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User interfaces

Up until now, we have described Connhex as a set of services. You may be wondering how the final users can interact with them. The answer is: through a set of custom user interfaces.

Yes, custom. Keep in mind who Connhex is dedicated to: device manufacturers. The web, mobile and desktop apps the final users will be using represent the manufacturer's brand. They are the face of the company, the user experience the company wants to provide. They should feel seamless and natural, and they should be consistent with the rest of the company's offering.

Connhex doesn't provide any final user interface. Its highest level interface consists of a set of APIs, and that's it. This is a conscious decision: we believe that the final user interface should be tailored. Connhex fades into the background, and the manufacturer's brand is the one that shines.

We have developed our templates and use them alongside Connhex to create complete IoT applications, but there are no constraints. They can be used to speed up development and reduce costs, but they are not mandatory in any way. We can help you create your own, either through our engineering services or through our network of software houses that use Connhex for the heavy lifting. Otherwise, you can develop user interfaces in-house or turn to any other contractor.

That being said, does it mean the only way to interact with Connhex is through APIs? No, it doesn't. Connhex is equipped with two powerful user interfaces: Connhex Control and Grafana.

Connhex Control​

We strongly believe your frontend budget should be spent on things your users see and interact with. Internal tools should be:

  • powerful: they should integrate with your existing systems and allow complete control over the entire device lifecycle, from production to field support.
  • standard: they should be economical to maintain over time, and they should be easy to use.

That's why Connhex includes Connhex Control, a powerful back-office system that allows you to manage your devices and users. It comes in handy for:

  • customer support
  • debug
  • device registries
  • monitoring

Grafana integration​

Grafana is a powerful open-source tool for data visualization. It is used by many companies to create dashboards and monitor their systems. It offers the flexibility to create custom dashboards, and it is easy to use: that's why we believe it to be a perfect choice to create internal tools.

If you're just happy with simple visualizations, you can also use it to create dashboards for your final users: we don't recommend it, but it's possible. In this case, though, you should probably consider using a simpler off-the-shelf IoT platform.