What is MODE

Overview

MODE is a platform for data collection from networked devices, allowing companies to lead a successful data driven businesses. Large-scale data collected by MODE’s smart Gateway can be securely stored in a cloud system, quickly retrieved, and used for real-time analysis. MODE platform has been carefully designed data analysis to be customized and automated based on business’ needs.

MODE’s system consists of a customizable gateway for data collection and a cloud platform for data storage and distribution. MODE’s system configuration is optimized to easily and securely connect the physical machine, the gateway and the cloud system.

For the rest of this document, we will review all the key concepts and components of a MODE project.

Key Concepts

Project & Developer | MODE provides a cloud backend for your project and you are the developer of your own project. Everything you see – devices, users, etc. – belongs to your project. A developer can configure and manage the cloud backend for the project. A project can have multiple developers.

Devices & Homes | The main unit of device management is home. A home in MODE can contain multiple devices. The home can have multiple users (home members) who can control these devices.

A device class is a logical grouping of devices, i.e. the make and model of your product. Devices that behave in the same way belong to a device class. When you modify a device class, all devices belonging to that class will be affected.

Diagram - Device and Device Classes

Examples of a device class are Mobility Gateway or Sensor Gateway. As an example, consider having many Sensor Gateways; each gateway is considered a Device that is an instance of the Sensor Gateway class.

MODE maintains a database of devices for your project to track the information associated with each unit.

User & Apps | A user is an end-user of your product. They can control devices connected to a home that they belong to. A user may control the devices from a mobile app or from the web. These mobile apps and web user interfaces are referred to as Apps. An app interacts with homes and devices on behalf of a user.

MODE provides the API for user registration and verification so that your app can implement user onboarding easily. MODE has several example applications (e.g. SC Eval and Mobility Cloud applications) as design references for you.

Commands & Events | Devices, apps and external servers interact with each other over a home. There are two types of communications:

  • Commands: Apps and external servers can send commands to devices. A command is a simple JSON object and you can define arbitrary commands for your devices.

  • Events: Devices can emit events. Apps that subscribe to events are notified in real time if they are online. External servers can also be notified via webhooks for events.

Screenshot - Console Project Dashboard

Developer Console

Inside the Developer Console | The Developer Console is the main tool you will be using to build your IoT system. It is where you will set up your project, test and debug your firmware and apps, and monitor usage when the project is released to your customers.

If you have not already done so, sign up at the Developer Console now. Then follow the Creating a MODE Project tutorial to start your first project.

→ Now that you know what MODE is, read about some Use Cases to understand the specific applications of MODE.