AirLink is an open source framework (MIT License) to manage IoT devices connecting to IoT servers via Bluetooth® LE ↔ GSM gateways. The protocol provides a communication standard and example code for devices and smartphones. As such, it removes the need for edge IoT devices to have direct internet connectivity by using the smartphone or intermediate gateway as a relay.
The framework comes with BLE discovery-based provisioning, a flow for tracking lost devices via crowd-sourced detection, as well as 'PAY-Go' rolling-code token functionality to support use cases for financed consumer devices or to transfer encrypted commands.
AirLink was developed to help entrepreneurs get over non-differentiating IoT development hurdles quickly and focus on their unique application
This is the technical documentation for AirLink. If you are looking for an overview instead: https://enaccess.org/airlink/
Here is a helpful guide for AirLink adopters: Quick-start guide
And an end to end demo on how to get started in minutes: AirLink demo video
This documentation consists of the overview on this page, three sub pages on the three components of AirLink, the Quick-start guide above, and a page on integrating with PAYG software providers.
AirLink proposes three components of which two are required at any given time. Each component has an open source library to get started with.
AirLink Devices: Nordic nRF firmware on GitHub
AirLink App: a Flutter app on GitHub
AirLink Server: A Demo server Hosted by EnAccess.org
Smartphone-gateway connectivity, an opinionated device lifecycle, a flow for lost/stolen devices and built-in PAYGO functionality are what set AirLink apart among open-source IoT frameworks.
AirLink leverages Bluetooth and GSM to flow data from the device to the server via the app, and vice versa. Data is structured for minimum overhead for devices and plug-and-play adding of new device types without server/app redos.
AirLink covers the full device lifecycle, with a complete path to
- get devices registered in the server,
- exchange data and location, and
- control PAYGo functionality
AirLink 'community-sources' device security, anyone with an AirLink app (not from a particular adopter) can help find lost devices without sharing private data or compromising device PAYGo. AirLink apps automatically post information about unknown devices back to the AirLink server, where they can be forwarded to the lost and found repository hosted by EnAccess on it's AirLink server. Owners of the device can then get access to this information either through the manufacturer's AirLink server or the common lost and found server, with help from EnAccess. The default open source setup can also be edited to have a separate lost and found tenant on an adopter's own server.
AirLink has built-in token generation, but also connects to external PAYGo Software providers.
Solaris and Angaza are two major providers of PAYGo business software stacks. AirLink devices can exchange PAYGO tokens with Angaza and Solaris servers through the AirLink Data Layer, enabled by the AirLink Server out-of-the-box.
The AirLink server recognizes the type of provider based on a server side attribute payg_type for the device, and connects with Angaza or Solaris servers to get the latest PAYGo token. This provides out-of-the-box integration for those devices that support Nexus Token or OpenPAYGO Token.
Nexus Channel: Angaza's Inter-operability initiative
OCF: Open source connectivity standards that AirLink derives from
OpenPAYGO Link: Wired inter-operability from Solaris/ EnAccess
OpenPAYGO Metrics: GSM inter-operability from Solaris
OpenPAYGO Token: Open Source PAYGO token reference design from Solaris/EnAccess
CBOR: Memory-Efficient data arrays
AirLink was developed by Simusolar Inc
with support from EnAccess
