Greenwave Systems use neXus products to offer secure solutions for smart homes

There has been a lot of speculations about smart homes, and now – with the latest developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) – Greenwave Systems think that we are facing a revolution. The demand is high for Greenwave’s new Gateway that allows users to remotely control a variety of functions in their homes. A certificate solution from neXus ensures that the communication between the servers in the cloud and the Greenwave Gateways is secure.

When the global IoT Company Greenwave Systems were going to launch a smart Gateway that monitors and regulates indoor temperature, hot water and lighting in the user´s home through servers in the cloud, security became a priority.

– Those who buy our smart solutions can, for example, lower and raise the indoor temperature with the help of an app in their mobile phones or tablets, or through a web browser. This must be risk-free so that no one else can find a way to take over and control the devices in the homes, says Peter Brandt, Program Manager Director at Greenwave Systems.

Greenwave Systems chose neXus to provide the security layer between the Gateway, the home and the cloud with 2-way certificate-based authentication.

The cloud-based certificate solution, Certificate Service, is based on neXus Certificate Manager and neXus Protocol Gateway. Certificate Service is used to safely deploy security certificates to all Greenwave Gateways. The certificate is downloaded and installed when a Gateway is installed in the home.

When Greenwave’s servers communicates with the devices, the certificates are used to ensure that there are no unauthorized persons attempting to communicate with the device. The Gateway is also validated by the servers to ensure that only the correct Gateway can communicate with the servers. Each Gateway has its unique certificate and there is only one certificate for each Gateway.

– We chose neXus partly because they were quick to respond and flexible in discussing the solution we were interested in. They kept good workshops that supported our challenges and were able to deliver the solution quickly, says Peter Brandt.

Greenwave’s smart Gateway and platform is used to automate and control the energy consumption, through solutions such as Smart Lighting, Solar Management and Demand Response. The indoor temperature can be turned off when you are not at home or if you want to lower the temperature when you are at work or during the night. But Peter Brandt believes that this is just the beginning.

We have a lot of devices in our homes that offer the possibility to control and monitor remotely.
Peter Brandt emphasizes that the security issue will become more and more apparent the more units that become externally accessible.

– neXus solution is safer and more secure than what customers would normally expect, which of course means a competitive advantage for us, especially for future launches, he says.

The security solution is built for millions of certificates/users and so far, everyone who uses the Greenwave Systems energy management services has got it installed.

– It is a stable system, and the solution has met all our expectations. When it has been necessary
neXus has helped us to develop tools so that we can resolve issues that arise. If we need more certificate-based security solutions for future products in other parts of the organization, we will surely work together with neXus again, says Peter Brandt.

About Greenwave Systems

Greenwave Systems is a global software and service provider within the Internet of Things (IoT).
The scalable software platform Greenwave360º enables leading brands to profitably deploy managed services. Greenwave’s mission is to drive mass adoption of IoT by making it easier for leading brands to use the technology in a way that promote deeper client relationships. Learn more about Greenwave on www.greenwavesystems.com or follow the company on Twitter @GreenwaveSys

Facts about the solution

Greenwave uses neXus cloud-based service Certificate Service to create, deploy and administer certificates, which is the foundation of the security solution. neXus Certificate Service is based on neXus Certificate Manager and neXus Protocol Gateway.
Distribution of certificates to the units is made according to SCEP (Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol). All units eligible to receive a certificate are registered and these registration requests are signed. Each unit initiates its own certificate request to the service. Certificate Service checks the
identity of the unit and ensures that the device is pre-registered. The distribution of the certificates is made over an encrypted connection. These certificates are then used for a two-way authentication between the device and Greenwave’s web servers, which is the only way to reach the devices. This way, no unauthorized persons can take over the units.