Managing electricity in large outdoor facilities is fundamentally different from residential smart home scenarios. Scale, reliability, cost control, and data ownership matter far more than app features or cloud dashboards.
This case study shares how a large campsite in Denmark successfully built a stable, local, Zigbee-based energy monitoring system for hundreds of power outlets—without relying on cloud services and without ongoing subscriptions.
Jelling Family Camping operates a campsite covering approximately 55,000 m², with a total of 392 power outlets distributed across:
42 cabins, most equipped with three-phase meters
350 camping pitches, each with its own DIN-rail energy meter
Electricity usage must be monitored accurately and fairly, while ensuring uninterrupted power supply for guests throughout the season.
Before switching to Zigbee, the campsite relied on a Wi-Fi-based energy monitoring system connected to Home Assistant.
Although the system ran for three seasons, it suffered from persistent issues:
Unstable connections
Frequent dropouts
High maintenance effort
Difficult troubleshooting across a wide outdoor area
In a real-world infrastructure environment—especially outdoors—Wi-Fi proved unreliable at scale.
The goal was not to add “smarter” features, but to achieve consistent, predictable operation.
To evaluate alternatives, a small test was conducted using DIN-rail Zigbee smart energy devices.
The result was unexpected in the best possible way:
the Zigbee system simply worked.
Key reasons Zigbee was selected:
Mesh networking, ideal for wide-area deployments
Stable communication with low bandwidth requirements
No dependency on continuous internet connectivity
Strong performance in environments where Wi-Fi struggled
The initial test units were deployed quickly and proved reliable enough to justify full-scale rollout.
Rather than relying on a single commercial “black-box” platform, the system was designed around local control and modular components.
Zigbee Ethernet gateways
Zigbee range extenders for mesh stability
DIN-rail Zigbee energy meters
Zigbee mini circuit breakers for control and protection
A local Linux-based server for data processing and logic
The system initially integrated with Home Assistant, but later evolved into a custom-built local control system, developed with the assistance of AI tools—without traditional programming experience.
One of the most important design decisions was to keep all data local.
This delivered several key advantages:
Full data ownership
Simple GDPR compliance
No reliance on external cloud platforms
Continued operation even during internet outages
Campers always have power—even if the network goes offline.
Cost efficiency was a critical requirement.
The final system achieved:
Under €25 per power outlet
No subscription fees
Easy expansion by adding new devices to the mesh
Compared to commercial turnkey solutions, the total investment was less than one tenth of the cost, while retaining full control and flexibility.
After full deployment, the system delivered impressive real-world results:
392 active meters in continuous operation
99.99% uptime
Only 2 faulty units out of approximately 400 devices
Those two units showed intermittent on/off behavior. The response was straightforward: immediate return labels and fast replacements, with no operational disruption.
From an operational perspective, maintenance became predictable rather than reactive.
This project highlights an important lesson for smart energy systems:
Cloud connectivity is optional.
Reliability is not.
By prioritizing local operation, mesh communication, and simple system logic, the campsite achieved stability that cloud-dependent systems often fail to deliver in outdoor and infrastructure-scale deployments.
This real-world deployment demonstrates that:
Zigbee is well suited for large, distributed energy monitoring systems
Local control significantly improves reliability and resilience
Ownership of data simplifies compliance and long-term operation
Cost-effective systems can scale when designed correctly
Engineering decisions matter more than brand ecosystems
Smart energy systems succeed not because they are “smart,” but because they are designed for reality.
This campsite project shows that with the right architecture and communication choices, it is possible to build a large-scale, reliable, and affordable energy monitoring system—without cloud dependency and without unnecessary complexity.
Johnson Lim is the General Manager of Changyou Technology and has over 10 years of experience in circuit protection technology and residential electrical safety. He is committed to developing and producing safer and smarter electrical products.
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