PGP Smart Plug Program, the Next Generation

Important note for existing Arkreen Smartplug owners, nothing changes and rewards continue as before

All installed first generation plugs remain fully supported for their operational lifetime, their rewards stay intact, and your dashboard experience will not be disrupted.

Why we’re evolving the plug

We designed the original Arkreen Smartplug as a bridge between residential IoT and DePIN economics, using Zigbee to achieve range and mesh reliability. That choice served us well, but it introduced friction: an extra hub, higher unit costs, and constrained replacement options when failures did occur (not often, but a few times). For the next deployment cycle we prioritised simplicity, serviceability, and cost efficiency, so we chose a new hardware partner and re-engineered the product for Wi-Fi native operation.

What changes for new purchases

• Native Wi-Fi connectivity replaces Zigbee, removing the need for the dedicated hub, reducing installation complexity, and increasing immediate plug-and-play adoption.
• Unit cost comes down, enabling a more accessible price point for new buyers.
• Enhanced RMA and spare-parts workflows from our manufacturing partner, meaning faster replacements and lower support friction.
• Identical dashboard behaviour and UX, so management, telemetry, and reward mechanics look and act the same across generations.

Why Wi-Fi makes the program stronger

• Adoption first, range second: many homes and small businesses already have reliable Wi-Fi, so removing the hub lowers the barrier to entry and speeds deployments.
• Simpler logistics: fewer bundled components, easier stocking, and cheaper shipping.
• Better support economics: the new device lets us justify improved warranty handling, and predictable spare inventories.
• Future-proofing: Wi-Fi devices integrate with existing consumer tooling, enabling rapid firmware updates and smoother troubleshooting.

What stays unchanged

• First generation plugs remain fully functional and supported for their lifetime.
• Rewards, payouts, and the DePIN accounting model are unchanged for existing devices.
• Dashboard, analytics, and network rules will treat first and second generation plugs consistently, preventing fragmentation and user confusion.

How we managed the swap, the behind-the-scenes work

Switching a product line is not only about hardware selection, it is a systems project. We validated sourcing, negotiated RMA SLAs, reworked firmware pipelines, and reconfigured backend device provisioning to ensure the new units instantiate on the network identically to existing ones. Those operational details required careful sequencing so rollout would be seamless, reliable, and auditable when it hits the field.

Deployment strategy and partner coordination

• Phase 1, controlled rollout with qualified partners: we will start with trusted integrators and regional partners to validate real-world provisioning, visibility, and RMA flows.
• Phase 2, expanded community sale: after initial validation we will open sales more broadly, backed by improved documentation and active help on our Discord support channel.

What this means for the Arkreen DePIN

• Faster installs and lower friction per device improve unit economics for new site hosts.
• Better serviceability reduces downtime, raising effective uptime metrics across the network.
• A more accessible price point accelerates organic growth, enabling more community hosts to join and increasing distribution density.

Launch offer and timeline

We will kick off the new generation with a special introductory sale, timed to let early adopters familiarise themselves with the new form factor and test fit inside their DePIN setups. Exact dates and partner channels will be announced through our usual channels, and early purchase bundles will be available.

Final note

This is an evolutionary, not disruptive, step. We keep and honour every promise made to early supporters, while making the next wave of adoption simpler, cheaper, and easier to service. The network scales when hardware is affordable, maintenance is predictable, and the user experience is frictionless. That is the logic behind the PGP Smart Plug Program, the next generation.Stay tuned for the launch details and partner updates.