New Safe Range and Notice Range Features Added to the SensDesk IoT Monitoring Portal

SensDesk is a Cloud-based monitoring and control portal for Internet of Things (IoT) connected environment monitoring devices. The portal provides a single pane-of-glass platform through which to monitor and configure devices.

Safe Range Settings

One of our latest innovations in SensDesk is the ability to allow Sage Ranges to be set directly within the portal for each of the connected IoT devices. This feature is now available for the SD range, NB devices and the new STE r2 monitoring units from Server Room Environments. Other environment monitoring devices to be added on the roadmap include Poseidon2, Damocles2, STE2 and the Ares units.

The new Safe Ranges feature in the portal provides an additional way to set the operating parameters. The parameters can still be set individually at the local device level using a local area network connection and compatible software.

For additional security, access to the new Safe Range feature via the SensDesk portal is only possible for user with higher security levels (Team Admin and Device Admin).

What is Safe Range, SD Safe Range and Notice Range?

Safe Range is a set of thresholds in which sensor readings (e.g. temperature and humidity) are considered safe. Outside of the ‘safe range’ alarm states are activated and used to send alarm messages and control digital outputs. Safe Range was a feature at the device level capable of initiating autonomous operations.

SD Safe Range refers to the safe sensor range readings accessible via the SensDesk portal. The SD Safe Range is used when displaying sensor states ad when issuing alarm messages for each sensor, digital input and out. Alarm messages are set in the Email and SMS Text alerts section of the portal.

Notice range is an additional safe sensor readings range which can be used to initiate alarm messages and control outputs. This range is only used to send messages and display recorded values in charts and graphs.

Environment Monitoring and SensDesk Portal Changes

The first change to the portal is the removal of the SD Safe Range feature. This could sometimes prove confusing for SD and ND device users, as the Safe Range could not be set directly within the devices.

Device level Safe Range is however a critical feature in infrastructure monitoring. Any values measured outside the ‘safe range’ must be reported immediately to the SensDesk portal. The time values for SD and NB devices varied from 15 minutes to several hours. The new Safe Range features including delta AutoPush for immediate reporting with the information configured directly in the SensDesk portal for SD and NB-type devices.

The removal of the SD Safe Range also lead to the need for a second safe range for early warnings before the range thresholds are exceeded. Notice Range provides this functionality and via an unlimited set of ranges. The information within Notice Ranges can be used for alarm actions, graphs, and charts but they are not synchronised to the device; they are only available within the portal.

Existing Data and Settings Protection

The introduction of the new Safe Range feature in the SensDesk portal and synchronisation with connected monitoring devices will not lead to a loss of data for existing clients. Any custom settings are preserved. When the Notice Range feature is activated, the existing SD Safe Range data is copied to create a new Notice Range together with existing alarm actions. When complete, synchronisation between the connected IoT devices and the portal is enabled.

For existing users, Notice Ranges are automatically set up. There is no loss of configuration data and the device settings take priority when synchronising to the portal. Initially, the SD Safe Range data in the portal is overwritten with the Safe Range values from the device. Device firmware may have to be updated to allow synchronisation.

Summary

The new Safe and Notice Ranges have been introduced to simplify the monitoring and control features of IoT connected environment monitoring devices. The features extend the functionality of the SensDesk portal whilst simplifying setup, deployment and monitoring and introduce immediate reporting for changes in measured values. The new features are part of the continued development of the SensDesk portal and will help deployment of connected environment monitoring and sensors in more applications within server room & datacentre applications, industrial manufacturing and building environments.