Fleet Management Software: Grow Your Products with 1NCE OS

Imagine managing a fleet of powerful wheel loaders, each one a critical piece of a business. But instead of having full control, there are constant uncertainties. Are these machines being used efficiently? Will one break down unexpectedly and disrupt a project’s entire timeline? Is the equipment being used properly within authorized job sites? These challenges can disrupt schedules and impact the bottom line. As Peter Drucker once said, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” In this blog, we’ll explore a practical showcasing of how 1NCE OS can tackle these challenges head-on. From reducing downtime and unauthorized use to improving data efficiency and security, we’ll demonstrate how IoT software for fleet management can make a real difference. Let’s dive in!

How Fleet Management Software Solves Key Challenges

Imagine the following scenario: a critical delivery truck breaks down mid-route due to a missed maintenance alert. This single oversight triggers a domino effect — missed deliveries, frustrated customers, and an unexpected repair bill. The unplanned downtime can cost fleets between €400 and €600 per vehicle per day, turning what might seem like minor inefficiencies into significant financial setbacks.

Now consider another challenge: a vehicle crosses its designated boundary late at night. Unauthorized use like this not only wastes fuel but also exposes the business to liability risks. Such incidents often go unnoticed without tools like geofencing until the damage is done. Studies estimate that up to 5% of fleet vehicles are misused annually, creating hidden costs that strain operational budgets.

Zooming out, these issues are just the tip of the iceberg. A recent report found that 30% of fleet vehicles are underutilized, tying up valuable resources and inflating fixed costs like insurance and depreciation. At the same time, IoT devices across the fleet generate massive amounts of data, overwhelm backend systems, and drive-up energy consumption. Without technologies like 1NCE Energy Saver, which compresses and transmits data efficiently, energy costs can rise by as much as 40%, especially when handling larger payloads.

To address these challenges, secure and reliable cloud connectivity has become indispensable. Cloud-based fleet management systems enable seamless data integration from IoT devices, supporting real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, and remote control. Paired with device authentication, these systems ensure that only authorized devices access critical infrastructure, shielding reported devices from cybersecurity threats.

Fleet Management Architecture Diagram Overview

To overcome critical challenges and enable real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, security, and energy efficiency, fleet management requires a specific architecture - seamless integration of devices, data, and actionable insights.

At its core, the architecture connects three layers:

Devices: Equipped with IoT sensors and the 1NCE SDK, these capture and transmit critical operational data while ensuring secure connectivity through the 1NCE SIM.
1NCE OS Features: providing advanced tools like energy-saving data compression, geofencing, and device authentication for optimized performance and security.
Dashboard and Analytics: User interfaces such as the 1NCE Portal and Datacake Dashboard deliver real-time insights, enabling data-driven decisions.

The Device Level

Hardware and Software Used
The following setup example integrates hardware and fleet management software for efficient equipment monitoring.

The Thingy:91 Sensor Board serves as a prototype, capturing real-time data on temperature, pressure, and humidity to monitor equipment health, usage, and performance efficiently.
1NCE SIM ensures reliable cellular connectivity for continuous data transmission across the fleet. The SIM also provides access to the 1NCE platform, including its connectivity services and 1NCE OS, enabling seamless integration of devices.
1NCE SDK facilitates the integration of devices with the system, enabling seamless and secure communication and efficient data flow (Device authentication) . It compresses data using the Energy Saver feature before transmitting via the CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) protocol for optimized IoT performance.
Data Transmission via CoAP employs a lightweight and efficient protocol to optimize data flow, reducing bandwidth and energy consumption.

Configuring a Device

To configure a device and connect it to the 1NCE OS, follow these structured steps: a) Prepare the Development Environment: Download and set up the Zephyr Blueprint, which includes the foundational code and configurations required for device initialization. Use the CoAP Demo to enable secure and efficient data transmission to the 1NCE OS. b) Enable Features to Resolve Fleet Challenges: Device Authenticator in 1NCE OS ensures only trusted devices connect to the network, safeguarding sensitive data and preventing unauthorized access.

To enable Device Authenticator, go to prj.conf

Once the devices are secured, the next step is to gather critical operational metrics like temperature, pressure, and humidity to monitor equipment health and performance. Start by enabling sensor support in prj.conf:

With the configuration in place, use the following code to retrieve data from the sensors:

After collecting sensor data, the next step is to address the challenge of high energy consumption during data transmission. The Energy Saver feature in 1NCE OS ensures that data is compressed efficiently, reducing power usage while maintaining seamless communication.

This feature can be implemented by configuring the device and integrating the compression function in the application code. Enable Energy Saver: Update the prj.conf file with the following settings:

Add Data Compression Function: In the application code, define the sensor data elements and compress them using the os_energy_save function:

1NCE OS Layer

With the Device Layer complete, the focus shifts to the 1NCE OS Layer, the central hub for processing and managing data. To enable efficient data transmission and address the challenge of high network load, follow these steps to activate the CoAP endpoint in the 1NCE OS:

Navigate to the Device Integrator section within the dashboard to access configuration settings.

Activate the CoAP endpoint integration to establish a lightweight data flow from connected devices.

After that Device Inspector can show the message received.

After CoAP transmits compressed data, the Energy Saver in 1NCE OS decompresses it for accurate processing and optimized data in the network.

To implement this, follow these steps:

Navigate to Energy Saver Settings: Access the Energy Saver section in the 1NCE OS dashboard.
Select Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP): to enable seamless decompression of data using the configured template for this protocol.
Activate the Feature: Enable the Energy Saver functionality to prepare for data decompression.
Apply the Configuration Template: Paste the pre-configured energy-saving template, which defines how data, including temperature, pressure, and humidity readings, is decompressed:

After decompressed data is processed by the Energy Saver, the next step is turning that data into actionable insights. This is where the Datacake Plugin comes in, addressing the challenge of making sensor data understandable and usable for fleet managers. By visualizing real-time metrics. Follow these steps to set up and configure the Datacake Plugin:

Access the Plugin Section: Navigate to the Plugin section in the 1NCE OS dashboard to begin the integration.
Install the Datacake Plugin: Install the Datacake Plugin to enable real-time data visualization and analytics.

Configure Integration

a) Set up the integration so that sensor data from devices is automatically transmitted to the Datacake platform.

b) Copy the Workspace ID from Datacake and paste it into the appropriate field in the 1NCE OS portal to establish the connection.

Verify Installation: Confirm that the Datacake Plugin is successfully installed and integrated.

Configure Payload Decoder: Set up the payload decoder to ensure that the incoming sensor data is correctly interpreted and displayed on the Datacake dashboard.

With the Datacake Plugin configured, sensor data is transmitted and visualized, addressing the challenge of turning raw data into actionable insights. The next step is to explore the Dashboard and Analytics tools, which provide fleet managers with intuitive real-time monitoring solutions to tackle operational inefficiencies and make data-driven decisions.

Visualization Layer

Once devices are connected and transmitting sensor data via CoAP to 1NCE OS, fleet managers can visualize key metrics such as temperature, pressure, machine status, and humidity using the Datacake Dashboard. The interface provides real-time charts and trends, enabling proactive monitoring and decision-making. Alerts can be set for critical thresholds, reducing risks like unplanned downtime and inefficiencies, ensuring optimized performance and resource allocation.

The Device Locator feature in 1NCE OS helps to maintain fleet visibility and prevent misplaced equipment by using cell tower data to pinpoint asset locations, even in remote areas without GPS. It ensures that fleet managers always know the location of their equipment, enabling better oversight and reducing operational risks.

To enable Advanced Cell Tower Location and approximate device positions based on their connected cell towers, contact 1NCE by selecting the Contact Us option to request access to Advanced Mode.

Unauthorized equipment use can lead to security risks and compliance violations. The Geofencing feature in 1NCE OS tackles this issue by creating virtual boundaries around job sites. Alerts are triggered whenever equipment crosses these boundaries, ensuring that assets are used only within authorized areas, enhancing security and operational compliance.

To Sum up

Fleet management faces challenges like unplanned downtime, unauthorized use, underutilized assets, and high energy consumption. This PoC demonstrates how 1NCE OS addresses these issues with key features:

Device Authenticator for secure operations.
CoAP Protocol for efficient data transmission.
Energy Saver to optimize device power usage.
Real-Time Sensor Monitoring for proactive maintenance.
Datacake Dashboard for actionable insights and alerts.
Geofencing and Device Locator for security and compliance

These solutions streamline operations, reduce costs, and enable smarter, data-driven fleet management.