Public and private chargers are sometimes connected to operators, sometimes called backoffice providers or Charge Point Operators (CPO). This is done for:
Automatic billing (at home or public)
Accepting public charge cards
Energy management
Maintenance and control
Technically speaking, Plugchoice is itself also an operator. But thanks to our OCPP Proxy technology, you can forward the connection to different operators at the same time.
Managing Operators
To (dis)connect an operator, find the Operators setting for your charger:
App
App
Go to Chargers > Settings > Operators.
Press Connect Operator. Select their role (see below). Then select an operator from the list. If the desired operator isn't in the list, press Other and manually enter the Websocket URL.
To disconnect an operator, go back to Operators and press on the red trash can next to their name.
Web Portal
Web Portal
Go to Chargers > View > Settings > Operators.
Press Connect Operator. Select their role (see below). Then select an operator from the list. If the desired operator isn't in the list, manually enter the Websocket URL.
To disconnect an operator, press on the red trash can next to their name.
Roles explained
Only one operator can be in charge of authorizing transactions. They will decide which cards are authorized and which are not. By default, this is Plugchoice. So what needs to happen when you connect an operator?
If the operator's role is set to Billing, they will take over control over authorization. This is recommended when the operator will handle:
Automatic billing
Setting your charger public
When the role is set to Data & Control, Plugchoice will remain in control over authorization. The operator can still see and do everything, but they cannot start or stop transactions. This is recommend for:
Energy management
Data/maintenance related
When setting an operator to Billing, your cards must be known to them. Otherwise, your cards will be rejected or your transactions will be ended prematurely.
Frequently asked
Which operators do you support?
Which operators do you support?
All of them. This is because the communication with operators is built on a standard (OCPP1.6j) which we follow.
I'm having trouble connecting to the operator
I'm having trouble connecting to the operator
Check out our article about issues when connecting your charger to Plugchoice.