When GSE Group wanted to improve the way they were accessing their Building Management System (BMS) remotely in a secure way, they couldn’t find an in-house solution that would fit their requirements. As a result, they decided to look for a solution from a specialised provider. In 2018, they came across IXON and started using it for remote access to and remote monitoring of their buildings.
Before using IXON, the biggest challenge for GSE was to access the BMS to do programming and system updates remotely. As they didn't have a remote access solution at that time, they either had to go on-site for all the interventions and modifications or they had to ask the customer if they could use a VPN tool to set up a connection to the installation after which they could start the software to get access. This needed to be simplified to save time and manpower. 'Once we saw how easy IXON is to install and use, we were convinced,' says Bertrand Ageneau, Smart Building Engineer at GSE.
Since the installation of the 4G IXrouter, we have remote access to the BMS. This allows us to monitor the consumption of electricity, water and ventilation of our buildings.
Bertrand Ageneau - Smart Building Engineer at GSE
The IXON Cloud helps GSE access the BMS and manage several routers. Even customers can have access if they want, to check on things like gas and hot water. 'It’s very convenient to have all the sites in one single access point,' says Bertrand. 'This way we can significantly reduce the amount of trips we take to access data and change settings.'
GSE uses the IXrouter and IXON Cloud’s functionalities for various purposes. For example the HTTP service is used to access the BMS server web page, whereas the VPN function is used to access the BMS for remote configuration. On the other hand, the API function is used for GSE’s Energise service* for data acquisition of the BMS. Before accessing the BMS via the IXrouter and the VPN connection, the authentication is done via API.
GSE also uses the HTTP service of the PLC to control the air conditioning in their own office. There are no worries about losing the AC remote control anymore. GSE can just operate it via the router on their mobile phones.
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* Energise service is a trademark of GSE. With this service they are able to request information to offer simple data to the customer via IXON’s API. They build an interface with the HTTP server and then provide the reports to the customer. This means the customer gains insight in their data in an easy understandable way. |
It’s very convenient to have all the sites in one single access point: The IXON Cloud.
Bertrand Ageneau - Smart Building Engineer at GSE
The IXrouter allows GSE to access the Building Management System remotely in a secure way - using a VPN connection via a robust router including a firewall. 'It’s an easy-to-use tool. Even some of our subcontractors have adopted the IXrouter in their own projects for remote programming,' says Betrand Ageneau.
'We expect that Industrial IoT will be deeloped in the smart building industry to complement existing systems such as BMSs. IIoT makes it possible to have data easily available for any service.' GSE’s future plans include gathering data such as use of electricity, water and ventilation with the help of the IXrouter and analysing them in the IXON Cloud to learn more about their smart buildings.
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