Arrayent Internet-Connect Tool Kit for Embedded Wi-Fi™

The Arrayent Internet-Connect Tool Kit for Embedded Wi-Fi Design, when used with Microchip’s Explorer-16 development board    and (purchased separately), enables you to demonstrate in a few hours a reliable two-way Internet connection between your embedded Wi-Fi device and web applications hosted in the Internet cloud.

Internet-Connect Benefits

Arrayent’s Internet-Connect Service enables your customers to access their Internet connected products from anywhere at anytime.  The Service runs on a redundant server infrastructure hosted in the Internet cloud.  The Service maintains your product and end customer databases as well as handling two-way function calls via Web Service APIs.

internetconnect solution

Arrayent Internet-Connect Solution

Arrayent’s Internet-Connect Service is an ideal solution for product companies seeking to Internet-connect their embedded Wi-Fi products that have:

  • Simplified end customer product installation (Arrayent’s automatic consumer NAT firewall tunneling eliminates the need for fixed IP addresses, or opening firewall ports.)
  • Reduced processing requirements resulting in lower end product hardware cost (Arrayent servers manage heavy communication processing tasks that off load local computing tasks.)
  • Product applications that can be easily upgraded on the cloud-based server, eliminating complex firmware upgrades.

Tool Kit Overview

Arrayent Internet-Connect Tool Kit enables you in a few easy steps to wirelessly connect your Microchip Explorer 16 application, via the AC164136-4 PICtail / PICtail Plus module, to an Internet hosted application viewable on a smart phone or PC browser. The Tool Kit has been designed to let you configure a complete Internet controlled product within a single day.

Tool Kit Contents

The Arrayent Internet-Connect Tool Kit for Embedded Wi-Fi Design includes:

  • Internet Connect Code
    Library and PIC sample code to quickly connect your PIC WiFi application to the Internet.
  • Internet Connect Server Account
    Provides access to Arrayent’s servers, APIs and tools..
  • Configurator
    Web application to define product attributes.
  • Utility Application
    The Utility Application is a web-based application that verifies and demonstrates the Internet connectivity of your device.

    • Once connected, you can remotely monitor and control your Explorer 16 board (not included) via a PC or smart phone browser using the Utility Application or your own web application.

Configurator

The Configurator is a powerful web-based tool for the creation and configuration of devices, customer attributes and customer databases without any software development.  The Configurator automatically creates the appropriate database on the server for Arrayent’s Utility Application to create a product control panel.

configurator screen shot

Configurator Screen Shot

Utility Applications

The Utility Application is a web-based application that verifies and demonstrates the Internet connectivity of your product.  The Utility App can be used to monitor and control all aspects of the device.

AppMonitorControl

Utility Application Showing Device Status

AppTimeSeries

Utility Application showing Time Series

Phases of Internet-Connect

Arrayent’s Tool Kit supports five phases of product development.  Each phase enables additional product functionality.

Phase 1

Monitor and control the Explorer 16 board (via the AC164136-4 PICtail / PICtail Plus) from both the Utility App and an example website right out of the box. 

Phase 2

Connect your own devices to the Explorer 16’s I/Os, define the functionality with the Configurator.  Within an hour you can use the Utility App to monitor and control your device.

Phase 3

Is an optional phase where additional data and functionality may be added using the RS232 serial interface on the Explorer 16 to download/upload more complex data types to/from your device. Modifications to your device’s firmware are likely required.

Phase 4

You create your own product application web site with your desired user interface.  Arrayent’s Web Service APIs provide all the hooks you need to monitor and control your prototype through the Wi-Fi Tool Kit.  Creating your own web application from the supplied sample web code may take a day or more, depending on the complexity of the product application you want to create.

Phase 5

You move your product firmware developed on the Explorer 16, to your product prototype.  The prototype connects to the Arrayent’s Web Service APIs and your own web application as you did Phase 4.