Custom Asset Types
This document will outline what custom asset types are, why users should employ them in their implementation, and how to use them in the fleet telematics integration.
Custom asset types are the models on top of which an Asset (the logical equivalent of an IoT device) is constructed upon. It's sort of the "mould" in which we pour mixture, which then formulates the final object we are creating (I guess you can think of it like a cake).
In our case, we pour the Attributes of an Asset inside an Asset Type, which then creates an Asset with the attributes we specified, in the type of the Asset Type we specified.
This implementation of fleet management has been created in such a way that applies to the broadest of use-cases. Airplanes, gliders, paragliders, surfboards, trains, trucks, personal cars, bikes, motorcycles, trains, etc.
Different use cases would require different attributes to be tracked. A user with an electric car would require an easy view of the remaining range or battery voltage, while a truck would require the monitoring of fuel usage, speed, etc. Using that user-defined "mould", you can divert your attention to the parameters that truly matter to your use-case, and the custom asset type implementation enables 100% of the functionality within OpenRemote.
By having predefined attributes, you can use the "Any" modifier in the Rules Engine, to allow the checking of every single Asset that is your custom Asset Type (so for example every single Car asset). In this way, you can apply rules to the entirety of your fleet, allowing for quick and reliable rule creation.
By creating your own asset type, you can easily monitor multiple assets at the same time. Using the Attributes table, you can monitor the entirety of your Fleet attribute-by-attribute.
You can also display all assets of your own in the Map widget, with the attributes you'd like overlayed on top of the map.
To create a new asset type and have it work with this integration, you can use this guide.
MAKE SURE you expand on the VehicleAsset asset type. This is required for the OpenRemote fleet-management integration to work. You can view how the CarAsset does it, and then use it to create your own.