Frequently Asked Questions

The key advantages of our system is that it is easy to install, secure, suitable for harsh environments and has many layers of protection built-in that prevent data loss.

Data that’s collected by our monitoring system can directly relate to production levels, building occupancy, environmental conditions and costs – it is essential that the wireless communications be secured to the highest industry standards to prevent unauthorised access to this sensitive information.

Thanks for working with EpiSensor’s monitoring system! Let’s get started:

(a) Unpack your Gateway, connect the Gateway to your PC’s Ethernet port using a CAT5/patch cable, then plug in the power supply for the Gateway.

(b) Configure your laptop’s Ethernet adapter with a static IP address – the Gateway ships with a default IP address of 172.31.255.1, so we need to set the laptop up with an IP in the same range so we can connect to the Gateway’s web interface. On an Apple Mac this can be done from System Preferences > Network > Ethernet > Configure IPv4 manually > Set the IP address to 172.31.255.11, and the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, and apply the settings.

(c) In a web browser (make sure you’re using a recent version of Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox), go to http://172.31.255.1:8081/ – you should then see the EpiSensor logo and the login screen for the Gateway. Log in using the default username/password, which is Administrator / A1.

(d) After logging in, set the system time by clicking on Settings > Time & Date. Check ‘Configure Clock’, fill in the correct time/date and submit the form.

(e) Go to the Gateway’s home page, and check the ‘Status’ of the Gateway (on the first line of the Home page) – if this is showing “OK”, then move on to step (f). If this is showing ‘ZigBee network not formed’, click on Settings > System. Select ‘Form New Network’ from the drop-down box, and click ‘Submit’. A few seconds later, a new ZigBee network should be formed. Confirm this by clicking the ‘Home’ link and checking that the ‘Status’ is showing “OK”.

(f) Next we need to add some nodes to the Gateway. Enable ‘Allow Join’ mode by going to Settings > Add Nodes. Select ‘5 minutes’ from the drop-down box, and click ‘Submit’. Confirm that allow join mode is enabled from the Home page – if successful, the ‘Sensor Network’ section will show ‘Allow Join: Enabled’.

(g) Mains powered nodes (in factory default state) will scan for the ZigBee network and associate with the Gateway automatically when they are powered on. For battery powered nodes, simply press and hold the button until the LED lights and flashes – the node will wake up from deep-sleep mode, scan for Gateways with ‘allow join’ mode enabled, and connect securely. Data will now start flowing from all ‘sensors’ that are enabled by default for that node – you can confirm this by going to the Nodes page, and clicking Action > Settings for any node that has been added. You should see a list of sensors and some recent data (Note: it can take up to 15 minutes for some sensors to produce data).

For more detailed information, see our documentation section.

Not significantly – most of our enclosures are waterproof so the products can be installed anywhere – indoors, outdoors, in clean or dirty environments – but even in a normal environments, having a sealed enclosure greatly increases the lifetime and reliability of the electronics inside by keeping out moisture and contamination.

We think there is value for all parties in having a monitoring system separate to the analysis software.

The advantage to the end customer is that they are not tied to a single vendor for the duration of the project – they can evaluate multiple software packages, or even export data to multiple destinations at the same time.

The advantage for the software vendor is that the lines of responsibility are clear, and problems are easier to diagnose – software vendors can concentrate on developing great software, not maintaining hardware systems on customer sites.

Battery powered temperature sensors are designed to achieve a 10 year battery life, reporting data every 15 minutes under normal conditions.

A pulse counter’s battery life will depend on the reporting interval (i.e. how often it sends data to the Gateway) but also the frequency of the pulse signal it is monitoring – if a low-frequency pulse is being monitored (usually 1 pulse per m3 of gas or water), then a 10 year battery life is achievable.

For more information please contact us.

Every node on the network reports battery level to the Gateway, by default once every 24hrs. This data can be exported and used to raise an alarm if the level falls below the safe limit.

With our latest hardware revision you can purchase a replacement battery from us and install it yourself. We will include a cable tie with the replacement battery.

On average, we achieve 1000m2 of coverage with each wireless device in a typical commercial / industrial environment. Mains powered nodes will route data for other nodes on the network. Battery powered nodes need a mains powered ‘parent’ in range, or they need to be able to communicate with the Gateway directly. 300m range is achievable when making an outdoor / line-of-sight connection.

We use the Zigbee Pro communications standard which operates in the worldwide license-free 2.4GHz ISM band.

No – both mains and battery powered nodes can be commissioned in any sequence – the network will automatically re-arrange itself based on the link quality at any given time.

No, range extenders (which route data for other nodes on the network) need a constant power supply and so can not be battery powered.

Although Zigbee operates in the same frequency range as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the modulation techniques are completely different. In addition, the power levels and duty cycle of Zigbee is generally much lower than that of Wi-Fi. It is widely accepted that Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other technologies can co-exist within the same frequency range without any issues.

The can be a maximum of 10 ‘hops’ to route data through powered nodes back to the Gateway.

Each range extender (or other powered node) can accommodate up to 32 battery powered nodes.

Each wireless node can be put into installation mode – this provides users with feedback on signal strength based on how quickly the LED flashes.

Our Gateway software requires a modern browser – it is compatible with all recent versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera.

EpiSensor’s Gateway has a static IP address of 172.31.255.1 by default. To export data to a server on the Internet, the Gateway will need to be joined to a LAN that has Internet access. The following guide should help you configure this:

Do you have access to your (wi-fi) router? If so, log in and check the “DHCP client list” page. This page lists the devices that have been assigned an IP address by the DHCP server within the router. Accessing the page will be slightly different on each router – please consult your router’s documentation for more information.

We will need to configure the EpiSensor Gateway for DHCP as follows:

(1) Connect the Gateway to a computer with an Ethernet cable in the normal way – Log in, and click on Settings > Ethernet

(2) Note the “MAC Address” of the Ethernet adapter – it should look like this: c8:a0:30:ad:2a:50

(3) Click ‘Enable DHCP’ and then click ‘Save Changes’. After saving this form, your EpiSensor Gateway will restart and DHCP mode will be enabled.

(4) Connect the EpiSensor Gateway via Ethernet to your router, and check the DHCP client list again (you may need to wait a few minutes for the Gateway to restart, and then refresh the page). You should see an entry in the DHCP client list for the EpiSensor Gateway (check that the MAC address matches that of the EpiSensor Gateway noted in Step 2 above). Note the IP address that has been assigned to the EpiSensor Gateway by the DHCP server.

(5) Copy the IP address, and type the following address in a web browser on a computer that’s connected to the same router as the EpiSensor Gateway: http://192.168.2.123:8081/ (replace 192.168.2.123 with the IP address the Gateway has been assigned).

You should now see the Gateway’s login screen. If your computer has Internet access, the Gateway should also have Internet access and will be able to export data to the FTP server.

Each EpiSensor electricity monitor includes three pre-calibrated CT’s for increased accuracy and ease of installation. A voltage input cable is also included, but a 3-phase (ZEM-61) or single phase (ZEM-30) breaker will be needed to provide power and voltage signals to the electricity monitor, and this is not supplied. In many cases an existing low current breaker can be used. The electricity monitors are typically mounted with industrial adhesive foam strips, and cables are managed with ‘sticky-backs’ and cable ties, but these components are not included.

Yes, assuming there are some openings such as for panel mount isolation switches, rubber seals on the doors of the distribution board etc. This will let the wireless signal exit the metal cabinet. When installing meters within a metal distribution board, we would recommend adding a range extender in close proximity, such as on the wall in the switch room where the meters are installed – this will boost the wireless signal strength in the area.

When the power is cut to an EpiSensor electricity, a signal is immediately sent to the micro processor on board to save the kWh value. In the very short period between power being cut, all of the kWh registers are stored to non-volatile memory within the wireless radio module, so the meter will continue to clock up kWh when power has been restored, without the need for a backup battery.

Our 3-phase electricity monitors support 3-wire delta and 4-wire star connections. Contact us for more information.

Power consumption in our meters is extremely low – less than 2 watts – so a 1A 3-phase breaker is suitable.

Yes – assuming that the electrical load that’s being monitored by the meters is being fed from the same supply. This can simplify the installation and provide a single point to isolate a full bank of meters.

Yes – assuming all three CT’s have been installed consistently (all arrows pointing in the same direction). The CT’s of EpiSensor’s electricity monitors should be installed with arrows pointing towards the electrical load normally. If a mistake has been made during the installation, negative data will be produced, but you can take the absolute value of the kWh readings until the installation can be fixed. This data could be manually changed and re-imported to your software.

EpiSensor uses 10K thermistor technology with advanced analogue and digital techniques to filter noise and provide maximum accuracy.

Yes – recent versions of our TES product range can be field calibrated remotely from the Gateway. This is done by inserting the probes into a known temperature and sending a calibration command from the Gateway’s web-based user interface. An offset is calculated and stored to non-volatile memory in the node (so the calibration offsets will travel with the node hardware if it is moved) and this process can be repeated for up to 10 points along the curve. This can dramatically increase the accuracy of the temperature sensor and is especially useful when monitoring a critical temperature range such as freezing point or for medical device, food processing or pharmaceutical applications where regular calibration is a requirement.

At the moment no, we recommend adding a pulse multiplier within the server-side software to convert to real world units, but this is on our development roadmap.

No – we recommend using optical isolation when monitoring a pulse output from a gas meter or in some other ATEX location.