433MHz and Z-wave
  • Simple and easy to use mobile app for managing the hubs, receiving the notifications and control the actuators like thermostat and valves.
  • Robust backend cloud application for managing users, hubs, sensors/actuators and handling real time notification via text messages, emails and push notifications
  • Followed serverless Microservices architecture for future enhancements and to reduce the overall cost
  • Administrator web application was developed to manage the users, hubs, and the complete system

Technologies used

  • MT7688, 
  • Zwave, 
  • SubGHz RF 
  • OpenWRT 
  • IoTivity 
  • Node.js
  • iOS/Android and
  • AWS
    • AWS API Gateway
    • AWS Lambda 
    • Amazon SNS messaging service
    • Amazon DynamoDB

Home Security Gateway Hub -  System Architecture

Home Security Gateway Hub

Architecture for complete system including Hub, Cloud, and mobile application

Cloud Server

  • Cloud server hosted in Amazon. 
  • AWS IoT for communication with Hub over MQTT and HTTP. 
  • AWS API Gateway for communication with the mobile App. 
  • AWS Lambda is used as a serverless compute service that runs code in response to events and automatically manages the compute resources required. 
  • Amazon SNS messaging service is used to send notifications to Apple iOS, Android and other mobile devices, send emails and text messages. 
  • Amazon DynamoDB. NoSQL database is used for storage

Hub Firmware

  • U boot customization for the specific RAM and flash memory on the custom board.
  • IOTVity framework, 433MHz support for sensor integration
  • ZIP Gateway for Z-Wave Integration
  • Board manufacturing test software with testing for all interfaces, firmware upgrade support
  • MQTT for cloud communication with AWS IoT cloud service
  • Development of protocol stack for handling communication with the PIC MCU 
  • Integration of SQLite DB 
  • Security – Support for mutual authentication with cloud

Hardware design with low cost optimization, prototyping, board bring up

  • Cadence allegro
  • Feasibility analysis for meeting sub 20$ BoM cost. Comparing multiple MCU and MPU based system designs to arrive at the lowest cost option.
  • Identifying pin compatible alternatives for memory with different capacities (SPI flash and DDR) for future proofing the software.

Android and iOS Mobile App design and development for controlling and managing the hub

  • MVC architecture
  • real-time notifications using APNS and FCM
  • REST API for direct configuration of the Hub 
  • Followed the recommended design patterns from Apple and Google.


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