Products · Subscription, hosted by Maxlab
Rainforest IoT keeps your devices online and up to date
A hosted device-management platform built on ThingsBoard. Register the cameras and gateways we build for you, or any device that sends MQTT or HTTP, watch their data on a dashboard and push firmware over the air. We run it, you log in.
- Any device that speaks MQTT or HTTP can connect: Tokay Lite, Tokay Pro, the Tuya gateway or hardware we have never seen.
- Firmware updates go out over the air from the platform, so a fix reaches every unit in the field without a site visit.
- Priced per number of devices as a subscription, usually alongside a development project with us.
- 0 serversto run; we host and patch it
- MQTT · HTTPover TLS
- OTAwhole fleet or one device
- Any deviceours or yours
What Rainforest IoT does
Four jobs that every fleet of connected devices needs, done once for you instead of built into each project from scratch.
Device registration and management
Each camera or gateway gets an identity and credentials when you add it. The device list shows which units are online, when each one last reported and what firmware it runs. Group devices by site or customer so a technician sees only the units they look after.
Dashboards
Telemetry from a device lands on a dashboard a few seconds after it is sent: temperatures, counts, battery voltage, the last image a camera took. Dashboards are built from ThingsBoard widgets, so a chart, a map or a table is a configuration step. We build the first boards for you as part of the project.
Firmware updates over the air
Upload a firmware image, pick the devices and the platform delivers it. Each unit reports when it has installed the new version, so you can see which ones are done and which are still on the old build. You can update one device to test, then the rest.
Integrations with your apps and databases
Data does not have to stay in the platform. Rules forward readings to your own application, a database or a webhook, and the REST API lets your software read device state and send commands. Alerts go out by email or webhook when a value crosses a threshold or a device goes quiet.
Where it sits between your devices and your software
A device sends its readings over MQTT or HTTP with TLS. Rainforest IoT checks the credentials, stores the data and runs the rules you set. Dashboards read from that store, and the same store feeds your app, your database or an alert.
The platform is optional. Tokay Pro, Tokay Lite and the Tuya gateway can send straight to your own system instead: AWS IoT, your ThingsBoard, Home Assistant. Most clients start on Rainforest IoT because it is already running on the day the first prototype boots.
How onboarding works
Four steps from a device on the bench to a device you can update remotely.
Register the device
Add it in the device list by name and type. The platform issues an access token or certificate that goes into the device's firmware or configuration page.
It connects
The device opens an MQTT or HTTP connection with TLS and sends its first telemetry. Our camera and gateway firmware does this out of the box; other hardware needs a few lines of code.
Data lands on a dashboard
Readings and images appear on the board built for that device type. You share the dashboard with your team or a customer with their own login.
Push firmware over the air
Upload the new image, choose the devices and watch each one report its new version. A failed install leaves the device on its old firmware.
| Built on | ThingsBoard, the open-source IoT platform |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Run by Maxlab; nothing for you to install or patch |
| Pricing | Subscription, priced per number of devices |
| Protocols | MQTT and HTTP, over TLS |
| Devices | Tokay Lite, Tokay Pro, the Tuya gateway, anything that speaks MQTT or HTTP |
| Firmware updates | Over the air, one device or the fleet |
| Integrations | REST API, webhooks, forwarding to your app or database, email alerts |
How it fits with the hardware we build
Rainforest IoT exists because every camera and gateway project we deliver needs the same back end: a place to register units, see their data and ship firmware fixes. Tokay Pro and Tokay Lite connect to it with a setting, and the Tuya gateway reports the state of the devices behind it. The three client products built on these boards used the same approach.
For a custom project we adapt the platform to your device: the telemetry it sends, the dashboards your operators see, the rules that raise an alert. That work is part of our firmware and IoT development services, and the subscription covers hosting afterwards.
- Our devices
- Tokay Lite, Tokay Pro, Tuya gateway connect with a setting
- Your devices
- Any MQTT or HTTP client; we help with the firmware side
- Custom work
- Dashboards, rules and device profiles built for your product
- Questions
- [email protected], +1 587 557 5865
Tell us how many devices and what they send
Send the device count, what each unit reports and whether the hardware is ours or yours. We reply within 24 hours with a subscription quote and what onboarding would take.
Or email [email protected]. The cameras and the gateway are on the products page.
Common questions
What is Rainforest IoT built on?
ThingsBoard, the open-source IoT platform. Rainforest IoT adds device management and dashboards for cameras with computer vision and other IoT devices.
What is ThingsBoard?
An open-source IoT platform that stores telemetry from devices, shows it on dashboards built from widgets, runs rules on the data and manages device credentials and firmware. Rainforest IoT is our hosted installation of it, configured for the cameras and gateways we build.
Do I need to host it myself?
No. We host Rainforest IoT and run it for you as a subscription (SaaS) service.
Which devices can connect?
Any device that sends data over MQTT or HTTP, including Tokay Pro cameras and Tuya gateways.
Do my devices need Wi-Fi?
They need some route to the internet: Wi-Fi, Ethernet or a cellular modem. The platform does not care which. A Tokay Lite camera runs its detection model on the board, so it only connects to send a result or an image; the Tuya gateway sits on Wi-Fi and reports for the Zigbee and Bluetooth devices behind it.
Does it support over-the-air firmware updates?
Yes. You can push firmware updates to connected devices from the platform.
Can I get the data into my own database or application?
Yes. Rules can forward readings to your application or a webhook as they arrive, the REST API lets your software read device state and send commands, and dashboards and telemetry can be exported.
How is this different from AWS IoT?
AWS IoT gives you the building blocks: a broker, a device registry, rules. You still build the dashboards, the firmware-update flow and the operator views. Rainforest IoT comes with those already set up for our hardware, and we run it. If your company already standardises on AWS IoT, our cameras and gateway can send there directly instead.
Can I move to my own ThingsBoard server later?
Yes. ThingsBoard is open source, so the device profiles, dashboards and rule chains we build can be exported and imported into an installation you host. The device firmware only needs a new server address.
Do you build the dashboards for us?
Yes, as part of a development project: we set up the device profile, the dashboards your operators see and the alert rules. See services for how a project runs.
Is there a minimum number of devices?
No fixed minimum. The subscription is priced per number of devices, so one prototype on the platform costs little and the price grows with the fleet.
How much does it cost?
It is a subscription service. Contact us for a quote for your number of devices.