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Reserve Your Seat TodayThink about this: a temperature alarm monitoring system isn't just another tool - it's your frontline defense for managing heat levels at all your remote sites. With the power of a telemetry unit, you're not just monitoring temperatures; you're making sure your entire system operates efficiently, no matter how many locations you're managing.
When it comes to computer systems and maintaining the "cold chain" in food supply logistics, "too much heat" is often the biggest culprit. That's why temperature monitoring systems are a must-have for both IT setups and industrial operations. But don't overlook the flip side - "too cold" can be just as problematic, causing frozen pipes or equipment failures in colder climates.
Temperature monitoring equipment is your protection against heat buildup at critical telecom locations - such as huts and network nodes - by providing continuous oversight. Pairing this with an advanced telemetry unit takes things a step further, delivering real-time alerts for sudden temperature changes before they escalate. And it's not just for rugged industrial sites - temperature monitoring systems are equally vital in IT environments like server rooms and data centers. A centralized temperature monitoring setup allows you to stay on top of critical temperatures at every site housing your essential computer gear.
When evaluating temperature monitoring systems, the first thing to nail down is the type of sensor you'll use to track room temperature. Paired with a telemetry unit, these sensors can deliver precise, actionable data that keeps you ahead of potential issues. Analog sensors often outshine digital ones because they provide real-time, continuous readings across a full temperature range. Digital sensors, on the other hand, can only indicate whether the temperature has crossed a preset threshold - leaving you in the dark about just how much it has fluctuated beyond that point.
For most scenarios, analog sensors are the go-to choice for setting up an effective environmental monitoring system. When paired with a telemetry unit, they take monitoring to the next level, providing precise, real-time temperature readings and unmatched reliability. With analog sensors, you can check exact temperatures at any time, giving you complete control. Digital sensors, while more limited, do have their place - particularly for sending alerts when a specific threshold is breached. If budget constraints are a concern, even a basic digital temperature sensor is far better than having no monitoring system at all.
Related Temperature Control Monitoring System Equipment:
- Remote Temperature Sensors, Humidity Sensors, and other sensors
- Vaisala - Network Temperature and Humidity Sensor
- NetGuardian 832A (Large RTU to support multiple temperature sensors and other equipment alarms)
- TempDefender IT (Compact alarm remote designed for server rooms and data centers)
To get the threshold temp alert capability, you need to select the right alarm remote to link your sensors from your remote site to your central office. A telemetry unit serves as a critical bridge in these systems, making sure your sensors' data is transmitted effectively. Network-based temperature monitoring bridges the gap between your sensors, which communicate with analog or discrete contact closures, and your central office.
Actually, a remote terminal unit (RTU) can send temperature monitoring system email alerts to other locations if your company doesn't have a 24x7 network operations center. With a remote telemetry unit, you can receive immediate notifications for critical temperature changes. Whenever your NOC is offline, advanced RTUs will send you temperature alerts through email or text messages.
If your NOC center is open, your RTU can send a protocol-based alert directly to your central master station (commonly an SNMP manager). This telemetry unit setup allows for rapid response to temperature-related issues. Your monitoring team is then able to assess the urgency of the temperature threat quickly. From there, you'll know when to deploy the right personnel or take the appropriate remote action.
There are sensors that can be powered directly from your RTU. Some RTUs have a small stereo jack port that supports an external sensor. These sensors integrate with your telemetry unit for efficient temperature monitoring. To the untrained eye, your RTU may have a 7-10 foot wire plugged into it. On the far end of that wire, however, is actually a tiny analog temperature sensor that is entirely powered by the RTU.
You can also use direct single-wire - "D-Wire" - temperature sensors that use one wire to transmit both communication and deliver sensor power. What's more, these sensors are daisy-chainable, allowing you to create one long temperature monitoring circuit. This setup maximizes the functionality of your telemetry unit, enabling multi-location monitoring. A single RTU input port remotely monitors multiple sensors in this way, allowing you to monitor temperature at several locations within a site.
Another option when using industry-standard external temperature sensors (0-5V or 4-20mA) is to select an RTU that has a built-in 12V power supply. This is the voltage that most external sensors require. A telemetry unit with this capability enhances the versatility of your system for temperature monitoring. Choosing this type of RTU is convenient because you eliminate the need to separately wire and power your sensor.
Running a giant external power transformer brick is a silly proposition when powering a little sensor. Most of the time, your power brick will be much larger than the sensor it powers. You can do much better when building your temperature monitoring system.
You should also consider wireless temperature sensors, which are useful when:
As you can see, RTUs can vary in quality quite a bit depending on the choices you make while researching and purchasing equipment. The sensor-power capabilities of your RTU are important, but there are many other considerations you need to make to select the perfect RTU.
You need to choose a remote temperature monitoring system that has the sensor capacity you need. If you just need to monitor one heat sensor, there's little sense in purchasing a remote with dozens of sensor inputs.
Of course, buying a remote with the exact capacity, or less capacity than you need is even worse. We always recommend buying an RTU with slightly more capacity than what's needed at the time. You never know when you'll want to monitor something else at your site.
We really should spend some time looking at a specific temperature monitoring system offering from a contemporary manufacturer.
Let's begin by reviewing an RTU that's built to handle server rooms, data closets and even telecom environments - the TempDefender IT. It's a small RTU that includes the "D-Wire" sensor interface described above.
While it supports up to 16 sensors total, it's also a good value with just a few sensors because of its daisy chain capability. If you only need a few sensors, you only need to purchase a few sensors. The RTU remains a good value with just a small number of sensors.
If you'd like your temperature monitoring system to call you when alarms occur, there's another small remote you should consider: the NetGuardian LT. This RTU will call your phone (either cellular or landline) whenever a temperature situation demands your attention. If you have just a few areas to monitor, this is a one-box approach to a temperature monitoring system. As you'd expect, the NetGuardian LT is also one of the most cost-effective remotes.
If you have a lot of sites that require temperature monitoring, you'll be much better served to select a larger RTU like the NetGuardian 832A. With 32 digital inputs and 8 analog inputs, it has the capability to monitor most large sites.
To help you better understand how temperature monitoring systems work, let's take a look at a project from DPS Telecom's recent history.
One day recently, Evan called in looking for a small RTU. He had 1-4 sites that needed to be covered by environment monitoring. Evan needed about 8 discrete alarms points, 3 control relays, and 1 serial port for COM port redirect. He also wanted 1-4 generic analog inputs (for collecting sensor data from temperature sensors and other sensors).
A big issue for Evan was windshield time, the hours that technicians spend traveling to and from remote sites. For Evan's company, some sites were up to two hours away from the central office. This was a problem because it led to huge fuel consumption and extra working hours for techs.
Evan had a couple of sites that were solar powered with backup generators. The generators would run whenever the solar panels did not create enough electricity. The generators eventually started having problems when they had to switch on and off a couple of times a day.
If the generator did not start, they would have the inverter cut out. This would prevent the batteries from draining to the point of damage. This would cause the site to go down.
We received this email from Evan, describing more of his need a temperature monitoring system:
"This is a remote communications site with a microwave link and Ethernet connection to our own intranet. Likely power the unit off 110 VAC, though we might prefer to put in a DC-DC converter off the +48 VDC bank unless your unit will run off as high as +60 VDC. Site is solar powered with 4 Outback charge controllers, 4,000 Ah of batteries, 15 KVA of Outback inverters and a 30 KVA generator.
We would want to monitor:
Control via relays:
Nice to have:
Sincerely, Evan"
Related Topics:
Generator monitoring system project
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