How We Built a Mobile Application for Mobile Homes Owners

The client, one of the largest manufacturers of motorhomes and caravans in Europe, wanted to digitize its business. Motorhomes are equipped with various electronic devices such as fridges, TVs, lighting, heaters, air conditioning, and satellite systems. The goal was to provide convenient control over all of these via a mobile application.

Three core challenges shaped the project:

• Customer research: The client wanted to understand what devices customers use, when, and how often, to improve products based on real findings.
• Beginner-friendly experience: Predefined settings would allow inexperienced campers to have an outstanding experience at the touch of a button.
• Customizable automation: Users needed the ability to configure commands so that activating one function triggers related ones automatically, for example, switching on the light activates the heater and extends the satellite antenna.

Akveo developed the mobile application for both iOS and Android using React Native with TypeScript and MobX for state management. To unify communication between the mobile app, backend, and SCU (Special Control Unit), we developed a custom protocol based on Protocol Buffers.

The BLE connection between the mobile app and SCU is secured. The application streams the state of all vehicle components in real time. Remote control via the cloud is also supported, with the app adapting transparently to the current connection type.

Key features delivered:

• UI adaptation for tablets
• Vehicle management via Bluetooth connection
• Control over all components of a vehicle
• Dashboards with real-time data from vehicle sensors
• Offline mode
• Demo mode
• Localization, authentication, and authorization
• Automated pairing of the mobile app with vehicles
• Multiple configurable settings for different use cases