Location Management

Locations represent your physical sites where energy equipment is installed. AERL Cloud provides tools to organize, monitor, and manage distributed energy assets across multiple locations.

Understanding Locations

What is a Location?

A location in AERL Cloud represents:

• A physical site with energy equipment
• A logical grouping of gateways and devices
• A geographic point for mapping and weather data
• An access control boundary for restricted users

Location Structure

Organize your energy assets:

• Organizations: Top-level container for your business
• Locations: Individual sites or facilities
• Gateways: Data collectors at each location
• Devices: Equipment connected to gateways

Creating Locations

Prerequisites

• Admin or Owner role in your organization
• Basic site information ready

Adding a New Location

1. Access Creation

   • From the dashboard, click Add Location
   • Or use the location creation flow during gateway setup

2. Enter Location Details

   • Name: Descriptive site identifier (required)
   • Address or Coordinates: Either street address or GPS coordinates in lat,lng format (required)
   • Notes: Optional additional information

3. Position on Map

   • Interactive map shows location based on address/coordinates
   • Drag marker to fine-tune exact position
   • Map displays for verification

4. Save Location

   • Click Create Location
   • Location appears on dashboard
   • Ready for gateway assignment

Location Information Fields

• Name: Display name (e.g., "Sydney Office", "Solar Farm Site 5")
• Address/Coordinates: Physical address or GPS coordinates for mapping
• Notes: Additional details or descriptions
• Map Position: Visual representation on interactive map

Location Dashboard

Grid View (Default)

The main dashboard shows locations as cards displaying:

• Status Indicator: Overall site health (Connected/Disconnected/Never Seen)
• Battery SOC: Current state of charge with visual indicator
• AC Load: Current power consumption in watts
• PV Power: Solar generation in watts
• Weather: Current temperature and conditions
• Map Preview: Small map showing location position
• Last Seen: When site last communicated

Table View

Alternative list format showing:

• Location name with status badge
• Number of connected gateways
• Last update timestamp
• Quick action buttons

Special Features

• Fuel Level: Displayed for generator-equipped sites (organization-specific)
• Battery Warnings: Temperature alerts for battery conditions
• Infinite Scroll: Loads 24 locations per page automatically

Location Status

Status Types

Locations show aggregate status from all gateways:

• Connected (Green): All gateways online and communicating
• Disconnected (Red): No gateway communication
• Never Seen (Gray): New location with no data yet

Real-Time Metrics

Each location card displays:

• Battery %: Current state of charge with color coding
• AC Load: Power consumption in watts
• PV Power: Solar generation in watts
• Temperature: Environmental conditions from weather API
• Weather Description: Current conditions

Data Updates

• Metrics refresh automatically as new data arrives
• Weather updates hourly
• Status changes reflect within minutes

Managing Locations

Editing Location Details

1. Click the edit icon on location card
2. Update configurable fields:
   • Name and notes
   • Address or coordinates
   • Map position
3. Save changes

Viewing Location Details

1. Click location name to open detail page
2. View comprehensive information:
   • System overview diagram
   • Connected devices and gateways
   • Historical data and trends
   • Export capabilities

Favorite Locations

Mark frequently accessed sites:

• Click star icon on location card
• Favorites appear first in list
• Quick filter for favorites only
• Personalized per user account

Location Organization

Search and Filter

Find locations quickly:

• Search Bar: Search by name or address
• Status Filter: Connected/Disconnected/All
• Favorites: Show only starred locations
• Real-time: Search updates as you type

Sorting

Locations automatically sort by:

1. Priority/favorites first
2. Status (connected before disconnected)
3. Alphabetical by name

Display Options

• Grid View: Default card layout with visual metrics
• Table View: Compact list format
• Card Size: Responsive design adapts to screen size

Location Access Control

User Groups

Restrict location visibility using user groups:

• Create groups for regions, clients, or functions
• Assign specific locations to each group
• Add users to groups
• Users only see their assigned locations

Learn more about user groups →

Permission Levels

Based on user role:

• Owner/Admin: Access all locations, can add/edit/delete
• Technician: View assigned locations, can edit details
• Viewer: Read-only access to assigned locations
• Restricted Viewer: Single location access only

Role-Based Features

• Add Location Button: Only visible to Admin/Owner roles
• Edit Options: Limited based on user permissions
• Location Assignment: Controlled during user invitation

Location Data

Telemetry Collection

Data gathered includes:

• Device measurements (voltage, current, temperature)
• Environmental conditions (weather, temperature)
• System performance metrics
• Gateway communication status

Weather Integration

• Automatic weather data based on GPS coordinates
• Hourly updates showing current conditions
• Temperature display on location cards
• Weather descriptions (sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc.)

Export Capabilities

From location detail pages:

1. Select date range for data export
2. Choose specific metrics
3. Download as CSV format
4. Include all connected devices

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use consistent location names:

• Include geographic identifier
• Add function or customer reference
• Use standard format across organization
• Examples:
  • "Sydney HQ - Main Building"
  • "Solar Farm - Site 12"
  • "Customer ABC - Distribution Center"

Organization Strategy

Structure for scalability:

• Group by geographic region
• Organize by customer or function
• Plan for future expansion
• Consider access control needs

Regular Maintenance

Keep location data current:

• Verify contact information
• Update equipment lists
• Review access permissions
• Remove inactive sites

Troubleshooting

Location Shows Disconnected

Check in sequence:

1. Gateway power and network connectivity
2. Internet connection at site
3. Recent maintenance activities
4. Contact support with location details

Missing Telemetry Data

If metrics aren't updating:

• Verify gateway online status
• Check device connections to gateway
• Review recent configuration changes
• Confirm devices are properly configured

Map Position Issues

For incorrect location display:

• Verify address accuracy
• Check GPS coordinates format (lat,lng)
• Clear browser cache
• Try entering coordinates manually

Common Use Cases

Multi-Site Operations

• Monitor multiple solar installations
• Compare performance across locations
• Centralized alerting and management
• Regional team access control

Customer Portals

• Provide clients access to their sites only
• Restricted viewer roles for limited access
• User groups for multi-client management
• Branded experience for customers

Maintenance Management

• Track site visit schedules
• Monitor equipment health trends
• Coordinate field service activities
• Document maintenance history

Next Steps

• Add gateways to your locations
• Configure devices at each site
• Set up monitoring alerts
• Create user groups for access control