Table of Contents
Advertisement
CHAPTER 3: DEFINITION OF PHYSICAL SENSORS, VIRTUAL
SENSORS, AND ACTIONS
3.1 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL SENSORS
In chapter 2 we worked with a physical sensor, which is a sensor that you can touch. There are also virtual sensors that
you can use by configuring them. Virtual sensors can receive data from IP and IT devices. Virtual Sensors can combine
data or do mathematics with data.
EXAMPLE 1:
Let us assume that you have an UPS. If your UPS is a managed one, it runs SNMP. You can retrieve data from your UPS,
such as the remaining battery capacity, through SNMP.
EXAMPLE 2:
Let us assume that you have an older IoT or Environmental Monitoring unit, for example AlertWerks™ Wired (EME10x,
EME16x). You can move in data from older systems to AW3000 through SNMP.
EXAMPLE 3:
Let us assume that you have an important network server that you want to control and monitor. You can do that using
a virtual sensor through PING.
EXAMPLE 4:
Let us assume that you have issues with your internet connectivity. You can monitor LATENCY using a virtual sensor.
EXAMPLE 5:
Let us assume that you want to visualize the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. Having two physical
sensors (one indoor, one outdoor) you can use a virtual sensor to do the math and display that value in a dashbox.
EXAMPLE 6:
Let us assume that you want to visualize two datapoint values in a dashbox. You can do this by using a virtual sensor
with COMBINE method.
That means virtual sensor functionality is very versatile and opens many possibilities. Virtual sensors can be configured
having the basement of any Method (SNMPGET/LATENCY/PING etc) or any physical sensor. At the end a virtual sensor is
just another datapoint that can be used just like the other datapoints.
For any datapoint, actions can be set up. Actions are done by AW3000 automatically when something happens. That
can be any datapoint getting below, beyond, or exactly at a certain level. Actions can also be set up based on time.
Therefore, AW3000 is also a time switch.
Actions can be as simple as playing a sound, sending an email, changing the color of a dashbox, or changing the
sensor's time interval. You can also issue SNMPSET commands which allow you to toggle or power off or on any IP-
based PDU at any location.
Actions follow the multilayer principle. You can configure multiple actions, and these actions can interact with each
other.
DETAILED EXAMPLE 1:
Let us assume that you have a UPS with SNMP. Let us also assume that you have a physical LoRaWAN
measuring incoming power from your energy provider. As long as primary power is up, battery capacity is not
significant. An interval for the SNMPGET virtual sensor of 30 or more minutes is sufficient. But as soon as primary
power goes down, you want a different interval of just a few seconds. Perhaps you also want AW3000 to send an
SNMPSET command to your server to shut down. Perhaps you also want to play an alarm sound. Perhaps you want
the corresponding dashbox at that time to have a red background color. You create actions for these things. With
another action defined when power is available again, you can set the interval to 30 minutes again and have the white
background for your dashbox again.
1.877.877.2269
BLACKBOX.COM
NEED HELP?
LEAVE THE TECH TO US
LIVE 24/7
TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
1.877.877.2269
sensor
®
13
Advertisement
Table of Contents
