WO2022128989A1

WO2022128989A1 - Physical interface for the activation of electric devices

Info

Publication number: WO2022128989A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/085606
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Photien
Original assignee: YOOLOX GmbH
Priority date: 2020-12-17
Filing date: 2021-12-14
Publication date: 2022-06-23
Also published as: DE102020216094B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and physical interface for the activation of electric devices, the method having the following steps: determining whether a connection can be established with a wireless local network (WLAN); establishing a WLAN connection, if it is determined that a WLAN connection can be established, for communication with an external server, or establishing a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection with a mobile terminal, if it is determined that no WLAN connection can be established, for communication with an external server over a mobile data connection of the mobile terminal; determining whether at least one further physical interface can be reached within a predefined distance; connecting the physical interface to the at least one further physical interface in a mesh network topology, if it has been determined that at least one further physical interface can be reached within the predefined distance, wherein one of the physical interfaces in the mesh network topology is configured for communication with the external server; receiving data from the external server via a data exchange between the mobile terminal and the external server; activating at least one electric device connected to the physical interface on the basis of the data received from the external server.

Description

Physical interface for activating electrical devices

The present invention relates to a physical interface for activating electrical devices, a corresponding method and a computer program product.

There are already loT (Internet of Things) solutions that enable remote control of electrical devices, e.g. via an application or an external server. In most cases, these require an ad-hoc configuration, which can be time-consuming in the case of a large number of electrical devices. With such devices, the use in a "smart home" is more advantageous, since there it is not necessary to identify several end users quickly and efficiently.

US 2015/0288217 A1, US 9,548,625 B2 and WO 2016/020645 A1 relate to systems in the field of wireless charging and their remote activation via smartphone using an application (application software). These work by identifying a registered user and being able to get the command to start loading from a server.

The prior art systems referred to are specifically designed for inductive wireless or conductive charging of battery powered devices. In addition, the control is carried out either via a direct connection via the smartphone or via a direct internet connection of the individual devices, which always requires an ad hoc configuration. Thus, these systems are not easily scalable, especially when dealing with a large number of devices in the same location.

The present invention was made based on the above disadvantages of the prior art. It is the object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method or a physical interface that allows flexible and efficient activation of electrical devices.

This object is achieved with the features of the independent patent claims. The dependent claims relate to further aspects of the invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for activating electrical devices is provided. The method has the following steps: Determine whether a connection to a wireless local area network, WLAN, can be established; Establishing a WLAN connection when it is determined that a WLAN connection can be established for communication with an external server or establishing a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, connection with a mobile terminal when it is determined that a WLAN connection cannot be established can, for communication with an external server via a mobile data connection of the mobile device; determining whether at least one other physical interface is reachable within a predetermined distance; Connecting the physical interface to the at least one other physical interface in a mesh network topology when it has been determined that the at least one other physical interface can be reached within the predetermined distance, one of the physical interfaces in the mesh network topology being used to communicate with the external Server is set up; receiving data from the external server via data exchange between the mobile terminal and the external server; Activate at least one electrical device connected to the physical interface based on the data received from the external server.

The method described above or the individual method steps are carried out on or through a physical interface or carried out by a microcontroller of the physical interface.

The predetermined distance can correspond to a maximum WLAN range, the predetermined distance preferably being 100 m.

Through the determination mentioned above, the method can determine whether a mesh network can be set up between the physical interface and at least one further physical interface. If possible, preference can be given to setting up a mesh network. In other words, if the method determines that at least one further physical interface can be reached at the predetermined distance, the method can always be set up to set up a mesh network.

The method can also include: identification of a mobile terminal device using an alphanumeric identifier, which is preferably generated locally by a browser of the mobile terminal device.

In other words, the exchange of data between the mobile device and the external server via the web browser can be based on an alphanumeric identifier are based, which can uniquely identify the mobile device and does not contain any personal data of the device user.

The method can further include: identifying the physical interface by the mobile terminal, preferably using near field communication, NFC, or by scanning a QR code as a first step, the subsequent steps of the method preferably being initiated by the identification.

The method can also include: exchanging data between the mobile terminal and the external server via a web browser when a WLAN connection is established or via application software on the mobile terminal when a BLE connection is established, the data exchange preferably having feedback information.

The data exchange particularly preferably does not include any authentication data and/or login data, such as passwords, user names, "face ID", fingerprint identification, etc. In other words, the data exchange preferably does not include any user identification data.

The web browser of the mobile device can collect information such as language settings, browser settings or hardware configurations. This information is preferably only further processed on the terminal in order to generate a unique alphanumeric identifier.

Preferably the identifier is not shared with the external server. This allows the end device to be identified without having to use personal information (as in the case of a user identification system) or the installation of third-party cookies on the end device.

The determination of whether a WLAN connection can be established can further include the determination of a signal quality and/or the receipt of an external command that dictates the determination of whether a WLAN connection can be established.

If the signal quality is below a specified value, for example, or if there is no signal, the BLE connection described above can be set up automatically.

With the external command, a BLE connection can be established despite a signal above the specified value. In other words, the external command can do that force a BLE connection.

The method can also include: storing the data exchanged between the mobile terminal device and the external server in connection with a time stamp and a unique identification of the physical interface on the external server. This means that the data can be clearly assigned and evaluated at a later point in time.

The data from the external server can be received directly from the external server when a WLAN connection is established, or the data can be received from the external server via the mobile terminal when a BLE connection is established.

The receiving of data from the external server via a data exchange between the mobile terminal and the external server preferably includes an instruction to activate the electrical device connected to the physical interface.

In other words, if there is a WLAN connection, the activation can be sent directly from the external server to the physical interface. If there is a BLE connection, the activation can be sent from the external server to the mobile device and from there forwarded to the physical interface, e.g. using the application software running on the mobile device.

The method may further include verifying the established WiFi or BLE connection and switching the connection to the other based on the verification.

For example, the method can check the signal quality (continuously or at predetermined intervals) and/or check for the presence of the signal. If the signal quality is below a specified value or the signal has completely disappeared, the process can automatically switch to the other connection type.

The method can also specify a connection type (WLAN or BLE) as the preferred connection type. If a corresponding signal of the preferred connection type is present and/or a signal quality above a predetermined value, the method can automatically switch to the preferred connection type.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a physical interface for activating electrical devices is provided. The physical interface includes a microcontroller configured to perform the following steps: determining whether a connection to a wireless local area network, WLAN, can be established; Establishing a WLAN connection when it is determined that a WLAN connection can be established to communicate with an external server or establish a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, connection with a mobile device, if it is determined that a WLAN connection cannot be established, to communicate with an external server via a mobile data connection the mobile device; determining whether at least one other physical interface is reachable within a predetermined distance; Connecting the physical interface to the at least one other physical interface in a mesh network topology when it has been determined that at least one other physical interface is reachable within the predetermined distance, one of the physical interfaces in the mesh network topology being used to communicate with the external server is set up; receiving data from the external server via data exchange between the mobile terminal and the external server; Activate at least one electrical device connected to the physical interface based on the data received from the external server.

The microcontroller can be a processor.

Interfaces for connecting to the electrical device and for exchanging data can be present in the physical interface, with the microcontroller being configured to control the functions of the physical interface and its components.

The microcontroller can also be configured to carry out one or more of the steps described above with reference to the method.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided, wherein the computer program product comprises instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of the present invention described above.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a system can also be provided, the system having the physical interface described above, preferably a plurality of such physical interfaces.

The system may further include a mobile terminal configured to communicate with the physical interface and/or an external server.

The system may also include an external server configured to communicate with the physical interface and/or the mobile device.

The system may further include an electrical device operable to communicate with of the physical interface is configured.

Thus, the present invention provides methods and apparatus suitable for interacting with an end user (e.g. a guest in a restaurant or hotel) via a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, etc. For example, but not limited to, the interaction can be used to collect feedback data. Activation of an electrical device, e.g. a charger for a laptop or smartphone, can be provided as a specific service of the locality in exchange of feedback data.

The use of the method or the physical interface can be used, for example, to collect feedback and the associated customer satisfaction in the hotel and catering industry, where feedback data are important indicators for a successful business. Real-time data is particularly relevant because it represents the current situation on site (e.g. in the hotel room, in the restaurant, etc.). Normally, users are asked to fill out feedback forms, which are sent, for example, by email after a visit. The efficiency of such feedback forms is often relatively low. By lowering the access barrier and direct on-site feedback - in exchange for activating a service - efficiency can be increased, among other things.

In the present invention, the interaction device is not limited to the power supply of wireless charging, but can also be used for controlling any electrical devices.

Likewise, no prior registration or identification is required, since the end user can activate the electrical device directly and thus has a low entry hurdle.

The method can also be advantageous with regard to data protection, since there is no need to identify the user, for example by entering login data. In other words, according to the procedure described here, there is the possibility either to proceed without identification at all or via a device identification that only stores an alphanumeric identifier (ie without using login or cookies and without storing understandable personal data). Ie identification is not mandatory for the process to work, but it can be set up so that no personal information is required. In view of the prior art mentioned above, the present invention provides, inter alia, the following features and advantages in a single device (without the use of another device (e.g. a router, controller, etc.)):

1) The integration of easy access for the mobile device, e.g. via NFC or QR code;

2) The versatility of using the interaction device (physical interface) in a network that can independently switch between different network modes (e.g. WLAN or BLE depending on which mode is the best). This decision is made by the interaction device itself (e.g. by determining an existing or non-existent Internet connection) or by an external command;

3) By using a mesh network topology - in which the interaction devices are located together - the load on the Internet connection can be reduced because - as in a star topology, for example - not every individual interaction device has to be connected to the Internet. In addition, the use of a mesh network - compared to a star network - makes it possible to increase the range.

4) The ability to obtain real-time data from an end-user in exchange for activating an electrical device. This makes the configuration and maintenance process easier for the respective supplier of the electrical devices.

The present invention relates, inter alia, to a physical interface (interaction device or interface), preferably consisting of a microcontroller with integrated access to WLAN and BLE, which enables mobile devices (end users) to remotely activate an electrical device (e.g. activating wireless charging) in exchange for Data (e.g. feedback data) from the end user, which can be collected and stored in a cloud (external server).

If the activation of the electrical device (e.g. wireless charging) has been identified via an NFC tag or a QR code, the end user can activate the electrical device either via the web browser or through a direct BLE connection.

If a WiFi connection is available on-site, the interaction device can use the cloud to check status, use remote activation, and update firmware. If there are several interaction devices in one place, the interaction devices can independently connect to a WLAN mesh network that is able to configure and repair itself in the event of a network node failure.

Interaction with the Internet occurs through an interaction device, which takes on the role of the root node (either static or dynamic) in the mesh network. This root node assumes the function of a bidirectional bridge between the Internet and the WLAN Internet router as well as the other interaction devices.

The status and the data can be exchanged between the network nodes and the root node. If there is no external Internet connection (a WLAN router), the interaction device can switch to BLE and interact directly with the mobile device (e.g. via an application).

Further advantageous aspects of the present invention are described below.

In one embodiment, a physical interface (interaction device or physical interface) for activating electrical devices can be provided with the help of a mobile terminal device. The physical interface is preferably based on a microcontroller configured to: switch autonomously between a WLAN connection to an Internet router or a BLE connection to a mobile device with access to a remote server (external server or cloud server); search and detect other physical interfaces (interaction devices or physical interfaces) in the immediate vicinity; autonomously connect to other physical interfaces in close proximity via WiFi using a mesh network topology; at the same time establish a BLE connection to a mobile device and to a WLAN network from other physical devices in the immediate vicinity; simultaneously establish a WLAN connection to a WLAN Internet router and to a WLAN network of other physical interfaces in the immediate vicinity.

In one embodiment, configuration information (e.g. access data for the WLAN or the local WLAN router and/or the activation of the electrical device described above) can be passed on between the physical interfaces connected in the mesh network topology. This means that communication (exchange of configuration information) between the mobile device and only one physical interface is necessary. The exchanged configuration information can then, as above described, passed on to the other physical interfaces in the mesh network topology and a corresponding configuration of the entire mesh network can be achieved. The same applies to communication (data exchange) between another external device (e.g. the local WLAN router). The corresponding communication connection can be established through a single physical interface and the data can be passed on from one physical interface to the other physical interfaces connected in the mesh network.

In one embodiment, a method for switching the connection settings of a microcontroller (when using a WLAN and BLE connection at the same time) can be provided that follows the following decision-making process: search for WLAN Internet networks and compare the detected SSID with a list of recognized networks; Attempt to connect to a suitable WLAN network. If a connection can be established, then: search for other available microcontrollers via WLAN; Establish connection if other microcontrollers or a network were found; After a successful connection, the network (mesh topology) independently determines a microcontroller that acts as a bridge between the mesh network and the Internet. If no suitable WLAN Internet network is found or no connection to the WLAN Internet router can be established, the connection configuration switches to BLE and waits for a mobile device to connect to it. Simultaneously: search for other available microcontrollers via WLAN; Establishing a connection if other microcontrollers or a network was found; if a mobile end device is connected to the microcontroller via BLE, this takes on the function of a bridge between the mobile end device and the entire mesh network.

The physical interface can also be able to autonomously set up a self-configuring and self-repairing WLAN mesh network in order to enable other physical interfaces to have access as described above.

The physical interface may also be capable of autonomously connecting to a mesh network of a physical interface via WiFi.

The physical interface can be identified by a mobile device via NFC.

The physical interface can also be identified by a mobile device using a QR code. After being recognized by a mobile device, the physical interface can establish a BLE connection to exchange information.

The physical interface can be remotely controlled by a web server after it has been recognized by a mobile device.

One aspect may relate to a mesh network built from the physical interfaces described above.

The physical interface can be part of the mesh network and can provide an additional connection to a wireless Internet router and act as a bridge between the mesh network and the Internet.

The physical interface can receive information from an external server and forward it to other physical interfaces.

The physical interface can receive information from other physical interfaces and forward it to an external server.

The physical interface can receive information from a mobile device and forward it to other physical interfaces in a network.

The physical interface can receive information from a physical interface in a network and forward it to mobile devices.

The present invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and the figures. Show it:

1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the invention using a WLAN connection;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the invention using a BLE connection; FIG.

3 shows a flow chart according to an embodiment of the invention;

4 shows a schematic representation of a mesh network configuration according to an embodiment of the invention; and

5 shows a schematic representation of the physical interface according to an embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 shows a mobile terminal device 100, a web browser 200 that can open on the mobile terminal device 100, an external server 300 (cloud Server), an interaction device 400 (physical interface) and a wireless charger 500 as an example of an electrical device.

FIG. 1 also shows an NFC tag 110 and a QR code 120, the functionality of which will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 2 shows application software 130 instead of web browser 200 in FIG. Insofar as FIG. 2 shows the same elements as FIG. 1, these are provided with the same reference symbols and a renewed description is omitted at this point.

1 and FIG. 2 essentially differ in the type of connection between the mobile terminal device 100 and the physical interface 400. In FIG. 1 there is a WLAN connection between the mobile terminal device 100 and the physical interface 400 and in FIG. 2 there is a BLE connection between the mobile terminal 100 and the physical interface 400.

According to FIG. 1, the connection between the mobile terminal device 100 and the external server 300 is via the WLAN connection and by means of a web browser 200. According to FIG. 2, the connection between the mobile terminal device 100 and the external server 300 is via a mobile data connection of the mobile terminal device 100 and by means of an application software 130.

Further details of these exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures.

The interaction device 400 for the activation and control of a service such as wireless charging has two different modes depending on the system that is used for the interaction: configuration A - WLAN related, as shown in Figure 1 and configuration B - BLE related, as shown in Figure 2 shown.

The interaction device 400 is identified in order to activate the service by reading an NFC tag 110 or scanning a QR code 120 . Scanning a QR code 120 is particularly advantageous for smartphones (mobile terminal 100), which generally do not have an NFC reader. Depending on the preset, scanning or reading can open a web address (configuration A) or a specific application (configuration B). In both cases there is an interaction between the end user and the web browser 200 or the application 130 (application software). This can take the form of a feedback request (end user gives an answer, e.g. a rating on a star scale), displaying an advertisement or a video or requesting freely definable information (e.g. email address, etc.).

After successful interaction, the data is collected and stored in a cloud 300 and the activation of the service (e.g. enabling a charging function of a wireless charger, which is an example of an electrical device 500) is carried out: In configuration A, the desired status of the service is in updated in a database (e.g. status "ON" or "OFF" of the loading spot 500) and then continuously queried via REST API ("Representational State Transfer Application Program Interface") in order to obtain the most recent status; in configuration B a 1- to-l connection established between the mobile terminal 100 and the interaction device 400 via BLE in order to update the status (e.g. "ON" or "OFF" of the wireless charging).

The manner in which the operational mode is selected is illustrated in FIG.

If an Internet connection via WLAN is available and accessible (YES in step 610), the method proceeds to step 620. If no Internet connection via WLAN is available and accessible (NO in step 610), the method proceeds to step 630

In step 620 it is checked whether there are more devices. If no other devices are available (NO in step 620), the interaction device establishes a simple connection to the WLAN router (step 640 -> configuration A1). The status is shared directly with the cloud. The services are activated and controlled via browser.

If several or at least one further device (further physical interfaces) are present (YES in step 620), a check is carried out in step 650 to determine whether the at least one further device is within a predetermined distance, eg 100 m. If there are no other devices within range (NO in step 650), the interaction device establishes a simple connection to the WLAN router (step 640 -> configuration A1). If there are other devices within range (YES in step 650), the multiple interaction devices create an internal WLAN mesh network (step 680 -> configuration A2). The network root node ("root node") connects to the WLAN Internet Router and acts as a bridge for the other interaction devices to exchange status information between the cloud and exchange the network. The services are activated and controlled via browser.

In step 630 it is also checked whether other devices are present. If no other devices are available (NO in step 630), the interaction device establishes a simple BLE connection with the mobile terminal device (step 660 -> configuration Bl). The services are activated and controlled via an application (application software) on the mobile device. The status of the connected interaction devices is exchanged with the cloud via the application.

If there are several or at least one additional device (additional physical interfaces) (YES in step 630), a check is carried out in step 670 to determine whether the at least one additional device is within a predetermined distance, e.g. of 100 m. If there are no other devices within range (NO in step 750), the interaction device establishes a simple BLE connection with the mobile terminal device (step 660 -> configuration Bl). If there are other devices within the distance (YES in step 670), the multiple interaction devices create an internal WLAN mesh network (step 690 -> configuration B2). A mobile device can connect to any interaction device. The mobile device can act as a bridge between the Internet and the mesh network and send simple information about the status of the other interaction devices via BLE to the mobile device and on to the cloud.

If there are several interaction devices 400 at a location with a distance of <100 m, a mesh network 800 is set up between the microcontrollers of the interaction devices 400. Such a mesh network 800 is shown in FIG. 4, for example, with the router 700 communicating with the external server 300. The mesh network protocol is based on JSON ("JavaScript Object Notation") messages and the network node connections are TCP ("Transmission Control Protocol") based. Further details on this are described in more detail below.

If a WLAN Internet connection is available (configuration A2), a root node can either be determined in the initial configuration or by the network itself. In the latter case, this can be done based on the strength of the signal from the external WLAN Internet Router 700.

The interaction device 400, which has been determined as the root node, is connected both to the mesh network 800 and to the Internet via the WLAN router 700. In this configuration, the root node is the only one that communicates with the server 300 and is responsible for the exchange with the cloud 300. In doing so, it distributes all information to the mesh network 800 and thus also to all other interaction devices 400 that are integrated in the mesh network 800 .

The information from the server 300 is passed on to the individual nodes by means of a JSON message. The Mesh Network 800 avoids a direct connection between each individual node and the Internet, thus drastically reducing the number of Internet connections currently found in a star network.

If a WLAN Internet connection is not available on site, the mobile terminal device 100 connects to the interaction device 400 via BLE and the terminal device 100 can serve as Internet access using an application 130 . The entire mesh network 800 is queried with information, e.g. about the status of each individual interaction device 400, even if they are not directly connected to the Internet via BLE and mobile end device 100 (configuration B2). The functionality of each individual interaction device 400 can thus be guaranteed by the connection via a single mobile terminal 100.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the interaction device 400 as it can be used in the case of remote activation of wireless charging. Figure 5 shows a power supply of the interaction device 400 via an external 9V power supply 900. The interaction device 400 consists, for example, of a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the following components are integrated: A voltage regulator 410, status LEDs 420, a connection port 430 for a serial TTL interface , a microcontroller 440 with integrated WLAN and BLE connection, a circuit 450 that can be addressed by the digital outputs of the microcontroller 440 and activates the respective desired services, such as activating a wireless charger 500.

After activating the interaction device 400, the microcontroller 440 can call up either configuration A (via WLAN) or B (via BLE). This can be decided manually by the service provider or automatically by the interaction device 400 as shown in FIG. The WLAN search is performed to discover other interaction devices 400 nearby. If these are present, the interaction device 400 joins the mesh network 800 . In the case of configuration A, the interaction device 400 is made the root node and connects to the WLAN Internet router 700. The data exchange between cloud 300 and interaction device 400 is carried out via HTTP REST API.

The interaction device 400 notifies the server 300 of the status by sending a request with a unique identifier.

The cloud server 300 only responds to the request if the agent of the request is recognized. Through this type of communication, the interaction device 400 can query the end user's desired status and the microcontroller 440 can trigger the activation of the service.

Different parameters can be changed in the cloud 300, such as the activation duration of the service. Firmware updates can also be sent to the interaction devices 400 via the cloud 300 without a physical connection to the interaction device 400 being necessary.

If the configuration B is selected, the interaction device 400 begins to display a BLE server with specific UID ("unique identifier") characteristics in order to exchange status information about the device itself and - if available - about other interaction devices 400 in the mesh network 800. An application is used for this purpose 130 is required on the end user's mobile device 100, which accesses the server 300 via the mobile Internet connection.

A configuration process during installation is described below.

If interaction devices 400 are installed on site, the configuration process can be carried out easily and without much effort using a laptop, a PC or a mobile phone. After a successful connection with the power supply 900, it takes a few seconds for the mesh network 800 to be set up. The time largely depends on the number of interaction devices 400 .

If a laptop, a PC or a mobile phone is connected to the WLAN Mesh Network 800 - after entering the correct network access data - the installer can open a configuration page. The web interface also makes it possible to search for existing WLAN Internet access and to transfer this to the root node in the network. This establishes a connection between the network and the Internet and can thus reach the Cloud 300. Each individual interaction device 400 is uniquely identifiable by its Mac address, which in turn correlates with the NFC tag 110 or the QR code 120. This ensures that each location of the interaction device 400 can be clearly assigned (eg in a specific hotel room, restaurant table, etc.).

From then on, the interaction devices 400 are fully operational and can be addressed via remote activation (e.g. wireless charging) when an interaction with the user's mobile device 100 occurs. The Mesh Network 800 has access to the Internet and can be monitored and controlled from anywhere via an online dashboard.

Depending on the selected configuration, the end user interacts via a website 200 (configuration A) or via an application 130 (configuration B). The interaction data is collected by either the browser 200 or the application 130 and stored in a database in the cloud 300. The data is stored together with a time stamp of the interaction and the uniquely assignable identifier of the interaction device 400: As a result, all data from the interaction devices 400 can be traced with location and time.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated herein with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, features described in connection with a particular embodiment are not to be construed exclusively in connection with other features of that embodiment. Rather, it is clear that a combination of features from different embodiments is also possible. Also, a feature described in connection with another feature may in a possible embodiment according to the present invention be present without the other feature.

Claims

Claims Method for activating electrical devices (500) through a physical interface (400), the method comprising the following steps:

determining whether a connection to a wireless local area network, WLAN, can be established;

Establishing a WLAN connection if it is determined that a WLAN connection can be established for communication with an external server (300) or establishing a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, connection with a mobile terminal (100) if it is determined that no WLAN connection can be established, for communication with the external server (300) via a mobile data connection of the mobile terminal device (100);

determining whether at least one further physical interface (400) can be reached within a predetermined distance;

Connecting the physical interface (400) to the at least one other physical interface (400) in a mesh network topology (800) when it has been determined that the at least one other physical interface (400) is reachable within the predetermined distance, wherein one of the physical interfaces (400) in the mesh network topology (800) are set up for communication with the external server (300);

Receiving data from the external server (300) via a data exchange between the mobile terminal (100) and the external server (300);

Activating at least one electrical device (500) connected to the physical interface (400) based on the data received from the external server (300). Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a maximum WLAN range, the predetermined distance preferably being 100 m. The method of claim 1 or 2, the method further comprising: identifying the physical interface (400) by the mobile terminal (100) using Near field communication, NFC, or by scanning a QR code (120) as a first step of the method, with the subsequent steps preferably being initiated by the identification. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, the method further comprising: exchanging data between the mobile terminal (100) and the external server (300) via a web browser (200) when a WLAN connection is established or via an application software ( 130) on the mobile terminal (100) when a BLE connection is established, with the data exchange preferably having feedback information. Method according to claim 4, wherein the exchange of data between the mobile terminal (100) and the external server (300) via the web browser is based on an alphanumeric identifier which can uniquely identify the mobile terminal (100) and no personal data of the terminal user has. 6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein determining whether a WLAN connection can be established further comprises determining a signal quality and/or receiving an external command that dictates the determination whether a WLAN connection can be established . Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, the method further comprising: storing the data exchanged between the mobile terminal (100) and the external server (300) in connection with a time stamp and a unique identification of the physical interface (400) on the external server (300). Method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, the data from the external server (300) being received directly from the external server (300) when a WLAN connection is established, or the data from the external server (300) being received via the mobile terminal device (100) are received when a BLE connection is made, the receiving of data from the external server (300) via a data exchange between 19 the mobile terminal (100) and the external server (300) preferably has an instruction for activating the physical interface (400) connected electrical device (500). 9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, the method further comprising: verifying the established WLAN or BLE connection and switching the connection to the other based on the verification. A physical interface (400) for activating electrical devices (500), the physical interface (400) comprising: a microcontroller (440) configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause it to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.