MMB has helped numerous OEMs bring IoT Lighting and/or Sensor products to market quickly and effectively. This page summarizes the process and provides links to detailed instructions for each step.
1. Talk to MMB and Procure the RapidConnect Lighting & Sensor Development Kit.
Contact info@mmbnetworks.com to arrange an introductory call. Meet our team and discuss your product needs. We can refer you to the appropriate development hardware.
2. Complete the Day 1 Demo.
The Day 1 Demo gives you the opportunity to become familiar with the RapidConnect Lighting & Sensor Evaluation board and will guide you through the basics of zigbee network management and device control.
3. Test Against Daintree ControlScope or Other zigbee Systems
If you would like to show your management and your clients that your new lighting solution will interoperate with commonly available building automation systems like Daintree ControlScope, it is quite easy to complete those demonstrations. Furthermore, you can configure the Manufacturer Name and Model Identifier that are displayed over the network to ensure that the demo device carries your own branding!
4. Hardware Integration
Our customers have used two different approaches for the hardware integration:
- Incorporate the RapidConnect zigbee Module into an "adapter" that utilizes a standard connector so it can plug in to other devices. This is great for retrofitting - you can add IoT communication without requiring an update to the original device design.
- Incorporate the RapidConnect zigbee Module directly into the board design of a new product. This is great for new SKUs that will always be sold with IoT communication on board. The BOM cost will be lower due to the consolidation of components, but the upfront costs for design, certification, and approvals will likely be higher.
Regardless of the approach, MMB will help ensure that your design follows the best practices for incorporating our RapidConnect zigbee Module. Our Hardware Design Resource Package will give your Hardware Engineering team a head start, and we will review the module footprint after you have completed the design.
5. (Optional) Register With the zigbee alliance
If you would like to market your device as "zigbee certified" and/or use the zigbee logo on the packaging and marketing materials, it will be necessary to join the zigbee alliance. The zigbee alliance will assign a "Manufacturer ID" value to your company and you will need to hire an authorized test house to execute the certification testing.
At present, it is not mandatory to register your company and products with the zigbee alliance If you are only planning to market them for use in the Daintree ControlScope ecosystem.
6. Firmware Customization From MMB
To ensure that your device carries your own branding when displayed on wireless networks, MMB will provide firmware with custom values for the ManufacturerName and ModelIdentifier attributes.
Before completing your zigbee alliance and/or Daintree ControlScope certification testing, MMB will provide a unique Image Type ID. This is necessary to distinguish your device from other RapidConnect-based devices in the field.
Lastly, if you have chosen to register with the zigbee alliance, MMB will incorporate your Manufacturer ID into the firmware.
7. FCC and UL Approvals
Before mass-producing your new device, it will be necessary to complete the regulatory approval process.
The RapidConnect Module already has modular approval in various jurisdictions (see datasheet in the Hardware section of this page for more details). However, the end product must still be submitted for unintentional radiation testing.
UL approval is the responsibility of the device vendor.
8. ControlScope Certification
MMB is the only authorized test house for Daintree ControlScope ecosystem partners.
We offer a discounted price for the certification testing if the device uses our RapidConnecting Lighting & Sensor application, because we have much greater confidence that it will pass all of the test cases. That said, the device vendor is still responsible for including the following items to satisfy ControlScope requirements:
- Labels (Device, Fixture, Plan)
- LED, to be used as an indicator for Identify mode and network status
- Button, to be used to initiate a Factory Reset
See the ControlScope Certification Requirements document package or talk to your MMB Account Manager for more details about these requirements. MMB will need two samples of the production version of the device for testing. The certification testing will take approximately two weeks, and we will need up to 4 weeks of lead time before starting the testing.
9. End-of-Line Testing
To facilitate your transition to mass production, MMB can prescribe a procedure for the end-of-line testing. Contact your MMB Account Manager for more details.
10. (Optional) Transition To Discrete Solution
As demand for your product increases, you may reach a point at which it becomes economical to eliminate the RapidConnect module and lay out the components on your board. MMB will happily enable this via a licensing model for the RapidConnect Lighting & Sensor firmware. Talk to your MMB Account Manager to learn more about the process and receive a quote.
11. Maintenance and Updates to the Wireless Specs
Wireless standards are constantly evolving, with new features and security enhancements in each new iteration. For example, the zigbee alliance has a new zigbee 3.0 specification with increased security. You can learn more about it here.
If you are using MMB's RapidConnect Lighting & Sensor firmware, you will not need to worry about these updates - we will handle all of those changes "under to hood" and your device will remain fully functional. It's similar to the way that most Operating System updates work on your PC - a lot of core functions may be changing, but your browser and other applications will still work on top of the newer core.
Of course, some security-related spec updates may impose new labelling requirements or add new serial frames, both of which will have implications for your device. Talk to your MMB Account Manager to learn more about the changes that you can expect to see in the near future.