How does Alva Link physically connect to my devices?

Alva Link speaks the native languages of energy hardware. All six asset-control protocols are available at launch and included in Alva Essential (free):

• Modbus TCP/IP (Ethernet) — for modern heat pumps, solar inverters, batteries, and EV chargers that have a network port. This is the most common connection for recent equipment.
• Modbus RTU (RS-485) — for equipment that uses a wired serial connection. Common in many European heat pump brands.
• OpenTherm — two-wire thermostat bus for brands like Vaillant, Weheat, ATAG, Baxi, and some Daikin and Bosch models. Gives proportional water temperature control. Built into the Alva Link hardware.
• OCPP 1.6 JSON — the open industry standard for EV chargers. Alva Link acts as an OCPP client, giving local control over the vast majority of modern chargers without brand-specific integration.
• SG-Ready (dry contacts) — the universal signal standard supported by most European heat pumps. Two simple wires tell the heat pump to run in normal, reduced, or boosted mode.
• Outdoor temperature sensor spoofing — for legacy heat pumps without any digital interface (described above).
• WiFi (2.4 GHz) — for cloud connectivity: electricity prices, weather data, and Autopilot ★ optimization commands.
• Bluetooth — for initial app-based setup only.

Your home network brings it all together. Link joins your WiFi like any other device and communicates with your energy hardware over your local network — no special hub, no proprietary bridge, no extra boxes.