Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions or concerns regarding one of your Ravica devices? We would be happy to help you, but before we do, it might be a good idea to take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions to see what some of the common issues are that people run into and how to solve them without ever having to pick up the phone.
 Q: Why am I unable to set the IP to the device using the IPSet utility provided in the help CD?
 Q: What is the default IP of the device?
A: The default IP assigned at the factory is: 192.168.0.100
 Q: If the IPSet fails, is there any other method of assigning the IP Address?
 Q: Can I use the default IP of the device to access the web interface and later assign the desired IP?
A: Yes, you can access the web interface by entering the IP 192.168.0.100 in your browser.
 Q: I am able to ping the device IP, but I am not getting the web interface when I enter the IP in the browser?
A:
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The proxy settings of the browser may be preventing the access to the device. Please disable the proxy settings to access the web interface. |
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You have updated the micro code of the firmware, but you have not updated the html code update. Html code updates has to be done, after the micro code update is done. |
 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, on the web interface under Network page, or when using IPSet in Automatically Get MAC mode.
 Q: Where can I find the MIB file for the device?
A: The mib file for the device can be found in the help CD, under the directory: \akcp_utilities\mib\
 Q: I cannot set the device to send mails?
 Q: Why can't I login to the device?
A: Make sure the password is being entered correctly and another user has not changed the password.
 Q: Why am I not able to change the settings in the device?
A: You have logged into the device as a User. Only an Administrator can make changes to the settings.
 Q: How can I recover a lost password?
A: Contact Ravica's Customer Support with the MAC address of the unit and one will be provided for you within 24 hours.
 Q: Why is the device is not able to sent Traps?
 Q: I have HP OpenView, why am I not able to receive SNMP Traps?
A: For changing the Traps to HP OpenView style, you need to send an SNMP command to the device given below:
snmpset .1.3.6.1.4.1.3854.1.2.2.1.60.0 i X
Where IP is the IP address of the sensorProbe. Community default is "public". and X can take 3 values: 1 (WhatsUP gold style), 2 (HP OpenView Style), 3(both Style). By default, the X value set is 1.
 Q: I have assigned the gateway IP. When I say save, why does it revert back to the default IP?
A: This happens when the device is not able to find the IP entered. When the IP is entered, the device searches for the IP. If it is found, it will accept the IP entered, or else, it will revert back to the default IP.
 Q: Is the temperature sensor built into the SensorProbe?
A: No. We tried to do that when we first designed the SensorProbe. It is much cheaper to have an integrated temperature sensor. That is the purpose of the grill on the top of the box. What we found is that there is no way to stop the heat from the sensorProbe from affecting the temperature sensor; this affect is from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. What would have been necessary had we proceeded with that design would have been to "tune" out the offset by applying a fudge factor. The problem is that this fudge factor would have had to change depending on the temperature and the operating conditions. So if we add in fudge factor for normal room temperatures it would have to change when there was a problem with the air conditioning and the ambient temperature was higher. Because of all these reasons, we came up with the external sensors, so that the measurements done by the sensors are accurate and there is no need for calibration.
 Q: How can I use sp2Init.bat, sp8Init.bat, or cpInit.bat to initialize all configurations in the SensorProbe or SecurityProbe?

A: The "sp2Init.bat" is for using with BitSight2; the "sp8Init.bat" is for using with BitSight8; and the "cpInit.bat" is for using with SecurityProbe. In this FAQ, we use "sp2Init.bat" as an example. The "sp2Init.bat" is resides on the CD-ROM. It is in the "ucd_utilities" directory. You can run the batch file directly from the CD-ROM.
- Go to the DOS-prompt and change the drive letter to CD-ROM. Then, change the directory to "ucd_utilities."
- Run the sp2Init.bat with the following syntax:
sp2Init <IP> <community>>
where <IP> is replaced by the IP Address of the sensorProbe and <community> is replaced by the Administrator password (the default is public)
Note: During the process, you may see a lots of messages saying "Cannot find module ... ". Please ignore these alert messages since the batch file is still working fine.
- Wait until the command prompt is displayed again. This indicates that the initialization has finished.
 Q: I own a BitSight8-X20 and would like to input voltage to those 20 extra dry contact switches. What is your recommended voltage value that I can put on the dry contact so that I will not burn the system?
A: It is assumed that you are using an opto-isolated type of the dry contacts, since there is no need to input voltage to the dry contacts that are configured as non-isolated. The dry contacts are designed to have the current on LED in range of 5 to 27mA with 680ohm resister connected internally. The input voltage is then ranging from 5 to 20Volts. So, the maximum voltage that can be put on the dry contact is 20 Volts. This is true for both BitSight8-X20 and X60.
 Q: If I need to input more than 20 Volts to the dry contacts, what is my option to do that? And, what will happen if I put a voltage on the dry contact that is configured to be non-isolated?

A: Assuming you want to input 48V to the dry contacts, whether it is opto-isolated or not, you can connect an external resistor at the input pin of the dry contacts. This external resistor will be serial to the 680ohm internal resistor. Let's allow 10mA current to flow in to the LED of the opto; thus, the external resistor value is (48V/10mA) - 680ohm = 4120ohm. A more common value would be 4.7Kohm.
If 4.7K is used, there exist the current of (48V/5380ohm) = 9mA. The power on the resistor is about (9mA)^2 * 4.7K = 0.38 watts. Thus, the 0.5 watt resistor should be enough.
To conclude, putting the external resistor at the input pin of the dry contacts will help prevent the resistors on the board to burn out even though the circuit is not opto-isolated and some voltage is put on the input of the dry contacts.
 Q: I need to know if a BitSight8-X20 is in a site or not; meaning, when a long time has passed and no TRAP has been received, how we can know if it is because there is no problem or because link is off?
A: You can also use the traps to provide, as something called a system heartbeat. To do this you can configure an unused dry contact input. Place it into an alarm state. Configure traps to be present every certain period of time (for example, 10 seconds). This should provide you with the heartbeat that you need.
Please note that traps are not guaranteed to be delivered. So they can be lost in transmission, without any error indication. On big network management installations traps and polling are used in combination. Traps are used to provide an immediate notification of a problem and also to reduce network traffic. The traps are then combined with periodic polling of the sensors, but at a less frequent rate in order to reduce network bandwidth utilization.
 Q: I am sure that all settings for the Digital Voltmeter sensor are correct, but it seems to have an error in the reading. How can I correct this error?

A: The Digital Voltmeter and 4-20mA sensors have an input as analog signal, which will be converted to digital using an A/D converter. Normally, the A/D converter is calibrated in a production process. But, you also can do it by following the steps below.
- On the web interface, turn off an Autosense for port#1. To do this,
- Go to the Sensor setting on the web interface by clicking on a "Sensor" tab.
- On the bottom of the left side menu, click on "Autosense."
- Select "Disable" for the port# 1. Then, click "Save."
- Connect 1.25VDC to RJ45 port# 1. The 1.25V is the voltage across pin 7 and 8 of the cable plugged into the RJ45 port.
- Set a Digital Voltmeter sensor online on this port. We only focus on a Raw Analog, so you do not need to change any settings.
- Go to the setting page of the DC sensor at port# 1. Select "Online" for Go Online/Offline field. Then, click "Save."
- Run snmpset command as
snmpset <IP> <community> .1.3.6.1.4.1.3854.1.2.2.1.80.0 i 0
Replace <IP> with the IP address of your SensorProbe, and <community> with the administrator password.
- The raw analog reading from the web interface should read
500 (+/-5).
Please note that all RJ45 ports use the same A/D converter. Therefore, the calibration on any port will also have an effect for other ports. And, an error for each sensor is different due to components (e.g. resistors, capacitors) on the sensor. So, it is possible that the same input value will not be read the same for different sensors on the same sensorProbe.
 Q: I just finished a calibration process, but the reading is still a little bit off. Is there any way to fine tune the reading?
A: In the calibration process, we set the offset of the reference voltage so that the raw analog read 500 when the input to the RJ45 port is 1.25 volts. However, the sensor that you are using may still have error due to some components (e.g. resistors and capacitors). Run snmpset command as:
snmpset <IP> <community> .1.3.6.1.4.1.3854.1.2.2.1.96.<port-1> i <offset>
where:
- <IP> is the IP address of your sensorProbe.
- <community> is the administrator password.
- <port-1> is the port number where the sensor for which you want to adjust the offset is plugged in.
- <offset> is the offset value. It should be in a range from 485 to 515.
 Q: Your AC voltage detector can only sense the presence of the voltage. Do you have an AC voltage sensor that can measure the voltage and display the value on the web interface similar to the temperature or humidity sensors?
A: You will need an external AC voltage sensor/transducer. Then, you can integrate it with the sensorProbe via a Digital Voltmeter sensor or a 4-20mA voltage sensor. Therefore, please make sure that the AC voltage sensor/transducer have an output as either Digital Voltmeter or 4-20mA.
The output of the AC voltage sensor/transducer should be linearized to work best when integrated with the sensorProbe. There is a custom setting section on the Digital Voltmeter and 4-20mA sensor web interface where the unit of a measured entity (AC voltage in this case) can be customized to any text such as "V(rms)" for measuring the RMS voltage.
Note: some sensor/transducer may need a power supply which you have to provide as well.
 Q: How can I add software to the SecurityProbe?

A: You can extend the software set on the sensorProbe8Linux or the cameraProbe8.. Nagios is one of many programs that we port, for instance. We also port RRDTool which is a data logging and graphing tool and integrate it to display a graph for our sensors data. On the Summary page of your device, click on "View Graph" of any sensor; then, you will see RRDTool graph there.
The root file system is read-only; therefore, you will need to copy them to a user partition which is editable.
- Create a copy of configuration files for Nagios: The place where you can write (create directories and files) is in "/flash1/user" directory. I would recommend you create a directory for all Nagios configuration files as "/flash1/user/nagios/etc"
#/ mkdir -p /flash1/user/nagios/etc
- Then, copy all files from "/usr/nagios/etc" to "/flash1/user/nagios/etc"
#/ cp /usr/nagios/etc/* /flash1/user/nagios/etc/
- Edit configuration files: You can now edit the configuration files to the way you would like the Nagios to work. You can use "vi" on the sensorProbe8Linux/cameraProbe8 to edit the files.
- You also need to modify the files "nagios.cfg" and "cgi.cfg" since some entries inside these files refer to the path "/usr/nagios/etc" instead of "/flash1/user/nagios/etc".
In "vi", you can use the following command to replace all entries.
:%s;/usr/nagios/etc/;/flash1/user/nagios/etc/;g
- Start Nagios: the script that is used to start Nagios is also in read-only partition.
You then need to create a file "/flash1/user/etc/nagios" and add the line "NAGIOS_CFG=/flash1/user/nagios/etc/nagios.cfg" to this file and save it.
Then, on the web interface, check the box in front of Nagios on the "System Setup" page and click "Save". The Nagios web interface is integrated to the "Application" tab. The username and password are fixed. The username is "nagiosadmin", and the password is "admin".
 Q: How much sensor data can be stored on the SecurityProbe?

A: There are two modes of data storage/graphing on the SecurityProbe: RRD and JavaScript.
If JavaScript graphing is used, the device has enough memory to save 8,640 data points for each sensor. This corresponds to 90 days at a frequency of 15 minutes, or 6 days at a frequency of 1 minute.
35,040 data points for each sensor can be stored in the RRD Tools database. If data is recorded every 15 minutes, then there will be enough data to display measurements for up to 1 year. Besides the increased data capacity, RRD is a highly versatile memory storage tool.
Graphs can be plotted by the RRD Tool, into the web-based user interface. The individual graph (day, week, month, and year) for each sensor type can be customized, simply by modifying the script template used to generate a particular graph.
On our Linux devices, the flash partition for sensor data / graph storage is 32Mbytes. We cannot change this until we start shipping with larger flash. That will probably happen in a month or so - we are currently in the process of upgrading the CPU / Flash board on the SecurityProbe.
Because each temperature sensor connected to our Linux devices is given its own unique OID (Object Identification) on the network, you can also use a freeware MRTG program to graph the temperatures on a PC or remote website. The MRTG tool will poll the sensors OID's and store the data in a graph. In this way you could expand the memory for data storage indefinitely. We can help you to set up your MRTG tool, and provide simple scripts to help you get started.
 Q: Can I use custom DC or 4-20mA sensors?

A: Our product has ability to integrate with custom sensors via our Digital Voltmeter sensor or 4-20mA sensor. For integration with custom sensors, the unit text can be customized to whatever you would like; this text is reflected on the summary page of the web interface. All numbers are displayed in decimal format.
Take a look at our online demo of the bitSight2 at http://sp8.dnsalias.net:8085/ You can see all of the settings for Digital Voltmeter or 4-20mA sensors by clicking on the Sensors tab, then on the left menu clicking Digital Voltmeter Sensor, and selecting DC Sensor on any port number.
On the DC and 4-20mA sensor configuration pages, you can display readings either as absolute values or as a percentage of full scale; you can customize a unit for measured entity. The external sensor used should have an output as a linearized Digital Voltmeter or 4-20mA signal
We suggest you find sensors that will best suit your requirements, and then we will make sure they can integrate with the BS2.
For example we have customers that use our Digital Voltmeter sensor to integrate pressure sensors and water salinity sensors. We even have customers measuring radiation using our SensorProbes. The user can easily input their own labels and output value scales.
If you label the sensor output as MPa, sensor values will appear on the summary page and in emails as MPa. You can configure the scale to be absolute such as 0-100 VAC or a percentage such as 0-100%. The data stored and graphs plotted on the SensorProbe will also have the correct labels and scaled units. Emails and SMS will also be displayed in the configured units at the correct scale.
4-20mA signals are very popular in industrial sensors, and are particularly resistant to interference from electromagnetic noise. Note that some sensors and transducers may require an extra power supply, and in some cases may need other electrical components.
 Q: Can I adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector?
A: You can adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector using the sensor status filter.
The sensor status filter allows you to enter a time delay that must occur before the sensor changes status - thus filtering out noise in the signal. This avoids unnecessary sending of notifications, as fluctuations can occur during normal working conditions.
To find this, go to the Motion Sensor Settings page of the web interface, and click on the sensor status filters button. Change the "Continuous time (secs) sensor is <Normal / Critical> to report" field to some value other than zero. 1 is suggested.
 Q: What is the accuracy of a 4-20mA converter?
A: The accuracy of our 4-20mA converters is 2%. The resolution of our 4-20mA converters is 0.1mA.
You can use these figures in conjunction with your sensor's accuracy to find the overall precision of your readings. You can also calibrate the 4-20mA converter.
 Q: What are the supported mobile phones and GSM modems?
A:
Tested mobile phones
Serial Connection (COM1): Sony Ericsson T68i, T610.
Bluetooth: Sony Ericsson T68i, T610; Nokia Series 30, 60.
Tested GPRS modems
Fargo Maestro 20
Siemens TC35i Terminal, MC35i.
iTegno 3232E/3232I
 Q: What are the supported voice modems?
A: The DLink DFM560E and DFM562E have been tested and are known to work for voice call notifications.
 Q: Which USB Bluetooth dongles can I use with the SecurityProbe?
A: The following USB dongles have been tested and are known to work:
Billionton UBTCR3C1
LevelOne MDU-0005USB
 Q: How do I upgrade the firmware on the BitSight2 or the BitSight8?

A: This firmware upgrade is for:
BitSight2
BitSight2DC
BitSight8
BitSight8-x20
BitSight8-x60
Instructions
- Download the .zip file and extract its contents to a folder on your computer. The extracted folder should include the following files:
IPSetX.X.X.X.exe - this is the program that will load the firmware onto the SensorProbe
spX_firmware_DD_MONTH_YY.zip - this file contains the firmware files
readme.txt - contains basic instructions
- We recommend you connect your computer to you sensorProbe using a crossover cable for the upgrade procedure.
- Start the program IPSet.
- Click the System Upgrade button
- Enter the IP address of your SensorProbe.
- Enter the password for your SensorProbe.
- Enter the name and location of your firmware file - e.g. c:\akcp\ spX_firmware_DD_MONTH_YY.zip
- Click the Update button.
Further Questions
- I have downloaded the .zip file. How do I update my firmware?
Unzip the downloaded file to a folder on you computer, and follow the instructions in this file.
- After installing the updates, do I need to configure anything?
No. After installing the updates, the device will restart. Historical sensor data will be lost (you can download this data before you begin the upgrade). All configuration settings that you have made (mail settings, sensor descriptions etc) will remain intact.
On our Linux based products, (SECP,SECP-X20, SECP-X60), there is an option to backup all configuration settings to a file - you can access this option from the settings page. This is for your peace of mind in case of a system crash.
You can also backup you configuration files for peace of mind on sP2 and sP8 devices - use the application configure2.x to do this. You can download the application from the manufacturer's website.
- Will this update erase my existing settings?
No. Your settings will remain the same.
- Can I perform the upgrade over the internet?
We recommend you perform the upgrade by connecting your SensorProbe to your PC using a crossover cable. However, it is also possible to upgrade the firmware over the internet. It may be slow, and you will need to open up ports on the routers you are using, but it works. There is no special procedure for doing this - simply perform the upgrade in the normal way, using our GUI upgrade tool for the BS2 and BS8, or the upgrade section of the web interface on the Linux based systems.
The firmware upgrade routine checks the integrity of the uploaded code. We have enough memory on the sensorProbes to store the whole upload code before we do the flash upgrade.
So, if the connection breaks or the data transfer has errors, the flash upgrade won't be started, and the old code will remain functional.
For the SensorProbe (BS2, BS8), we use TFTP (UDP port 69) for firmware upgrades.
 Q: How do I upgrade the firmware on the BitSight2 or the BitSight8?

A: This firmware upgrade is for:
cameraProbe8 (old model)
SecurityProbe
Contents of the file firmware_cp-XXX.zip:
- cp-XXXX.bin
- lnuxIPSet5.5.3.0.exe
Instructions
- Download the .zip file and extract its contents to a folder on your computer. The extracted folder should include the following files:
lnuxIPSetX.X.X.X.exe - this program can be used to load the firmware onto the SensorProbe, if you can't access the web interface
cp-XXXx.bin - this file contains the firmware
- We recommend you connect your computer to you SensorProbe using a crossover cable for the upgrade procedure.
- Log in to the web interface of your SecurityProbe/cameraProbe8, as Administrator.
- Select the Setup tab.
- Click Maintenance in the menu on the left side of the web interface.
- Click the Upgrade button under System Firmware Upgrade.
- You will get a warning message about rebooting the device into upgrade mode - click OK to continue.
- The device will reboot into upgrade mode - this will take about 30 seconds, after which you will be redirected to the upgrade mode page.
- Follow the on-screen instructions, and when prompted to select the firmware file to upload, click the Browse button and navigate to the directory holding the file "cp-xxx.bin". Select this file to open.
- Next, click the Upgrade button. The upgrade process will take about 60 minutes.
The upgrade should finish without any error, and you will recieve a message saying "Upgrade Complete". The cameraProbe8/SecurityProbe will automatically reboot to the normal mode.
Note: You may receive a timeout error message from the web browser while it is reloading a web interface. Just ignore it, and open the web interface by entering the IP address of the cameraProbe8/SecurityProbe into the web browser.
The upgrade is now finished. On the web interface, click the Setup tab. On the System Description line, it should say version number "CP-MXLVxxx."
Further Questions
- I have downloaded the .zip file. How do I update my firmware?
Unzip the downloaded file to a folder on you computer, and follow the instructions in this file.
- After installing the updates, do I need to configure anything?
No. After installing the updates, the device will restart. Historical sensor data will be lost (you can download this data before you begin the upgrade). All configuration settings that you have made (mail settings, sensor descriptions etc) will remain intact.
On our Linux based products, (SECP,SECP-X20, SECP-X60), there is an option to backup all configuration settings to a file - you can access this option from the settings page. This is for your peace of mind in case of a system crash.
You can also backup you configuration files for peace of mind on sP2 and sP8 devices - use the application configure2.x to do this. You can download the application from the manufacturer's website.
- Will this update erase my existing settings?
No. Your settings will remain the same.
- Can I perform the upgrade over the internet?
We recommend you perform the upgrade by connecting your SensorProbe to your PC using a crossover cable. However, it is also possible to upgrade the firmware over the internet. It may be slow, and you will need to open up ports on the routers you are using, but it works. There is no special procedure for doing this - simply perform the upgrade in the normal way, using our GUI upgrade tool for the BS2 and BS8, or the upgrade section of the web interface on the Linux based systems.
The firmware upgrade routine checks the integrity of the uploaded code. We have enough memory on the sensorProbes to store the whole upload code before we do the flash upgrade.
So, if the connection breaks or the data transfer has errors, the flash upgrade won't be started, and the old code will remain functional.
For the SensorProbe (BS2, BS8), we use TFTP (UDP port 69) for firmware upgrades.
 Q: Which WiFi Dongles are supported by the SecurityProbe?
A: Our SecurityProbe and cameraProbe8 (USB) products support the following WiFi adapters:
PLANET 54Mbps Wireless LAN USB Adapter (model: WL-U356)
X-Micro WLAN 11g 54Mbps USB Adapter (model: XWL-11GUZX)
These WiFi adapters use the ZD1211 chipset, which includes Linux drivers.
 Q: Which ports are used by the SecurityProbe to stream video via the Java Applet or ActiveX?
A: UDP ports 809, 810, 811 and 812 are required in order to stream video via the Java Applet or ActiveX.
 Q: The image from a connected camera is not displayed on the summary page of the web interface (cP8 and SECP devices). Why?
A: Check that the camera is connected, enabled, and all your cameras use the same video format (NTSC or PAL). To do this, go to the settings tab, click Camera Settings, and then click Advanced Camera Settings. On the page that is displayed, first press the Check Video System radio button at the top of the page. This will scan the device for connected cameras, which may take a few seconds. Once the system has found your cameras, check the Enable Camera box for all the cameras you would like to enable. You can click the Preview button to display the camera image temporarily in a pop-up window. Please note that all the connected cameras should have the same video format (NTSC or PAL), to ensure the images are displayed correctly.
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