Every day, millions of elevator rides keep offices, residential buildings, hospitals, and shopping centers running smoothly—yet most of these systems remain largely invisible until something goes wrong. In facilities with multiple elevators of different types and ages, the lack of unified oversight can lead to delayed maintenance, downtime, and safety risks.
That’s where reliable software engineering plays a critical role. By integrating smart IoT systems, building operators can gain real-time visibility into every elevator—no matter the brand or configuration. In this article, we’ll explore how custom IoT architecture can transform a mixed fleet of elevators into a cohesive, data-driven system.
How IoT Monitoring Can Change the Game in Elevators World
Elevators are a part of everyday life. We take them to work, head upstairs to apartments, or move between floors in shopping malls—often without giving them a second thought. But behind the scenes, managing elevator systems can be surprisingly tricky. Most of the time, problems only show up when something breaks or someone complains.
That’s because many elevators still operate without offering much insight into their performance. For facility managers, it can feel like flying blind.
IoT technology is starting to change that. By adding sensors and connectivity, elevators can now share what’s really going on inside—how often they’re used, how long trips take, how much energy they consume, or when something isn’t working quite right.
With this kind of data, teams can catch issues early, plan maintenance before something fails, and even improve safety for the people using them. It also means fewer surprise breakdowns and more reliable service overall.
In today’s buildings—whether it’s an office, a residential tower, or a hospital—having real-time insight into elevator performance isn’t just helpful anymore. It’s becoming essential.
The Challenge: A Variety of Elevator Types
But here’s the thing—not all elevators are built the same.
In large property portfolios like hotels, office buildings, or public facilities, it’s common to have a mix of elevators from different manufacturers, installed at different times, with completely different control systems under the hood. Some might support modern protocols like Modbus or CAN, while others are older, using analog signals or even proprietary setups that weren’t built with connectivity in mind.
Some elevators don’t offer any diagnostics at all. Others might provide limited data through restricted APIs. On top of that, not every building has the same network setup—one might have strong Wi-Fi, while another requires cellular or even long-range wireless connections just to get data out of the machine room.
All of this makes it tough—if not impossible—to roll out a single monitoring solution that works everywhere, right out of the box.
That’s where custom IoT development makes all the difference. It bridges the gaps, adapts to each setup, and pulls everything into one unified system.
Custom IoT Architecture for a Unified View
When you’re managing a mix of elevators—some old, some new, each built by different manufacturers with their own communication systems—it quickly becomes clear that a one-size-fits-all monitoring solution just won’t cut it. To make sense of all that data and bring everything into a single, useful view, you need a system that’s flexible, modular, and built to adapt.
Here’s what a typical custom IoT setup for elevator monitoring looks like:
- Edge devices installed near the elevator control panels
- Various sensors (like those tracking door cycles, motor current, or vibration)
- Protocol converters for elevators that don’t use standard digital communication
- Cloud-based tools for organizing the data, sending alerts, and showing it all on a dashboard
Let’s break down how all these parts work together.
- Edge Devices:
These are small but powerful computers—think Raspberry Pi or industrial-grade controllers—that act as the brains of the operation. They sit near the elevator control room and collect raw data from the elevator’s systems or any external sensors you’ve added. Since every elevator speaks a slightly different “language,” these devices help translate all that input into a common format so it can be sent to the cloud and analyzed properly. Many support interfaces like RS-485, CAN bus, or GPIO, making it easier to connect with both old and modern systems.
- Local Processing:
Instead of sending every tiny bit of data to the cloud, these edge devices do some processing on the spot. They clean up the data, filter out noise, and look for anything unusual—like a vibration sensor picking up signs of a shaky ride. If something seems off, the system can raise a local alert right away, without waiting for an internet connection.
This is especially useful in places where network coverage is unreliable—think high-rise shafts, basements, or older buildings. The device can store data locally and send it later when the connection improves.
- Protocol Integration:
This part gets a bit technical, but it’s one of the biggest challenges: not all elevators “talk” in the same digital language. Some use fieldbus systems like Modbus or CANopen. Others don’t provide any digital access at all.
In those cases, workarounds are needed. That might mean adding:
- Magnetic sensors to count door openings
- Accelerometers to measure movement
- Current clamps to estimate load or motor activity
- Hall sensors to detect floor transitions
Some systems even use microphones or cameras to interpret error tones or status lights. It’s not ideal—but it works when standard data isn’t available.
- Connectivity:
Once the data is collected and processed, it needs to go somewhere. That’s where connectivity comes in.
Depending on the building, the system might use:
- Ethernet or Wi-Fi in well-connected environments
- Cellular (like 4G) when local networks aren’t available
- LoRa or NB-IoT for long-range, low-power connections—especially useful for campus-wide systems or scattered building portfolios
Smart systems are built to switch between these methods as needed or hold data until a connection is restored.
- Cloud Platform:
Once in the cloud, the real work begins. This is where data is:
- Organized and stored
- Compared over time
- Displayed in dashboards
- Turned into alerts or maintenance tasks
- Exported as reports for compliance or planning
For example, if the system notices a motor drawing more current than usual, it can flag a possible failure in advance. Or if one elevator has recurring door faults, it can automatically recommend a service check—before users start complaining.
Real-World Example:
A great example of this in action is the LiftEnergy+ solution—developed through a partnership between a UK-based lift consultancy and Indeema. They were looking for a smarter, more data-driven way to help their clients manage elevator portfolios, especially across mixed systems.
Together, they built a compact IoT device that tracks key metrics like energy usage, number of trips, and reliability across a wide range of elevator types—regardless of age or brand.
Instead of treating elevators as isolated systems, this setup turns them into connected assets, giving facility managers a clear picture of how each unit is performing. It helps them make better decisions, spot issues early, and manage their fleets more efficiently.
Data Insights and Business Value
When all your elevators are connected and sharing data in one place, you gain more than just visibility—you get actionable insights that can make a real difference in how buildings are run.
Here’s what unified elevator monitoring can help with:
- Maintenance Forecasting: By spotting usage patterns and recurring faults, you can predict which elevators are likely to need attention—before they actually break down.
- Load Balancing: See which elevators get the most traffic and when. If one is overused while others sit idle, you can adjust settings or direct people to other lifts to even things out.
- Energy Efficiency: Identify which units are using the most power and when. If an elevator is sitting idle but still drawing energy, you can adjust settings to save on operating costs.
- Downtime Reduction: Remote diagnostics mean you can catch issues early and sometimes fix them without even sending a technician. That means less downtime and faster responses.
- Regulatory Compliance: With automatic data logging, you have clear records to show inspections, performance, and fault history—helpful for audits, insurance, or warranty claims.
For instance, if one building shows twice the number of door cycles compared to others, that could be a sign it’s time for proactive maintenance—or a clue that foot traffic needs to be better distributed. Even simple insights like that can prevent costly repairs and improve the user experience.
In the end, the real value isn’t just in collecting data—it’s in using it to make smarter, faster decisions.
Conclusion
As smart buildings become the new standard, elevators must evolve from isolated units into connected assets. But achieving this vision requires more than just off-the-shelf sensors—it demands thoughtful architecture, adaptable integration, and a deep understanding of both software and hardware. That’s where companies like Indeema make a difference.
If you’re looking to build a custom monitoring solution for elevators or other legacy infrastructure, visit Indeema’s IoT page and book a free consultation.