And now it’s even easier to trap trigger a relay across the internet using the using the securityProbe 5E.

The set-up procedure has been simplified.  Here is a summary:
• The SNMP Trap Receiver is turned on in the Virtual Sensor portion of the SecurityProbe’s web interface.
• The SecurityProbe can receive an SNMP trap from another device, such as a BitSight2.
• The Trap received can be used to trigger a relay to turn on and off other sensors, send alerts from the SecurityProbe unit, and perform other actions.

When an event occurs, the SecurityProbe 5E can send SNMP traps, email, SMS, MMS, make a telephone call, and make an audio alert.  These alert messages are customizable and can include a picture of the event.  Besides notification alerts, event information is stored in a nonvolatile flash memory.  The SecurityProbe 5E has a battery-backed time-of-day clock to facilitate accurate record keeping.

In order to prevent false alarms, the SecurityProbe 5E provides an extensive filtering of events.  You can limit events based on time of day or day of the week.  This is especially useful with equipment such as the motion detector, where you may want to process an event only when the business is closed.

Call Ravica at 207-324-8173 for more information about the SecurityProbe 5E and our other products designed to keep your data and facilities safe.

~Angela
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If you have more specific questions, we would love to hear from you.

Q:  What kind of web browser is required to operate the securityProbe?
A:  The securityProbe is platform independent.  It works with standard web browsers from host machines running any type of operating system.

Q:  What is the default IP address of the device when I receive it?
A:  The default IP assigned at the factory is: 192.168.0.100.

Q:  Is there some way I can find out the IP address of my unit?
A:  Yes, you can simply press the red reset button on the back of the unit once, and the unit will announce the IP address through the speaker.

Q:  Where can I find the MAC address of the device?
A:  The MAC address of the device can be found on the bottom cover of the device.

Q:  What are the temperature and humidity monitoring ranges for environmental monitoring with the securityProbe?
A:   The device monitors temperature from -31F to 176F, and for humidity from 20% to 80% (non-condensing).

Q: Are warranty and support available?
A:  Absolutely.  securityProbes have a one year warranty and an options two year warranty.  Also, you receive lifetime support for the product.

As always, if you have any questions beyond these about environmental monitoring solutions, you are always welcome to contact us directly.

~Angela
207-324-8173
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The securityProbe 5E device is a versatile and complete environmental and security monitoring solution, and the recent updates and improvements have provided even greater flexibility and performance.  Additional enhancements include ease of set-up and updates to the interface. 

SecurityProbe 5E security set-up and update
There are already advanced security options in the securityProbe.  Simply navigate to the System Administrator >> Services and Security page in the web interface in order to lock down the unit by closing services and applications including Telnet, Secure Shell, HTTP, etc. and limit to using HTTPS.  Ports can be closed using the SNMPv3 encryption, and access can be locked down with the NAC (Network Access Control) security feature restricting access to only certain individual IP addresses.

A new feature has been added that will allow you to turn the IP address announcement off during the boot-up process, giving added security.  This will be included in the next firmware release.

SecurityProbe 5E interface update
The settings tabs on the securityProbe 5E interface have been updated.  This simple but effective change allows users to more easily locate the proper place to change settings for the sensors.

For more information about the securityProbe 5E or any other Ravica products, please feel free to contact us.

~Angela
207-324-8173
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The SecurityProbe 5E works with every intelligent sensor in the Ravica family.  Connect up to 8 of our autoSense sensors in any combination to create your customized environmental monitoring solution which can monitor temperature, humidity, water leakage, airflow, security, detection of AC power line voltage, measurement of Digital Voltmeter, control relays, and much more.  The Ravica range of sensors also includes an integrated data collection and graphing package which is especially useful in trend and information analysis.

Recent updates and improvements to the securityProbe 5E have provided greater flexibility and performance.

It is now possible to control a Relay Over IP through the security Probe 5E from a sensor placed at a remote location. The local securityProbe is connected to relays using dry contacts via a Ravica relay control device.  At the remote site, a sensor connected to a securityProbe can send instructions over IP to the local securityProbe via the securityServer application.  This instruction can be used to trigger a relay.

For more information about the securityProbe 5E’s interface updates, visit our blog.

For more information about the securityProbe 5E or any other Ravica products, please feel free to contact us.

~Angela
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I’ve wrote a lot lately about the expandability of the SecurityProbe line of products and getting the most out of your environmental monitoring system, but with the  idea of virtually unlimited expandability comes the problem of keeping track of the hundreds of dry contacts and sensors that are integrated into your monitoring system.  When you get a critical alert on temperature sensor 018, do you know where that is located?  This can be a be an especially big problem for larger facilities, like college campuses, where the sensors are gathering information from multiple buildings spread out over a large area.  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to see at a quick glance where individual sensors are located and if there is a problem.  That is exactly what the mapping feature on the SecurityProbe is designed to do.

The Maps Tab allows you to upload site plans, building floor plans, or diagrams and then locate your sensors on the map.  That way, you can instantly see that the critical problem being reported on Temp 018 is in the Math Lab and not in the cafeteria.  Below is a screen shot of what this looks like to the user.  Note that the sensor statuses are color coded, green=good, red=problem so you can pinpoint issues and their location at a glance.

The map feature is helpful if you are using sensors in more localized applications as well.  For example, if you are monitoring a data center you could upload a diagram of your server cabinet  layout and then locate the  sensors graphically.  This would be helpful especially if the responsibility for addressing certain issues falls to maintenance staff that might not be as familiar with IT equipment.   Below is a screen shot of the diagram we use for the sensors in the Ravica server room.

There is no limit to the number of maps that you can load into you web interface, so you can use whatever formats work best for your application.

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.

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!

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 have no idea what sort of back-up notification system for camera failure the TSA has set-up, but after reading about the Newark incident, I wanted to find out what kind of notifications are available for cameras connected to the Ravica SecurityProbe.  I played around with the demo interface that we have set up in our office and found that with the Notification Wizard there is an easy way to set up email (or voice or text. . .) notifications if one of the cameras connected to the SecurityProbe goes into a critical state, because it is broken or has been disconnected.  The following is a step-by-step procedure for making sure that a broken camera in your facility never goes unnoticed.

1.  Within the Ravica web-interface, click on the Notification tab and select “Begin Notification Wizard” from the menu on the right side of the screen.

2.  Select the notification type that you want to set-up.  Ravica supports almost any notification type that you could want from SNMP traps to sirens, emails to automated telephone messages.  In this example, we’ll set it up so that an email is sent to the security desk whenever the surveillance camera goes into a critical state.

3.  Enter the desired Action name, such as “Email Security Desk” and the email addresses of the individuals or groups that you would like notified when a problem arises.

4.  You can customize the email text that will be sent.  If you want, you can even attach a picture of the latest log or the current image on the selected camera.

5.  The next few pages go through the SNMP settings and resend intervals that you would like to set-up.

6. Link the camera to the email action.  Select the camera name in the Sensor column and make sure that “No Camera Signal Detector” is checked.

7.  On the final screen, there will be a list of all the sensor notifications that are set up for the SecurityProbe.  From this screen you can edit or delete an existing notification or create a new one.

That is all there is to it.  Now the security desk will get an email anytime the camera loses a signal and the problem can be resolved immediately.  Having a simple notification system, such as this, in place at the Newark Airport could have resolved the broken camera issue long before the breach occurred.  It probably wouldn’t  have helped out with the absent security guard, but that is a whole other issue. . .

I am a fan of the good ol’ fashion fake tree. Nothing says Happy Holiday’s like the smell of, well… plastic. But as I understand it, there are some 33 million American homes that go the natural route with their tree selection. However, improperly hydrated Christmas trees can pose a very real safety concern. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, “Christmas trees account for 200 fires annually, resulting in 6 deaths, 25 injuries and more than $6 million in property damage.”

Simple fire prevention tips
Prevention is, obviously, the best approach. If you have a natural tree, make sure to keep it watered. A wet tree is a safe tree. In fact, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) created this very telling side-by-side comparison of the flamability of a dry tree vs. a tree that had been watered regularly.

Protecting what’s important
The next step is protection. In the event that there is a fire, easily accessable fire extinguishers and planned exit routes for the family could be a matter of life and death.

Any working smoke detector is a plus (remember to test the batteries regularly), but having a more advanced system that can send alerts to you anywhere is a healthy step in reduntant protection. A SecurityProbe could be set up to take pictures of your tree and send them along with a text or email to your iPhone or Blackberry. That way you know exactly what the situation is back at home, even while you are at the mall doing your last minute shopping. It can even be set up to make an outgoing call with Skype to ensure that you and your local fire department are on the scene as soon as physically possible.

So don’t forget, while enjoying a beautiful Christmas tree can set the mood for a joyous holiday like nothing else, safety measures do need to be taken. Make sure to protect your home or office by follow a few simple steps.

~ Jon Mills
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