Skip to content
Get a Quote

OCPP 1.6

OCPP 1.6 (Open Charge Point Protocol 1.6) is one of the most widely deployed versions of OCPP, the open standard used for communication between an EV charger and a charging management system (CPMS). It enables core functions like status monitoring, user authorization, charging session control, metering, and basic smart charging.

What OCPP 1.6 is used for

OCPP 1.6 typically supports the day-to-day operation of networked chargers:
– Charger status updates (available, charging, faulted, offline)
– User authentication (RFID, app-based authorization, whitelists)
– Transaction control (start/stop sessions, remote start/stop)
– Meter values reporting (kWh, power, voltage, current)
– Diagnostics and event notifications (fault codes, connector states)
– Basic configuration management (parameters, messages, time sync settings)
– Smart charging functions (charging profiles and power limits)

Why OCPP 1.6 matters

OCPP 1.6 remains a common baseline for interoperability:
– Enables multi-vendor deployments (chargers and CPMS from different suppliers)
– Supports centralized monitoring to improve uptime and reduce MTTR
– Provides the transaction and metering data foundation for billing and reporting
– Allows remote operations and troubleshooting at scale
– Helps standardize deployments across regions and site types

OCPP 1.6 transport variants

OCPP 1.6 is commonly implemented over:
– WebSocket (often referred to as OCPP 1.6J)
– SOAP (often referred to as OCPP 1.6S, more common in legacy setups)

Smart charging in OCPP 1.6

OCPP 1.6 can support managed power delivery via:
– Charging profiles (limits per connector, per charger, or per time period)
– Scheduling and constraint-based limits to align with site capacity
– Integration with site load management strategies through the CPMS

Security considerations

Security depends heavily on how OCPP 1.6 is deployed:
– Use encrypted communication (TLS) where possible
– Protect backend access with RBAC and MFA
– Apply network segmentation so chargers are isolated from corporate IT networks
– Maintain logging and monitoring for unusual activity and repeated failures
– Keep firmware and backend components patched and managed under change control

Common limitations and upgrade considerations

– Feature set and device management are less advanced than newer protocols in many implementations
– “OCPP compliant” can vary by vendor due to optional features and interpretation differences
– Some modern security and lifecycle management expectations are easier to meet with newer protocol generations
– Mixed deployments (some chargers 1.6, some newer) require careful CPMS compatibility planning

OCPP
OCPP 2.0.1
CPMS
Smart charging
Load management
Firmware updates
Uptime
Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
Network segmentation
TLS encryption