Voltage monitoring should be a concern. Why? Because your battery backup will only last so long and you need to know when / if they are being used. Below is a rough outline of a conversation I had recently with our network engineer during an ice storm:

Mike: Hello Tom, does the office have power?
Tom: I don’t know, let me check.
<60 seconds>
Tom: I can ping the server at the office so we must have power.
Mike: Ya but, is it on battery backup or does the office have power?
Tom: Ah, good question.

Thankfully, we had the voltage detector configured in our server room. Think of this sensor as sort of like those handy voltage sensors you keep in the house to see if you are getting power from an outlet.

Monitoring power consumption is a smart idea. If your data center goes down, even if it is only a couple of servers, a router and a switch, it could cost you serious money.

A good environmental monitoring solution should include power monitoring when it comes to the data center.

- Mike

In the past, some of the SecurityProbe advantages included; advanced notification options, great video capabilities and the ability to connect up to 8 sensor probes per unit. The newest SecurityProbe retains all of these great features and adds four RJ-45 expansion ports to the front of the box which allows the connection of up to four expansion units. There are two expansion units options available: the E-opto16 and the E-sensor8.

With the E-opto16, you get 16 isolated dry contact inputs. A typical application for this expansion module would be to connect the dry contact to alarm panels and create custom alerts for each of the alarms. For example, one could have a dry contact connected to the fire alarm, another to the security alarm, and another to the AED cabinet. Each dry contact could then be set up to automatically call the respective emergency operator, in these cases the fire department, police, or paramedics. An unlimited number of E-opto16’s can be daisy-chained to accommodate up to 600 different dry contact inputs.

If you are more interested in increasing the number of intelligent sensors that can be monitored, there is the E-sensor8 that adds 8 sensor ports. Like the E-opto16, the E-sensor8 can be daisy-chained to allow the monitoring of up to 600 sensors through a single SecurityProbe. The two expansion units are also compatible with each other , giving the user complete control in designing the combination of dry contacts and sensors that works for their unique needs.

If you’d like more information on these new expansion modules, give us a call at 207.324.8173. We’d love to help you design an environmental monitoring system that does just what you need it to do.

From these two examples, it’s clear that there are options out there for designing sustainable HVAC systems that can meet the massive demand for cooling in data centers and server rooms. There is still a long way to go for data centers to be completely environmentally sustainable, but the industry is moving in leaps and bounds in that direction.

Ravica has always supported voice notifications, but in the past you would be required to purchase an external USB modem in order to utilize this notification method. Using Skype as a call-out device is an inexpensive alternative to purchasing additional hardware like the USB modem or an auto-dialer. Skype is currently available only on the SecurityProbe and the one other requirement for using this feature is a PC on the network that has a Skype account.

To set up Skype notifications, simply log on to your unique SecurityProbe URL and click on the Notification tab. Next, click on Begin Notification Wizard and select Skype Call/SMS as the action type.

On the next few pages, you will be able to enter the IP address or URL of the Skype account holding PC, select the sensors and statuses that you want to be notified about, customize the voice or text message, and enter in the phone numbers that are to be called. It is so easy; you’ll be set up with voice/SMS notifications in less than five minutes!

Why do I care about SNMP?
I care about SNMP because I want to manage everything from a central location. We use MyView in Scrutinizer. From a central location, we can monitor the network, the call center and, if we wanted to, the coffee pot.

BTW: Fugoo is considering a marketing plan for their network connected coffee maker, however, it lacks support for SNMP and the Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol.

Come to find out, the best idea for coffee pot monitoring is a simple web camera.

SNMP Temperature Monitoring
We monitor temperature in our data rooms, call center, conference rooms and offices, and we do it all with our temperature sensors. We even put an airflow sensor in our HVAC air intake to monitor when the blower came on. I then polled for the SNMP information with Denika and produced historical trends with the data.

Summary
When we’re looking at hardware, equipment that supports SNMP generally makes it to our short list. All of our equipment supports SNMP.

- Mike

From greenhouses growing hydroponic tomatoes and lettuce in January to cold storage units that allow the local grocery store to sell Washington apples in the dead of winter; monitoring the temperature and humidity for optimum conditions is crucial for a profitable agribusiness. If it is too cold plant growth is hampered, temperatures that are too hot can wither plants and cause livestock to suffer. Likewise, too little or too much relative humidity can, respectively, increase watering demands and cause disease and fungus issues in both plants and animals. For a small operation, a simple thermometer and humidistat will do the job, however, larger operations producing multiple crops and livestock would benefit from a centralized, web-based environmental monitoring system. According to a 2000 USDA survey, the average commercial farm operates 2,180 acres and has multiple facilities that require specific temperature and humidity thresholds.

A web-based temperature and humidity monitoring system such as the one available with Ravica’s sensor probes are an excellent solution for these large-scale agricultural businesses. In a networked system, a farm manager can install a BitSight2 with two remote single port temperature and humidity sensors in each greenhouse, barn, or storage facility and set the unique thresholds for the optimum conditions. Each of the sensors can be networked to the main computer on the farm and the conditions in each of the facilities can be accessed from a single location. This cuts back on the time needed to manually monitor and log the temperature and humidity in each location. Instead, a warning alert can be sent to an email or cell phone when any condition surpasses a safe threshold and the problem can be rectified before the condition causes problems with plant growth or disease. In addition, the easy-to-use web interface makes it possible for a farm manager to access information on the environmental conditions at the farm from anywhere.

If you need help setting up an environmental monitoring system at your farm or greenhouse, give us a call at (207) 324-8173.  We’d love to help you get started.

Most car dealerships have the unique problem of needing to store very expensive inventory in outdoor lots, therefore theft and vandalism are major security concerns.  Some larger dealerships can contract outside security firms to remotely monitor their lots, but what about small, local dealerships?  With new car dealerships all over the country being hit hard by the financial problems of the major car makers, an affordable security option that can be monitored successfully by existing dealership staff is in order.

With a Ravica SecurityProbe, several motion detectors set up at key locations, and 4 Pan-Tilt cameras the dealership owner or manager can be notified via phone, email, or text message when activity occurs on the lot.  Because all Ravica products are linked into an easy-to-use web-interface, the camera can be controlled and viewed from any computer with internet access; whether that is the desktop in your manager’s office, laptop at your home, or smart phone in your car.  You can be informed instantly of any potentially malicious activity on your lot—day or night—giving you the opportunity to assess the situation and call law enforcement before your valuable inventory drives into the sunset.

Less staff means more remote monitoring for many organizations. Having a remote monitoring system, like the SecurityProbe, can help lighten the load of working with less. With a price point that usually falls below $2,000 for a complete system, it can mean a considerable savings over staffing each location, or even worse, not monitoring it all. In this scenario, one person can monitor the well-being of several locations.

Event monitoring is more than just security though. This means integrating a system that will account for fire prevention, temperature and humidity monitoring, as well as the more standard door and window security or even motion detection. This gives the end user a more hands on approach without actually having to be on site.

So in the midst of downsizing corporations, there are ways to maintain eyes and ears in places that house expensive equipment, but may not necessarily need to house live employees.

~ Jon Mills
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There should also be a number of sensors in place that can detect when anyone, authorized or unauthorized, accesses the data center.  The following 5 tips show how Ravica can offer effective solutions for that final line of defense.

• Install the Right SensorProbe. For optimum security monitoring, choose a SecurityProbe model.  The SecurityProbe has the same easy-to-use web interface as the BitSight with a Linux operating system that offers 128 MB of Flash and 64 MB of SDRAM.  With 8 ports for sensors and connections for 4 external cameras on each SecurityProbe, you can monitor all of your security conditions from a single interface.
• Monitor All Potential Entry Points. In order for a security breach to occur, an unauthorized person must be able to physically gain access to the data center and do so unnoticed.  Make sure that doesn’t happen by installing a security sensor on every door, window, or emergency exit that could provide access to the data center.  The security sensor has a magnetic open/close switch that will trigger an automatic alert when any entry point is accessed.
• Install Motion Detectors. As another line of defense, install a motion detector at key locations that will alert security personnel that a potential security issue is occurring.  The Ravica motion sensor has a RJ45 jack to plug directly into a port on the SecurityProbe.
• Integrate High Quality Security Cameras. Install a variety of security cameras including fixed and Pan/Tilt cameras that can proactively capture crucial images as the events occur.  With the Ravica web-interface, you can set up notifications that will automatically trigger a time-stamped, picture log when an event occurs with the security sensor, motion detector or any other sensor.  The pictures are captured in a standard JPEG format at up to 640 x 480 pixels, so you get a clear image of the event.
• Send a LOUD and Clear Message Regarding Security. Not only can notifications be set up to send email, voice, or text alerts to security personnel when a potential security breach is occurring; you can also include a siren/strobe light that can be triggered automatically by an alarm status on any other sensor.  The siren/strobe can also be triggered manually from the web-interface, deterring nefarious activity and giving a call-to-action signal to other personnel in the vicinity of the breach.

Whether your data center is large or small, Ravica can be part of the solution to help you protect your physical and intellectual assets from theft or sabotage.

I would be surprised if any office I have ever worked in has been kept at a regular temperature over 68°.  It seems that most facility managers feel that cold office temperatures are good for building character or maybe they just don’t want to spend the money to heat the building adequately in the cold of winter.  According to a study by Cornell University, they could be spending a lot more money on lost productivity than the energy costs of raising the temperature a few degrees.  The study estimates that it costs employers up to $2 per hour per employee in lost productivity if the temperature in the working environment is too cold.  For a mid-sized company with 100 employees— that’s over $384,000 per year!

With those types of numbers, it makes sense to invest in a reliable temperature monitoring system.  Ravica has a number of options for web-based monitoring systems that can work for your large or small company.  Give us a call, and we’d be happy to help you find the best options to meet your company’s needs.  In the long run, it will make both your budget and your employees very happy.