Deployment of intermediate-range devices using a short-range mobile device
View Patent ↗Disclosed herein are wireless devices operable at intermediate wireless at ranges of thousands of meters, utilizing packets that include a preamble and a data payload. Devices may be such things as keypads, door latches, occupancy monitors, sprinkler controllers and other devices needing a communications link. Devices include an intermediate-range transceiver and a separate deployment wireless interface accessible from a mobile device such as a cellular telephone or portable tablet. Devices can be registered in a database and deployed for use by means of an application running on the mobile device. A scannable label bearing a code can be affixed to a wireless device providing a means of tracking, identifying and verifying a device through the deployment process. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
1. A method of registering and deploying intermediate-range wireless communications devices using a mobile device, the intermediate-range wireless communications device having a deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver operable to communicate with the intermediate-range wireless communications device through the deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a network connection by which a database may be accessed, said method comprising the steps of:
installing to a mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver a mobile application;
executing the installed mobile application;
at the mobile device, connecting to and interacting with a first intermediate-range wireless communications device using the short-range wireless transceiver;
at the mobile device, retrieving a unit identifier of a connected intermediate-range wireless communications device;
creating an entry in the database containing a retrieved unit identifier of a connected intermediate-range wireless communications device, the entry further having associated with the unit identifier a label code;
at the mobile device, scanning a label bearing a label code affixed to an intermediate-range wireless communications device;
verifying that the combination of a scanned label code and a retrieved unit identifier has a corresponding entry in the database;
receiving the selection of a second intermediate-range wireless communications device to be mated to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
commanding the mating of the second intermediate-range wireless communications device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
creating an entry in the database containing an identifier for each of the first and second intermediate-range wireless communications devices in combination with point-to-point communications parameters;
physically installing the first intermediate-range wireless communications device, said installing including mounting and wiring the first intermediate-range wireless communications device into an operable state;
at the mobile device, taking images of the first intermediate-range wireless communications device as installed, and transmitting those images to be stored in the database;
receiving at the mobile device communications parameters earlier stored to the database for the first intermediate-range wireless communications device; and
transferring from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device communications parameters to be used in communicating with the second intermediate-range wireless communications device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
at the mobile device, entering circumstantial information; and
transmitting entered circumstantial information from the mobile device to the database.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
at the mobile device, sending a command to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device to perform a functional test.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
at the mobile device, sending a command to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device to perform a communications test with the second intermediate-range wireless communications device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the databases accessed are implemented as two or more logical databases, and
said method accesses each of those logical databases in two or more steps.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the two or more logical databases reside on separate servers.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of affixing a label bearing a label code to an intermediate-range wireless communications device.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of creating a log of information transmitted in interactions between the mobile device and the first intermediate-range wireless communications device.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications parameters transferred from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device specify at least one of an operating frequency, a bit rate, a spreading factor, an address, and a frequency hopping sequence.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications parameters transferred from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device include an encryption key.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of transferring an image of a label to the mobile device for printing.
12. A method of registering and deploying intermediate-range wireless communications devices using a mobile device, the intermediate-range wireless communications device having a deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver operable to communicate with the intermediate-range wireless communications device through the deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a network connection by which a database may be accessed, said method comprising the steps of:
installing to a mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver a mobile application;
executing the installed mobile application;
at the mobile device, authenticating an operator or installer to access the database;
at the mobile device, connecting to and interacting with a first intermediate-range wireless communications device using the short-range wireless transceiver;
at the mobile device, retrieving a unit identifier of a connected intermediate-range wireless communications device;
at the mobile device, scanning a label bearing a label code affixed to an intermediate-range wireless communications device;
optionally verifying that the combination of a scanned label code and a retrieved unit identifier has a corresponding entry in the database;
receiving the selection of a second intermediate-range wireless communications device to be mated to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
commanding the mating of the second intermediate-range wireless communications device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
creating an entry in the database containing an identifier for each of the first and second intermediate-range wireless communications devices in combination with point-to-point communications parameters;
physically installing the first intermediate-range wireless communications device, said installing including mounting and wiring the first intermediate-range wireless communications device into an operable state;
at the mobile device, taking images of the first intermediate-range wireless communications device as installed, and transmitting those images to be stored in the database;
receiving at the mobile device communications parameters earlier stored to the database for the first intermediate-range wireless communications device; and
transferring from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device communications parameters to be used in communicating with the second intermediate-range wireless communications device.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of receiving the selection of a second intermediate-range wireless communications device to be mated to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device is performed by the entry of an operator from a list of identified intermediate-range wireless communications devices.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of receiving the selection of a second intermediate-range wireless communications device to be mated to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device is performed by site registering the second intermediate-range wireless communications device after the first intermediate-range wireless communications device.
15. A method of deploying intermediate-range wireless communications devices using a mobile device, the intermediate-range wireless communications device having a deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver operable to communicate with the intermediate-range wireless communications device through the deployment transceiver, the mobile device having a network connection by which a database may be accessed, said method comprising the steps of:
installing to a mobile device having a short-range wireless transceiver a mobile application;
executing the installed mobile application;
at the mobile device, connecting to and interacting with a first intermediate-range wireless communications device using the short-range wireless transceiver;
at the mobile device, retrieving a unit identifier of a connected intermediate-range wireless communications device;
at the mobile device, scanning a label bearing a label code affixed to an intermediate-range wireless communications device;
verifying that the combination of a scanned label code and a retrieved unit identifier has a corresponding entry in the database;
receiving the selection of a second intermediate-range wireless communications device to be mated to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
physically installing the first intermediate-range wireless communications device, said installing including mounting and wiring the first intermediate-range wireless communications device into an operable state;
at the mobile device, taking images of the first intermediate-range wireless communications device as installed, and transmitting those images to be stored in the database;
receiving at the mobile device communications parameters earlier stored to the database for the first intermediate-range wireless communications device;
transferring from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device communications parameters to be used in communicating with the second intermediate-range wireless communications device; and
transferring from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device operational parameters to be used in communicating with the second intermediate-range wireless communications device.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of recording the geophysical location of the mobile device at the time of deployment of the first intermediate-range wireless communications device.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of disallowing the mating of an intermediate-range wireless communications device where the step of verifying that the combination of a scanned label code and a retrieved unit identifier fails.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of creating a log of information transmitted in interactions between the mobile device and the first intermediate-range wireless communications device.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the communications parameters transferred from the mobile device to the first intermediate-range wireless communications device specify at least one of an operating frequency, a bit rate, a spreading factor, an address, and a frequency hopping sequence.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the label code comprises a QR code.