Single Android App based solution for all your SMS based switches and relays
GSM Relay controls and switches are widely used in places that need remote monitoring and control of devices. While there are many technologies, SMS based control is one major method. It involves using short SMS based commands to receive current status of the devices and set status of the devices. Sometimes phone calls can be made to the device activating a pre-defined set of configuration.
Though SMS based control is quiet easy method, preparing commands manually and sending them to devices will be tiresome. If it involves multiple devices, then tracking these devices will be even difficult. Being leading technological problem solvers, Embien has designed and developed a Android based application called the DAQ Suite to ease management of such devices. With this Android controlled switch App, the device management has become easier.
Android controlled switch App Features
DAQ Suite is a user friendly Android application for managing various applications such as GSM relay controllers/Switches, USB relay switches etc based on platform such as Arduino, Raspberry PI, eStorm-L1 etc. The application is a graphical collection of complex preset SMS command that are used to the control the devices by providing a powerful and rich user expereience. is well suited for the applications that involve remote control of the devices in many sectors such as industrial, consumer, automotives, etc.
DAQ Suite supports the following functionalities,
- Secure connection with the device authenticated with user name and password
- Digital output ON/OFF control with On/Off delay and On duration settings
- Digital input monitoring with on/off de-bounce settings
- Multiple options for digital output/input status update such as periodic with time interval settings, on change or both
- Missed call control on digital outputs
- Multiple device registration and device connection status notification
Few screen shots of the DAQ Suite when being used for SMS remote control is given below
SMS remote control Application views
DAQ Suite Android controlled switch application is designed to address the entire chain of GSM based relay control. It is a one touch and error free remote control solution for the user, where they feel free from a major task of typing/editing the SMS commands and avoid false commands sent to the device which may save time as well as cost per false SMS. Once the application is opened the user will come across the following screens,
- Home Screen
- Device Selection Screen
- Settings Screen
- Device Screen
Home Screen
In this screen, all the information about the device that are registered, online etc are consolidated. In addition to the device information, a log of the number of SMS commands being sent and received are also displayed.
Device Selection Screen
The device selection screen supports selecting the device type and model that has been purchased and positioned for monitoring or control applications. The screen includes two drop down list box such as follows
- Device Type :
- Lists all the device variants commonly available with eStorm-L1 platform such as relay switch, relay controller, etc.
- Device Model :
- Lists all the model numbers available under the selected device type. There are multiple device models based on analog inputs and digital input/output configurations.
At present, the DAQ Suite Android application includes two device type and two device models where the same will be updated with multiple options in the later revisions as needed by the customer.
Settings screen
All the settings corresponding to the device is included in the settings screen. This screen includes multiple tabs at the top with the following settings menu,
- User Settings :
- To set the user details such as name, password, phone number and device description. The device under control will be configured with the provided user name, password and phone number for the authentication. This screen also supports setting alternate phone number to be considered for control upon calling the device.
- Digital Output Settings
(Relay Settings) : - This settings menu corresponds to the digital output settings such as name, on duration, ON/OFF delay, etc
- Digital Input Settings :
- This settings menu corresponds to the digital input settings such as name, on/off de-bounce, input enable/disable etc.
- Update Settings :
- This menu facilitates setting the update interval for receiving the SMS about the current status of the digital outputs and inputs. Many options such as on change, periodic, both and none can be chosen from the list view
- Call Actions Settings :
- Supports settings for actions to be done on the digital outputs such as switch ON/OFF upon calling the device.
Each setting is configured to the device with separate SMS command and this happens upon selecting the tick button on the right corner of each settings menu. Once all the settings are configured, the device will be ready to receive SMS commands for the control/monitoring actions.
Device Screen
All the control and monitoring operations of the Android controlled switch App are performed in this screen. The device screen includes the following options,
- Device status bar where the status of the device synchronization will be displayed
- The time log bar showing the time of last SMS sent and received
- Digital outputs control panel with individual ON/OFF button corresponding to each digital outputs
- Digital inputs monitoring panel with individual notification buttons corresponding to each digital inputs
Upon every change in the device screen, SMS will be sent to the device with the predefined command set and the respective status will be updated in the device screen once the acknowledge SMS is received from the device.
DAQ Suite Android app suitable for GSM based remote switch and sensor monitoring applications is available in the Google play Store as free version. A demo video of the Android power control application is available in the following link DAQ suite - Android App for GSM based Remote Switch
For customization of the Android relay control App for your devices and improved customer satisfaction, feel free to contact us.
