Preparing Alfen Chargers for FLEXECHARGE Load Management

Before connecting an Alfen charger to the FLEXECHARGE OCPP Proxy, ensure that the charger supports Secure WebSocket (WSS) communication.

Chargers currently communicating via ws:// must first be upgraded to wss:// before they can connect to the FLEXECHARGE platform.

Prerequisites

• The charger is online and accessible through Eve Control or the Alfen ACE Service Installer.
• The charger is running the latest available firmware.

Required Preparation

1. Update the Charger Firmware

Update the charger to the latest available firmware using one of the following methods:

• Remotely through the connected back-office system (recommended).
• Locally using the Alfen ACE Service Installer.

When using the ACE Service Installer, open the General tab, select Update firmware, choose the desired firmware version and start the upload. The charging station will automatically restart once the update has completed.

2. Enable Secure WebSocket (WSS)

If the charger is currently communicating via ws://, install the appropriate Security Firmware Update for the charger platform and connection type.

For example, an NG9 charger connected via Ethernet requires the NG9 Wired Security Update.

The Security Firmware Update will:

• Install the required TLS root certificate.
• Update the OCPP connection from ws:// to wss://.
• Automatically reboot the charger.

3. Verify the Secure Connection

After the charger has restarted, verify that it is communicating via wss://.

This can be confirmed in Eve Control under the charger's Logging tab or configuration details.

Why is this Required?

The FLEXECHARGE OCPP Proxy only accepts encrypted wss:// connections. Secure WebSocket communication uses TLS encryption to protect OCPP traffic against interception and tampering and is the recommended production configuration from Alfen.

References

• How do I update the firmware on my charging station? 
• Changing to Secure WebSocket Connectivity