Many organisations have equipment and rooms that need to be monitored so that the customer knows when they are not working correctly or the environment is not ideal, and to be able to show that the system/equipment or room has been working correctly for a period of time.

Typically it has only been IT infrastructure, such as computers and switches, that have been able to be monitored, and then only by IT staff.

Customers need their users to be able to take ownership of ensuring that the equipment or rooms for which they are responsible is working. And this needs to be provided to the users in a cost effective and simple way.

Xacom’s new IP device monitoring allows users to monitor, record, display, report and alarm for a diverse range of applications.

The field devices report over corporate or public WAN and LAN infrastructure to either a database that can be hosted by Xacom or deployed at a customer’s site.

Access to the database is by web browser, and all configuration details including users, monitoring devices, background graphics and reporting can be completed through the one interface.

Should a device detect an event that is out of the configured parameters (such as a fridge being over temperature) then the database will forward an alarm message to the client’s existing messaging system for despatch (or if hosted by Xacom, then we will handle this).

Examples of monitoring:

• Communications rooms (door open, rack/device/room temperature)
• Fridges and/or freezers (door open, over/under temperature)
• Voltage (on/off, over/under voltage)
• Airflow and air temperature (low/high speed, under/over temperature)
• Ambient noise (low/excessive noise levels)
• Water flow and temperature
• Reservoir levels
• Doors

Each monitoring device has a number of monitoring points, so that more than one parameter or piece of equipment can be monitored by a single device. The devices can be configured to monitor analogue or digital inputs, and can include a switched output for local alarming. Naturally, there is a built in alarm for voltage supply.

Each monitoring device changes colour depending on the current state. Green is “All OK”, Red is “In Alarm” and Yellow is “Lost Communications”. The monitoring devices can be configured on a plan, map or other graphic for quick and simple location of devices for a group or building (as an example, all the fridges at a particular site can be laid out on a plan so users can easily see what devices are where and the current status).

Each device can be “drilled into” to get more details of each monitored item, and then each of these can be clicked to provide the user a graph of the last 24 hours monitoring. Should an item which is being monitored exceed the chosen parameters, then an alarm can be sent to the site’s nominated personnel. Alarms can be part of an escalation so repeat messages are sent until the alarm condition is rectified. If an IP monitor device fails to check in with the database within a configurable time or there is a loss of mains power, the system will send an alarm advising the system needs to be checked.

To view a demonstration of the monitoring press here.

User name: demo

Password: demo123