ArcoFlex Sensei is Different from the Rest

Remote monitoring solutions are beginning to make their presence felt. They can be really sophisticated and really expensive or they can be ArcoFlex solutions. To be fair, if you need to monitor and control complex industrial PLC based solutions, then full two-way VPN tunnels and specialised management solutions are probably necessary. But if your requirement is device and sensor monitoring, the remote and automated collection of data and some direct feedback control, then a sophisticated and expensive solution is not necessary.

 

ArcoFlex Sensei brings to you an affordable end point solution or prototyping unit that will get you right into the IoT remote monitoring and control space from Day One. Here’s how Sensei is different from the rest:

1.     High Performance.   On chip processing to reduce server side workload for superior performance and data efficiency. By moving process logic down to the chip we have ensured better scalability at the trending and data management sides.

2.     Offline Data Collection.   Sensei has 16GB on-board RAM to store up to 28 days of data in the case of lost communications or hardware failure. Hence there is no loss of trend data.  Sensei has an auto burst mode to recover this data once communications have been restored.

3.     Virtual Sensors.   Sensei introduces the concept of virtual sensors which can aggregate other sensors (real and virtual) to produce combined logical or value outcomes.  Examples include: air locks (two door switches), pressure differentials (two pressure sensors), converting pump actuations to delivered volume and many more. The key is to put the conversion processing effort down on Sensei so that trending and visualisation retain universality and high efficiency.

4.     Application to I/O Coupling.   Our Sensei application code is intimately coupled to the I/O cards in such a way that simple electrical connections can be made for sensors and digital inputs.  This perfectly matched coupling is what makes Sensei’s superior to work with because we have taken out the complexity of the endless sensor types and how they might be configured electrically. Our I/O cards and configuration portal can be used immediately with almost any digital, analogue or 1-Wire device. RS-232 is available on request. All documentation is provided.

5.     Configuration Ready.   Sensei comes with a fully visual configuration environment set up your sensors in just minutes. Test, play and control and see your results in seconds.

6.     Output and Control.   Sensei is probably the only IOT remote monitoring solution to also offer practical feedback control.  You can have two types:  Digital – for relay switching or Analogue -  for rheostats or thermostats.  This feedback can be configured on-chip for instant events but it is also configurable so that it becomes reactive, setting up values based on pre-set conditions.

7.     Visualisation Ready.   Default Trending and visualisation options are provided right out of the box.  Your Sensei device can be collecting data within seconds of connection. All that is required is a small amount of configuration to set value limits for display.

8.     Prototyping.   Sensei has a completely automated trial and prototyping mode which allows you to define and configure sensors without them being physically attached.  This allows you to build UI’s, data aggregation services, dash boards and BI tools in parallel with your hardware development.  It also saves substantial costs by being able to replicate real life scenarios.

9.     Alerting.   Alerts and logging are all managed with device side logic, making them genuinely capable of real time responsiveness. Our email latency is approximately 10 seconds on top of the default one second sensor latency. SMS latency is approximately 2 seconds.

10.  Real Time Data flow.   Sub-second response times are routine for most of our installations. Enjoy the only IOT remote monitors and control solution to provide this. To be fair, this can come at a bandwidth cost but if genuine real time notifications are critical to your application, Sensei can provide this. Contact us to discuss the implications.

11.  GSM Enabled.   All Sensei devices are equipped with a GSM chip which reports its location back to the configuration portal and dashboard. This means we can map your devices to the screen and help identify sites for maintenance attention or alarms. “Hothouse 2” can be a mystery at 2.00am when the alarm goes off but when you can see and walk to the correct building with your tablet in your hand, life is a lot easier. Feed mills use this feature to set route planning for silo refilling.

12.  Competitively Priced.   Sensei has an average base product price around the $1500 mark and then sensors to suit the implementation and needs of the customer. Usually a few hundred dollars or less, this is a very attractive price. There are installation costs to consider, as there are with any monitoring solution and a monthly charge of around $30 per Sensei unit. There are no other Telco or third party charges. Just one bill for everything.

Choose ArcoFlex Sensei for your next remote monitoring requirement.