Asset and site monitoring are crucial for effective cooler fleet management, ensuring on-time service and maintenance, optimal commercial performance, and safety. One-to-one and multi-connectivity through the AoFrio Gateway provides flexible and efficient solutions for monitoring refrigeration units, sensors, and other critical assets.  

What does Gateway do?  

AoFrio® Gateway™ is an always-on IoT communications hub designed for beverage coolers. This cellular-connected solution seamlessly integrates IoT devices and transfers data to the AoFrio Cloud, enabling you to locate and manage your assets remotely. The Gateway uses Bluetooth to connect to multiple IoT devices and uploads the aggregated data to the cloud via a cellular network. This direct connection ensures accurate data collection and reliable performance monitoring. 

Now, let's explore how one-to-one and multi-connectivity through the Gateway benefits our customers managing their cooler fleets in the Cold Drink Equipment or Food Services markets.  

One-to-one connectivity 

One-to-one connectivity with the AoFrio Gateway is designed for customers who need to monitor and control individual assets with high precision. This setup is typically used for single assets such as coolers or vending machines. The Gateway can be installed within a cooler or connected via wiring options, making it an integral part of the asset. Benefits of one-to-one connectivity: 

•  Accurate data collection and control for individual assets. 

•  Easy to identify and resolve issues with a single asset and prevent downtime. 

•  Essential for customers who need to track individual assets that may get lost or stolen. 

This connectivity is particularly beneficial for customers who need to keep a close eye on individual assets and ensure they are always accounted for. 

Multi-connectivity 

Multi-connectivity allows the AoFrio Gateway to connect to multiple IoT devices simultaneously, making it ideal for managing a fleet of assets that wouldn’t be moved from location. This setup is perfect for large-scale operations in the food service industry.  

Benefits of Multi-Connectivity:

•  Efficiently manage multiple assets from a single location. 

•  Easily accommodates additional devices and coolers as the business grows. 

• Streamlines operations by allowing simultaneous monitoring and controlling of multiple assets. 

•  Identifies potential issues across multiple assets, preventing downtime. 

•  Optimizes energy usage, leading to cost savings and improved sustainability. 

In an environment where the Gateway needs to communicate with multiple assets, multi-connectivity would work best. The AoFrio Gateway can track up to 14 refrigeration assets on a continuous basis, reporting temperature and alarms to the backend system. 

Maximizing efficiency with a mix of one-to-one and multi-connectivity

AoFrio’s Gateway can be flexibly deployed to suit different operational needs, whether through one-to-one connectivity for individual cooler tracking or multi-connectivity to monitor multiple assets at a single location.

One of the key strengths of the AoFrio IoT ecosystem is its ability to support a mixed fleet approach. Customers can choose to opt for Gateway for dedicated, real-time asset monitoring (one-to-one), and use a single Gateway to connect with multiple nearby assets (multi-connectivity), making it ideal for fixed-location food service environments.

With the flexibility to choose between one-to-one, multi-connectivity, or a hybrid of both, AoFrio enables you to optimize your fleet management in a way that suits your operational priorities and budget. It provides you the precise control over individual assets and centralized monitoring of multiple devices. Whatever your retail setup, AoFrio Gateway can enable you to manage your cooler fleet more efficiently.