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Changing the Backoffice of a charging station with FW6.0 or higher
 
 
This step-by-step guide informs how to change the back office for chargers on fw version 6.0.0 or higher.
 

THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW ARE ONLY APPLICABLE FOR NG-FIRMWARE FW6.0.0 OR HIGHER.

IF YOU HAVE FIRMWARE FW5.8.1 OR LOWER, CLICK HERE.


Chargers with FW6.x and higher make use of network profiles.
With these profiles you can prioritize the connection method and/or the back office URL where the charger should connect to. If both are available: 

  • Network Profile 1 contains the Wired settings.
     
  • Network Profile 2 contains the Mobile settings. 
 
Below we will explain how to change the Backoffice settings using a Backoffice preset.
 
Onsite using the ACE Service Installer and using an existing preset

A charging station can be configured locally using a Windows laptop.

In order to configure the charging station, you need the ACE Service Installer software, which can be downloaded from alfen.com/downloads.
Under "How do I receive login details for the ACE Service Installer configuration tool?" you can find information on requesting an account.

 
  1. Go to the ‘Connectivity’ tab.
     
  2. Open the ‘Back office preset’ list.
     
  3. You can choose an option from the list of preset Back offices.


     
  4. Click on ‘Save’ in the bottom right.
     
  5. Restart the charging station in case it does not initiate a reboot itself.
     

Onsite using the ACE Service Installer and using and setting the Backoffice settings manually.

In case the back office of your choice is not available in a preset, you can enter the details manually.
 
  1. Go to the ‘Connectivity’ tab.
     
  2. Open the ‘Backoffice preset’ list.
     
  3. Select the Backoffice preset: <Manually enter backend settings>


     
  4. Press 'Save".
     
  5. Fill in the desired settings under the Network Profile 1.


     
  6. Press 'Save".
     
  7. Repeat the for Network Profile 2 if you also want to set Mobile connection.
     
  8. If the connection method ‘Mobile’ is used, go to the ‘Mobile’ tab for additional mobile settings.


     
  9. Press 'Save".
     
  10. Restart the charging station in case it does not initiate a reboot itself.

 

    Remotely via the Backoffice

    Please check the ‘Backoffice Configuration Keys’ document on our Firmware Release Page to check the command. We advise to use the list that is available for the firmware version used on your charger.

    Format of the ConfigKey
    The format is described as     VARIABLENAME{VALUE}.
    This means each configuration parameter consists of a variable name followed by its corresponding value enclosed in curly braces {}.
     

    Allowed Characters
    The allowed characters for these values are specified as:

    • Alphanumeric characters (ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789)

    • Certain special characters (._~:/?#[]@!$&'()*+,;=)
       

    Parameters and Examples
    Based on the examples and explanations provided, here are the key parameters you should consider:

    1. ocppVersion: Specifies the version of the OCPP protocol being used (OCPP15, OCPP16, OCP201).

    2. ocppCsmsUrl: Specifies the URL of the Charge Station Management System (CSMS) in the format ws://....

    3. messageTimeout: Specifies the timeout duration in seconds (10, 15).

    4. securityProfile: Specifies the security profile (0, 1).

    5. ocppInterface: Specifies the interface type (Wired0, WIRELESS0).

    6. apn: Specifies the Access Point Name (APN) for wireless network configurations (machine.m2m, alfen.m2m).

    7. preferredNetwork: Specifies the preferred network type (AUTO, not implemented in some versions).

    8. apnAuthentication: Specifies APN authentication method (AUTO, ``, not implemented in some versions).
       

    Creating the Configuration Key
    To construct a valid configuration key, you'll concatenate these parameters in the format VARIABLENAME{VALUE} separated by ,.
    Here's how you can structure it based on the provided examples:

     

    Example Wired:

    ocppVersion{OCPP16}, ocppCsmsUrl{ws://169.254.19.56:7364}, messageTimeout{15}, securityProfile{0}, ocppInterface{Wired0}, apn{alfen.m2m}, APNUser{}, preferredNetwork{}, apnAuthentication{AUTO}

    Example Mobile:

    ocppVersion{OCPP16}ocppCsmsUrl{ws://10.2.0.2:9090/}messageTimeout{10}securityProfile{1}ocppInterface{Wireless0}apn{****}apnUsername{****}apnPassword{****}simPin{****}

    Considerations

    • Ensure each parameter follows the specified format (VARIABLENAME{VALUE}).

    • Parameters that are not applicable should be omitted or set to an empty value ({}).

    • Be mindful of the character limit for some values, especially ocppCsmsUrl and apn, which are truncated in earlier OCPP versions.

    By following these guidelines, you can create valid configuration keys that adhere to the OCPP specifications mentioned.

    Keywords: NG, Preset, Backoffce, Firmware