How to Integrate Kerlink Wanesy Management Centre with Microsoft Azure

The sensor data received on the Kerlink Wanesy Management Centre doesn’t have to be stored only there. It is possible to integrate various dashboards or other cloud servers such as Microsoft Azure with Wanesy by setting up the HTTP push.

In this blog post, I will guide you through the steps you need to take to integrate Kerlink’s Wanesy Management Centre with Microsoft Azure.

Setting up Microsoft Azure

The first step for integrating your data is to create an account on Microsoft Azure. You can do this for free by visiting the Microsoft Azure website: Create Your Azure Free Account Today | Microsoft Azure.

There are various Pricing Plans to choose from. Some features may be limited in the free variant. The account, however, is free to create and features are paid on a pay-as-you-use basis.

Once the account is created, we will need to use the IoT Central Application and the IoT Hub platform. The IoT Central Application can display data on the dashboard as well as integrate the device templates. The IoT Hub platform is used to adapt the WMC push to Azure.

Setting up the Azure IoT Central Application

In the search bar type ‘IoT Central Applications’ and hit search. You could also click on the icon if shown on the main page.

Then click on the Create button and fill in the boxes as in the picture below.

Creating the IoT Central Application

If the Resource group tab is empty, click Create new and type in a new name.

At this stage the URL is chosen, by default, it is the name of the resource .azureiotcentral.com but you can adjust it accordingly.

Once all the information is inserted, click on the Create button and give it a few minutes to deploy your application.

When you have a “Your deployment is complete” message, you can move forward to the next step.

Connecting Your Devices

Go to your IoT Central Application– the quickest way is to go to the URL chosen in the previous step.
In my example that will be kerlink-demo.azureiotcentral.com

Once you are in your dashboard, go to the Administration section and go to ‘Device Connection’. Find and copy Scope ID. Go to the IoT devices group type and copy the Primary Key. Save it in a text file as it will be required at a later stage.

Finding Scope ID and Keys
Copying Scope ID and keys

Now, go to the following link to create your custom template. https://portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Template/uri/https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2FBenoitDuffez%2Fiotc-device-bridge%2Fmaster%2Fazuredeploy.json<

Choose ‘Kerlink Resource Group’ and paste the Scope ID here as well as the Primary Key. Paste the Primary Key in the “IoT Central SAS Key” box.

Creating a custom deployment

Click Next: Review + create. Review the options and click Create.

Wait a minute until the Deployment is done and when you have the message saying “Your deployment is complete” you can move on to the next steps.

Adding Your Devices to Kerlink WMC

Now is a great time for you to add your devices to the Wanesy Management Center. You can skip this step if you have devices already added. Just remember to create a new push configuration later and assign it to the existing cluster.

First of all, login to WMC, go to the Administration section, then select Clusters. In the bottom right corner click the plus icon and create a new cluster. A pop up window till open, in here you will need to give it a name and disable Push configuration. (later on, once we have the push configuration made, we will need to enable this).

Click Validate. Once you have done this, go to the Administration section and ‘End Devices’ tab. Click on the plus icon in the bottom right and fill in all the information. Follow instructions until you can click Validate. When you click Validate the device will be added to the WMC.

Setting up the Push URL

Go back to Microsoft Azure and go toIoT Central applications, click on the Kerlink resource group and click on the function app which has a thunder icon.

Once that is open, go to the Functions section on the left-hand side menu and click on Functions. Click on the function that triggers the HTTP event and select the Code + Test tab. Give it a minute to load and from the tabs on the top of the screen select Get function URL.

Getting the function URL

In the pop-up window leave the key as default and copy the URL.

Copying the URL

Now go to Kerlink Wanesy and click on the Administration section and Clusters tab. On top of the screen select Push Configurations and then click the plus icon in the bottom right.

In the pop-up window, type the name, select HTTP type and Payload message detail level. Click next.

On the next screen paste the URL from Azure. You need to cut the URL from its end up to the question mark symbol (including the ?). You will then need to pastethis into the Data Up route box.

For example:

This is my example link from Azure:
https://iotc-fnp7rbonitg2tyg.azurewebsites.net/api/IoTCIntegration?code=gykWSte3vai5YEaECLlm5PGuMm0fb7RWE9I10m6TLFqTWxVhmfVJCQ==

In the URL box should be this part:
https://iotc-fnp7rbonitg2tyg.azurewebsites.net/api/IoTCIntegration

And in the Data Up route the rest, that is:
?code=gykWSte3vai5YEaECLlm5PGuMm0fb7RWE9I10m6TLFqTWxVhmfVJCQ==

WMC Push Config URL

Then click Next, don’t choose any SSLs, click Next again, and click Validate without creating any custom headers.

Now go to the Clusters tab on the top of the screen. Find the cluster you have created previously (or find the cluster that you have the sensors in) and click on the pencil icon next to it to edit.

In the pop-up window under the ‘Push’ section, click Enable and from the drop-down list select the Push configuration that you’ve just created. Press Validate.

Once that is done, uplink messages will start being pushed to Azure from the next time the sensor sends the uplink.

Creating the Device and Device Template on Azure

In MS Azure go to your IoT Central Application. The easiest way to get there is to go via the URL created at the beginning – the name of the resource .azureiotcentral.com
In my case it is kerlink-demo.azureiotcentral.com.

You can start with creating a device. Click on Devices and then New. Type the name and Device ID. You can use any name and any ID, for demo purposes I’ve selected the name of the sensor as the name and its DevEui as the ID. You can leave the Template as unassigned at this stage. Then click Create.

Once you create a device, it will have a “registered” status. After it starts sending data, the status will change from “registered” to “provisioned”.

You can then go into the device screen and in the Raw data screen, you should see uplink messages. Go to the Manage template tab at the top of the screen and select the Auto-create template option. Then click on Create template button.

Once you go back to the devices tab and click the row with a message, you will see more detailed pieces of information for each message.

It is worth mentioning here, the number of messages you can see on Azure depends on the plan you’ve selected earlier. Free plans limit the number of messages quite drastically. If you exceed the number of messages they will just stop appearing in the Azure.

If you have a device sending the uplink every few minutes, you will most likely exceed the limit in no time.

“How To” video

To summarise this article up to this point you can watch the above video.

Further Steps

Further steps to use the decoder and fully decode the data will be researched soon. The way to do it is by creating the IoT Hub in Azure and registering the device there along with linking the decoder to it. The further steps of how to do it are currently under development.

To speak with a member of our team about integrating Kerlink Wanesy with your chosen cloud server call us on 01484 599544 or contact us.

WEBINAR: IoT for Building Management

Discover IoT for Building Management with Alliot Technologies and Wattsense in our short 30 minute webinar. Throughout the webinar, we’ll introduce you to the future of Smart Buildings and how you too can improve your building management with Wattsense.

We’re delighted to invite you to our live webcast on Tuesday 8th February at 11 am when our Sales Director, Craig Herrett and Wattsense’s Account Manager, Romain Philipon will be hosting a live demo, inveiling the key to the future of Smart Buildings.

Throughout this interactive session, Craig and Romain will be covering the various use cases of the Hub and Box devices. Along with resolving the potential pain points, differentiating between the two products and a live Q&A session.

 

Smart Buildings Webinar Agenda

  • Why Alliot & Wattsense?
  • The Wattsense Range – Differentiating between the Hub & Box
  • Live Demo
  • Q&A

Get in touch to discuss your Smart Building requirements today.

Choosing The Correct IoT Solar Panel For Your Application

Selecting the bet IoT Solar Panel

The sunlight is a great source of power, and it can be used to charge various kinds of batteries. Parametric offers a solution that uses solar panels to charge batteries in their People and Traffic Counters. However, while the solution works great, it is important to remember that the choice of the IoT Solar panel in the right size matters.

The main criterium that determines if the solar solution will even be possible is the place of use. Additionally, things like fog, dust and even cloudy weather may affect the performance of the IoT solar panel system.

Parametric has in their portfolio a wide range of products suitable for various use cases. They have a range of solar panels with integrated charges and batteries for solar panels from 5V up to 20V.

As mentioned before, it is critical to properly select the correct solar solution. This article may help with that choice a little.

PVGIS – Photovoltaic Geographical Information System

The PVGIS is a great tool that can be used for the simulation of the solar power system. It uses meteorological data at the desired location. This is a free online tool and can be accessed at the link below.

JRC Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) – European Commission (europa.eu)

Simulation

The first step for the simulation is to type the address or select the desired place by clicking on the map. Once the place is selected, you need to enter the technical data of the solar panel.

Choosing the location of the solar panel.

Go to the Off-Grid tab and type the correct details of the solar system. For example, parametric offers the 17W solar panel with a 40° mounting bracket. In this case, settings should look like this:

Entering details of the solar system

Parameters and values

Parameters and Values explanation.

Once all values are entered, it is time to run the simulation. Click on the Visualise results button.

The 1st visualisation

The most important output from the simulation is the Percentage days with empty battery.

In this example, at the chosen location, the value is 1.8%.

If the value is 0, there is a very good chance the solar powered system will work in the desired place. If it is not, like in this case, a more powerful system should be chosen.

To simulate if the solution would work with the bigger IoT solar panel in this location, we need to go back to the table with details of the solar system and change the Peak power to a higher value. Let’s try a 60W panel instead of 17W.

Adjusting the solar panel power.

And simulate the results again…

The 2nd visualisation

Now, the value of percentage days with an empty battery is 0, which means the 60W solar system should work fine for this location.

Disclaimer

The PVGIS simulation is based on a meteorological data model (PVGIS-NSRDB solar radiation database). There can always be unpredictable weather situations where too little solar energy is stored and the system will switch off. Alliot nor Parametric can be responsible for any miscalculations or mis-purchases that may result from using this tool.

Contact us today for assistance in assessing your IoT Solar Panel requirements or to discuss your IoT projects in more detail.

LoRaWAN Network Management – Why use Kerlink Wanesy?

LoRaWAN Network Management is no simple task. With the potential of having hundreds, even thousands of devices connected to your network, there are various implications which are worth considering. We’ve compiled a short blog to help you identify the benefits that Kerlink Wanesy Management Centre could offer you.

Kerlink Wanesy Management Centre

LoRaWAN® networks are free to use, but there are numerous other costs you should take into account. If you are using free-to-use software there will still be costs involved; you will need to learn how it works, maintain it and support it. If you are setting up a private LoRaWAN® network, no matter how small, you are effectively becoming a radio network operator for your customers. The infrastructure of your networks include:

  • The physical gateways
  • The back haul from the gateways to the internet
  • The LoRaWAN® network server

If any part of this infrastructure has a problem, your entire system will stop working which could unravel even more problems for you!

It’s important you have the right support behind you when problems occur. With Kerlink Wanesy (or any other commercial LNS), you are outsourcing this support burden to Alliot and Kerlink.

Network management is often overlooked by end users, this is a key factor to the failure of IoT solutions at the proof of concept stage.

What is Kerlink Wanesy?

Kerlink’s Wanesy Management Centre can be thought as being two things; 1. a LoRaWAN Network Server and 2. Remote Gateway Management.

Kerlink’s Wanesy LoRaWAN network server implements the LoRaWAN protocol and acts as an essential piece of middleware. This is comparable to other products such as Chirpstack, The Things Network and to some extent, LORIOT.

Remote Gateway Management

The Gateway Management element is something that is currently unique to Kerlink. It provides a central, web-based client where you can remotely access your deployed gateways wherever they may. Regardless of how your devices are connected to the internet, you can access them with Kerlink Wanesy. This means you can even access gateways using 3G or 4G SIM cards. With these devices, the gateway establishes a VPN between itself and Wanesy. With this unique feature, you can perform firmware upgrades and diagnose problems remotely without having to make site visits.

Alerting System

Kerlink’s intuitive Wanesy LoRaWAN Network Management also features an alerting system. This enables you to identify potential problems early and monitor the performance of sensors and gateways on your network.

Security

Security of IoT systems is a hot topic. Kerlink Wanesy allows you to deploy a secure platform in the following ways:

  • Hardened OpenVPN configuration and certificate authentication help to ensure secure communication between gateways and the server.
  • Both the server and gateway software are centrally managed and are thoroughly tested by Kerlink’s developers making it simple for you to keep software up to date.
  • Alerting lets you know about potential problems before they cause too much disruption.

Kerlink’s Wanesy Management Centre also offers a competitive commercial offering. Unlike other LNS options, Kerlink Wanesy offers you low on-boarding fees, and is cost based on the number of gateways, not sensors.

Contact our expert team today to discuss the best LoRaWAN Network Services for your solutions.

Our experts are on hand to help you every step of the way
Lets talk

Take Remote Control with NKE’s LoRaWAN Smart Plug

Remote Control Plug

We’ve had lots of requests for a UK variant of a LoRaWAN® Smart Plug. Up until now, these have been hard to come by… make way for the new NKE UK LoRaWAN® Smart Plug! Now it’s here, we’d like to share some of the key features and benefits of this hotly anticipated LoRaWAN® sensor with you.

What is the NKE Smart Plug?

Typically speaking, a Smart Plug is a small adapter that is plugged into a regular electrical wall outlet. Smart Plugs enable you to remotely control connected devices or appliances.

The NKE Smart Plug connects to a public or private LoRaWAN® network to enable you to remotely control connected devices. It also monitors power consumption and power quality measurements such as average/min/max voltage (rms/peak) and frequency.

Uses of Remote Control Plugs

There are many uses for remote control plugs. The NKE Smart Plug is CE certified and is ideal for both domestic and commercial environments. Some example use cases include:

  • Remotely manage the operation of common household electrical appliances
  • Identify areas for improving energy efficiencies
  • Reduce carbon footprints in large office environments by identifying and remotely controlling equipment which may be left running
  • Save money on energy bills in empty premises where appliances may still be connected to power
  • Remotely schedule the hours you want devices to be connected to power with remote power scheduling

We work closely with our partners to help you access the products you need. Our close working relationships with some of the world’s leading manufacturers enable us to help you source and develop the products you require. If there’s something missing from your project contact our expert team to find out how we can help.

A breath of fresh air?

In-person teaching is being reintroduced in the UK this month. We’re looking at ways to monitor and improve air quality in schools (and other workplaces) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

monitor indoor air quality in schools

COVID-safe schools

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve been told that meeting outdoors is far safer than being inside. We’re looking at ways to bring people back inside, while minimising the risk of contracting or spreading the virus.

Monitoring CO2 levels can give a good indication of ventilation in an indoor space. There is increasing evidence to suggest that CO2 levels correlate with the risk of transmission of COVID-19. The majority of carbon dioxide in an indoor environment comes from breathing. This is particularly true in a classroom situation; with little computer equipment and a large group of students.

Improving indoor air quality in schools can be as simple as creating an alert when CO2 levels rise above a critical amount (e.g. 1000 ppm). When an alert is triggered, the teacher can open a window or door, and allow fresh air to circulate.

We stock a range of LoRaWAN sensors that measure CO2, temperature and humidity. This can be a great place to start for monitoring indoor air quality in schools.

Further health benefits

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers had started to investigate the effects of indoor air quality on health. This is particularly important in schools, as children can develop conditions such as asthma through poor air quality.

To dive a bit deeper into factors affecting indoor air quality; we need to look a bit further than carbon dioxide. We can also look at VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and particulate matter (PM).

In a school environment, you’d expect to find VOCs in things like art and craft supplies, cleaning products and new carpets/vinyl flooring. Particulate matter is mostly from dust and smoke (including car exhaust fumes and cooking smoke). Ensuring adequate ventilation when children are exposed to VOCs or particulate matter is key to their long-term health.

Our indoor air quality sensors allow you to measure a wide range of different parameters. You can get a complete understanding of the air quality levels in your school or educational setting.

We also supply outdoor air quality sensors. These can give you an idea of other environmental pollutants such as ozone or NOx. These generally come from traffic or industrial sources, so would be more relevant to schools in urban areas.

A learning opportunity

Improved indoor air quality in schools is known to have positive health benefits for children. But why not build on your project by getting your students involved?

Our LoRaWAN sensors communicate with a centralised gateway. The information is then sent to an easy-to-use dashboard where you can access the data. Create a science project to monitor air quality in your classroom using real statistics. Invite them to make suggestions on how air quality could be improved.

We also offer proof of concept kits so you can quickly and easily get your project up and running. Create a custom proof of concept kit to include air quality sensors and get to grips with the technology on a small scale.

COVID-19 IoT Solutions
Find out more

To find out more about how you could use technology to make your workplace safer, visit our COVID-19 solutions page. Alternatively, contact a member of our team for help and advice on your IoT project.

Get Started with Alliot’s IoT Starter Packs

Here at Alliot, we know that it’s not always straight forward to adopt new technologies. The Internet of Things provides an endless amount of possibilities, but realising the actual capabilities can be a hurdle for some. We’ve developed a new range of IoT starter kits all designed to help you gain that all important seal of approval.

Created with local authorities in mind, our Smart Town and City IoT starter packs have been carefully constructed to enable you to illustrate the benefits IoT can bring to your applications. Covering areas such as air quality monitoring, irrigation, pest control and people/traffic counting our packs are ideal for those looking to get started in IoT, helping you to quickly demonstrate the possibilities LoRaWAN® can bring to your projects.

Available in three different variants, our IoT starter packs consist of the following hardware.

  Smart Town and City Bronze IoT Starter Pack
BRONZE
Smart Town and City Silver IoT Starter Pack
SILVER
Smart Town and City Gold IoT Starter Pack
GOLD
Occupancy
Air Quality
(Indoor)

(Indoor)

(Outdoor)
Pest Control
Smart Parking
Smart Utilities
Smart Parks
Smart Waste
Flood Alert
Asset Tracking
Legionella Monitoring
Gateway
(Indoor)

(Outdoor)

(Outdoor)

All of our Smart Town and Cities IoT Starter Packs are supplied with 3 months access to Kerlink’s Wanesy Management Centre and 3 months complimentary use of City Nexus’ visualisation tool*.

*Use of City Nexus’ dashboard service after initial 3 month introductory offer will be charged annually on a license-based service.

What does LoRaWAN® offer to Smart Towns & Cities?

LoRaWAN® networks are now widely available across many towns and cities throughout the world. These networks are accessible to all and offer a low power, wide area network meaning the sensors you deploy can transmit data to connected gateways over an area of up to 10 kms. This enables you to deploy various sensors throughout your area. Your deployed sensors could be monitoring different parameters, but they can all communicate to the same gateway. Recorded data is then transmitted via a LoRaWAN® network to your chosen analytics dashboard. From the dashboard, you can then visualise the data, identify potential issues and action the appropriate response.

What’s more, LoRaWAN® devices can be integrated with your existing infrastructure without the need to run expensive cabling – minimising disruption.

Data recorded by LoRaWAN® IoT Sensors can be used by local authorities to:

  • Raise alerts to unusual patterns in data eg. air pollution levels.
  • Improve operational efficiencies and streamline processes such as waste management programmes.
  • Make more informed decisions and allow different departments to collaborate and share information securely.
  • Create a reliable, automated process to ensure data records are always maintained and kept up to date.

The Benefits of IoT Starter Packs

IoT Starter kits are a great way to quickly demonstrate and test your IoT solutions before scaling them to fit your projects. Compiled of industry leading hardware and access to a visualisation platform, our proof of concept kits are an excellent place to get started. Along with our Smart Town and City starter packs, we also offer a range of proof of concept kits and can work with you to develop your very own bespoke solution.

Ready to Scale Your Solution? We’re Here to Help.

Our expert team are on hand to assist you every step of the way. From proof of concept, to sensor suitability and deployment, our specialists can help you to bring your IoT projects to life.

Our experts are on hand to help you every step of the way
Lets talk

Using the Kentix SmartXcan with Access Control Systems

The Kentix SmartXcan has been helping to keep our team safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Paired with an access control system, you too can create a smart solution which can limit access for people whom’s body temperature may be higher, helping to reduce the risk of transmission. We’ve taken a look at access control systems and how the Kentix SmartXcan can integrate with your existing infrastructure.

Buildings have made use of access control systems for decades. Hospitals, care homes, apartment blocks, office buildings, public buildings, anywhere you can think of there is likely an access control system in place. These access control systems are in place to ensure that the right people can access the right areas of a building, and that the wrong people cannot.

However, with the rise of COVID-19, an access control system based only on access permissions may no longer be enough. This is where the new SmartXcan unit from Kentix comes in.

How can the Kentix SmartXcan help?

Because of the pandemic, not only is there now a concern of whether the correct people are allowed access to a building, there is also the concern of whether that person is likely to spread a disease that they are not even aware they are carrying. This is why Kentix have designed the SmartXcan to not only act as a stand-alone unit to advise the user whether or not they have a fever – the first symptom of a viral infection in 90% of cases – but to also integrate with an access control system through its multiple interfaces.

Using anonymous readings via its thermal imaging camera, and deleting them quickly after reading, allows the SmartXcan to be fully GDPR-compliant, and using contactless technology it removes the concern of itself being a surface for COVID-19 to spread.

The SmartXcan can either use webhooks to send a HTTP signal to a network-based access control system whenever it scans someone, or use its digital outputs to wire into a legacy system and say “this person is fine, let them in if they are authorised” or “this person has a fever, do not let them in, even if they are authorised”.

With stock readily available, the Kentix SmartXcan provides an ideal solution to help protect those who are unable to work from home. For assistance with developing your IoT solutions and integrating devices with your existing equipment get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Combat Legionella with IoT

Legionella compliance has long been a legal requirement in commercial buildings. With an increased number of unoccupied premises throughout 2020, it’s predicted that there could be a heightened risk of Legionnaires disease. Discover how we can help you create a remote Legionella monitoring solution with LoRaWAN.

What is Legionella?

Legionnaires, or Legionella disease is a bacteria that grows in stagnant water. A form of pneumonia with symptoms such as: cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. With many commercial buildings currently unoccupied due to Covid-19 Virus, facility and building managers run the risk of returning to contaminated water. Since the water left in the pipes of the building provides the ideal breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Legionella is typically contracted by airborne bacteria and testing for Legionella is a legal requirement for commercial buildings.

There are many factors to take into consideration when assessing the risk of legionella within a building system, say the HSE’s advice. One of which is monitoring the water temperature in all or some parts of the plumbing system. Guidance from the HSE states that water stored at temperatures between 20 – 45°C encourages bacteria growth.

How can IoT help combat Legionella?

Usually the testing for legionella requires manual human interaction, however with IoT you are able to remotely monitor your legionella risk through the use of specialist LoRaWAN sensors. With IoT you can keep accurate records without human error or gaps in the temperature monitoring. There’s also the added bonus that all monitoring and control can be carried out remotely helping to reduce the risk to onsite personnel, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Simply connect the LoRaWAN sensors to the equipment you wish to monitor. This is easily done because of their non invasive nature. Then connect the devices to your LoRaWAN gateway and your user dashboard and that’s it. The IoT sensor will send data straight to your dashboard in timed intervals you have set. These can be changed if your prefer more or less readings in a time frame. Allowing you to visual see the data being collected and take action.

NETVOX R718CK2 LORAWAN 2-GANG THERMOCOUPLE SENSOR

The Netvox LoRaWAN thermocouple temperature sensor measures two points simultaneously to gauge changes in temperature. Two probes are attached to the outside of the desired outlets you would wish to monitor. Readings are then sent to a centralised monitoring system via a LoRaWAN gateway at pre-configured intervals. Allowing you to remotely monitor the temperature to maintain records and monitor the risk of Legionella. Pair with the Strega Smart Valve to remotely control the flow of water.

STREGA SMART VALVE

The Strega Smart Water Valve uses LoRaWAN technology to give you remote control over the operation of valves. With the ability to remotely open or close connected valves, minimising waste and being Legionella compliant are some of the benefits to the Strega Smart Valve. Available in a variety of sizes to fit any and all existing pipe work, the Strega Smart Valve can also come with a separate emitter for difficult and hard to reach areas.

All of our LoRaWAN sensors feature ultra low power consumption as well as extended battery life. Once installed, the IoT system can be configured to alert you to any potential issues that arise in your workplace/premises.

For additional ideas as to how IoT sensors can help to monitor potential risks to your business, why not explore our Covid-19 & beyond solutions

How can IoT help with Ventilation in the Workplace?

Ventilation in the workplace with Alliot Technologies

Ventilation has long been a requirement in the workplace. Now, as we head into winter ventilation is more important than ever in helping to create a COVID-secure workplace. We’ve taken a look at the latest guidance and how LoRaWAN air quality sensors could help.

It’s outlined by the HSE that all workplaces need an adequate supply of fresh air. This is often achieved naturally from doors and windows, or can be controlled through HVAC systems. But, as we enter into the colder months, having windows and doors open is not always practical (least not in the UK!). What’s more, with the added complication of COVID-19, there’s now even more reason to ensure air flow rates are maintained at the recommended rate.

The WHO has reported that HVAC systems can both positively and negatively affect the risk of pathogen spread. Re-circulation of air is not recommended. If air is being circulated, it is recommended that filters are cleaned regularly. This is where IoT can come in.

Meet the enLink Status-AF

Monitor ventilation in the workplace with the enLink Status-AF

The enLink Status-AF LoRaWAN air flow sensor is specially designed to monitor and ensure recommended air flow rates. It can be easily installed into the area you wish to monitor, with no interference to any existing equipment you may have running. Recorded data is then transmitted to your chosen dashboard via a LoRaWAN gateway. Alerts can be pre-configured to be automatically raised if ari flow rates are outside of your set parameters, enabling you to take quick action if it’s required.

Protection Against Your Investment

Despite its importance right now, ventilation in the workplace is here to stay. Using IoT in monitoring your air flow rates can help to create a COVID-secure workplace, but it can also be useful to: