Tuxmart.io: Provider of secure, air-gapped edge platforms for building automation

Written by LF Edge users from Tuxmart.io. For more information about Tuxmart.io, visit their website

Tuxmart.io: Provider of secure, air-gapped edge platforms for building automation

Challenge

A large university campus, with over 300 HVAC units and 400 smart lighting circuits, faced significant challenges with its aging and siloed building automation systems. The existing infrastructure, comprised of devices from seven different vendors, each with its own proprietary communication protocol, made unified management impossible.

The campus IoT network could not be connected to the internet, which severely limited the choice of platforms and made remote management and updates a significant hurdle. Without a centralized system, facility staff had to manage hundreds of endpoints through disparate interfaces, leading to inefficiencies and a steep learning curve.

The reliance on proprietary systems meant the university was locked into specific vendors for support and expansion, leading to higher costs and limited flexibility.

Solution

Tuxmart.io architected and deployed a next-generation building automation platform, with EdgeX Foundry at its core, to deliver a truly interoperable, scalable, and secure solution.

EdgeX's open, interoperable architecture was the key to breaking free from vendor lock-in. It provided the flexibility to integrate devices from any manufacturer, now and in the future.

The microservices-based architecture allowed deployment of only the necessary components, creating a lean and efficient solution that could run on resource-constrained ARM-based edge nodes.

The building automation platform based on EdgeX supports:

• Ingestion and translation of the proprietary protocols of the seven HVAC vendors into a standardized MQTT format
• Development of new device services tailored to the university's management requirements for supported HVAC brands including Daikin, Mitsubishi, Gree, Carrier, and others
• Deployment as a high-availability K3s cluster across multiple custom ARM-based edge nodes
• Utilization of systemd watchdogs and virtualized failover nodes to ensure no single point of failure
• Integratation of a custom calendar automation engine with the university's academic scheduling system
• Pre-configuration on read-only SD cards, allowing for rapid, secure, and offline provisioning in the air-gapped environment

During implementation, Tuxmart.io addressed the heterogeneous device landscape by developing the universal gateway for protocol translation, which provided a single, unified interface for all devices. This eliminated vendor lock-in, centralized device control, and significantly reduced the training and maintenance burden on facility staff.

The calendar automation engine allowed class and exam schedules to be imported as automation events, driving the behavior of the HVAC and lighting systems. The system also supported temporary manual overrides and seasonal configurations without altering the master schedule.

Result

The EdgeX-based building automation platform has delivered significant and measurable results.

• High Availability: Over 99.5% operational uptime for all connected HVAC and lighting systems.
• Operational Simplicity: Non-technical staff can now easily manage hundreds of devices through a single, intuitive user interface.
• Increased Energy Efficiency: Automated, occupancy-based schedules have led to a
  significant reduction in energy consumption and allowed facility managers to efficiently manage schedules without disrupting academic workflows.

According to the Tuxmart.io team, "EdgeX's modular architecture allowed us to embed only necessary components, turning security constraints into strategic advantages."

Throughout Tuxmart.io's development process, the team submitted several PRs to the EdgeX community, which were accepted and taken forward into its own deliveries. Tuxmart.io's open and flexible approach demonstrates the power of EdgeX Foundry to deliver secure, scalable, and user-friendly building automation in complex and highly regulated environments.

Watch this demonstration video to see the EdgeX-based platform in action. See how it simplifies building automation tasks including device management, intelligent scheduling, and energy optimization. The principles can be applied to other regulated environments and air-gapped facilities.

For further information, visit:

tuxmart.io