Efento HC5 User manual

Efento
NB-IoT wireless logger
(Model HC5)
User manual
FW v 06.01
23.02.2021

Efento SP. J.
Ul.Krupnicza 14/5
31-123 Kraków
Table of contents
Table of contents 1
Product overview 2
Product description 2
Physical dimensions 4
Operating Modes 4
LEDs 5
Getting started 5
SIM card 5
Battery 5
Logger’s startup 6
Configuration 7
Configuration with Efento Cloud 7
Configuration with a custom server 8
Device settings 11
Logger status 17
Cellular status 17
Battery status 18
Installation mode 18
Software updates 19
Troubleshooting 19
Appendices 20
Security 20
Power saving features 20
Data usage 21
Battery life 21
Qualification and approvals 23
European Union regulatory compliance 23
Compliance with the RoHS directive 23
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Product overview
Product description
Efento NB-IoT loggers transmit the data over cellular networks (Narrowband IoT) and do not require
any additional devices (router, gateway, etc.). Loggers are also equipped with Bluetooth Low
Energy interface, which allows quick and easy configuration with a smartphone.
Loggers measure a number of parameters, including temperature, humidity, air pressure, soil moisture,
state (open / close), number of pulses (pulse counters), air quality and various gases or water leakage.
Efento NB-IoT loggers communicate over CoAP protocol (RFC 7252) and can be integrated into any
cloud platform or server based solution. Loggers can also work out of the box with Efento Cloud
platform. Devices can be fully managed remotely, including the remote configuration and secure
software over the air (SoTA) updates.
Loggers are battery powered and can operate (depending on the signal quality and transmission
interval) up to 10 years without any maintenance. In case of good signal quality (ECL = 0), the device is
able to transmit the data up to 195 000 times.
Technical data
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Cellular module
3GPP Release 13
Power 23 dBm
NB-IoT bands:
● 8, 20 (PCB antenna)
● 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 28, 66 (u.fl
antenna)
Battery
● Battery pack 3.6V, 4200 mAh (up to 130 000
transmissions in ECL 0, lifetime up to 10 years) (default)
● Battery pack 3.6V, 6300 mAh each (up to 195 000
transmissions in ECL 0, lifetime up to 10 years)
Measured values
Each logger can have up to three slots
Each slot can measure: temperature (internal sensor or probe),
humidity (internal sensor or probe), air pressure, VOC,
open/close, pulse counter, leakage
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Measurement and
transmission intervals
Configurable by user
Measurement interval: 1 minute – 10 days
Transmission interval: 1 minute – 10 days
Memory
60 000 measurements
If there is no network connection, the device buffers the
measurements in its internal memory and transfers them to the
platform once the connection is re-established. Once the memory
is full, the oldest measurements are replaced with the new ones
Communication protocols
CoAP (RFC 7252), supports both confirmable and
non-confirmable data frames
Data is sent in Protocol buffers (protobuf)
Bluetooth Low Energy (for communication with smartphones)
SIM card
Micro SIM (3FF) (default)
Embedded SIM (available on request)
Network settings
APN (auto or manual)
PLMN (auto or manual)
Indicators
(troubleshooting)
LEDs singling the status of the device
Device information, which can be requested by the server
include: signal strength in dBm, total power in dBm, TX power in
dBm, cell ID, ECL, SNR, EARFCN, PCI, RSRQ, total transmitted
bytes, total received bytes, battery voltage, uptime
Diagnostics data, including the network parameters and network
connection status, is also available over Bluetooth
Mechanics
Enclosure material: ABS
Size: 28 x 60 x 124 mm, 110 g
Probes length (for loggers with probes only): by default 1 meter,
other lengths are available on request
Operating range: -35°C to +70°C
Mounting: double side adhesive tape with acrylic glue or 2 x M3
screws
Certifications
CE, RoHS
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Physical dimensions
Operating Modes
Power saving mode (PSM)
This is the mode of the reduced power consumption. The logger takes measurements with a period
set by the user and saves them in its memory. Users can read the measurements and change
logger’s settings using mobile devices with Efento mobile application installed. Device does not
send / receive any data over NB-IoT network.
Transmission mode
In this mode logger sends the data to a server / cloud platform over NB-IoT network. During the
transmission mode the logger consumes more power, but it only stays a few seconds in this mode.
Devices can receive a new configuration in the response sent by the server. Devices enter the
transmission mode for a few reasons, including the periodic transmission of data, user triggered
transmission, transmission due to a threshold exceedance or retransmission.
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In order to save energy, the logger remains in power saving mode most of the time. Communication
with the server is initiated by the logger only for the purpose of sending data and (possibly)
receiving a new configuration from the server.
LEDs
NB-IoT logger is equipped with two LEDs: green and red. If the device is on and works properly
(device is in the Power Saving Mode), both LEDs are turned off all the time. Flashing of the diodes
indicates the current status of the device or the action being performed by it. The LEDs are placed
at the edge of the PCB and are visible through the cuts on the side of the logger housing. LEDs
flashing indicate:
● Single blink of the red LED once every 15 seconds - problems with registering on the
network
● Double blinking of the red LED - communication problem / no coverage (the has registered
on the network). Retransmission mechanism is started: 1st retransmission after 15 minutes,
2nd after 30 minutes, 3rd after 1 hour, 4th after 2 hours, and then every 3 hours
● Two blinks of the green LED - the device has taken a measurement
● Fast blinking of the green LED - Transmission mode - data is sent over the NB-IoT network
● Red and green LEDs blink five times - Device starts up
● Fast blinking of the red LED - Device clears its internal memory (you can see it on the initial
configuration of the device or when changing the measurement interval)
Getting started
SIM card
Efento NB-IoT loggers are available in two options: with a plastic SIM card (micro SIM / 3FF) or an
embedded SIM (on request). The SIM card must support NB-IoT.
If your device has an embedded SIM, you do not need to insert a SIM card. Logger will register on a
network as soon as you power it up.
Micro SIM card holder is placed on the PCB. In order to insert the SIM card you need to open the device
enclosure.
Battery
By default the logger comes with a battery pack 3.6V 4200 mAh.
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CAUTION:
Make sure that the logger is off when inserting the SIM card. Inserting the SIM card
when the device is on may damage the logger!
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Logger’s startup
Once you insert a SIM card, switch on the device - open the enclosure and set the switch in the “ON”
position. On the device startup:
1. Red and green LEDs should blink five times,
2. After that red LED should quickly blink for a few seconds (device clears it’s memory),
3. Green LED should quickly blink for a few seconds (first transmission over NB-IoT network)
From now on, the device operates, takes the measurements and saves them in the memory.
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CAUTION:
Danger of explosion if the battery is incorrectly installed. Replace only with the
same or equivalent type.
Protect the environment! Battery must be recycled or disposed of properly. Follow
your local regulations and guidelines regarding the battery disposal procedure.
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Configuration
Configuration with Efento Cloud
Efento Cloud is a platform that receives and stores all the data collected by the loggers. On Efento
Cloud you can preview all the measurements, export them as a PDF or CSV report and set up
notifications. The key functions of Efento Cloud platform are:
●Displaying the data – measurements from loggers can be visualized in the form of a chart or
table, just click on one of the devices in “Dashboard”. The chart range can be modified by
dragging the cursor vertically and horizontally.
●Generating reports – To generate a report you can either click on one of the loggers, then
“Reports”, select the time interval and entry, then choose to export it as a PDF or CSV, or go to
section “Reports” section and do the same thing. In this section, you can also configure
automatic reports, which will be sent to specified email addresses at the scheduled time (e.g.
every month, every day).
●Rules / notifications – Efento Cloud can send SMS / email notification if the measured values
are out of the safe range. Rules can be created in the “Rules” section. To create a rule, you need
to choose one of the physical values, add recipients by typing their emails or phone numbers,
and select for which loggers this rule will be active. There is also a possibility to delay the alarm
●Alarms – if any of the rules are violated, the alarm will be triggered and saved in the platform. All
the historical alarms are visible in the “Alarms” section.
●User management – In the “Users” section you can invite users to your organization, remove
them or change their roles and permissions.
This is only a short list of key functions of Efento Cloud platform. For more information about the
platform and full configuration manual please refer to Efento Cloud User Manual.
Configuration of Efento NB-IoT loggers is done with Efento mobile application for Android devices that
can be downloaded from Google Play.
1. Set up a new account on cloud.efento.io and create a new organization. If you already have an
account skip this step.
2. Download and install Efento mobile application for Android on your device. When the application
launches for the first time, the user is asked to decide how the application will be used - to
communicate with Efento Cloud or with nearby devices. Select Efento Cloud and log in to your
Efento Cloud account.
3. Tap on the main menu icon (three lines in the upper left corner) and select “Organisation
settings” -> “Add loggers”. Follow the instructions on the screen to configure the logger and add
it to your Organization.
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4. Configure alert rules, which will send you SMS / email notification, if the values measured by the
logger are out of the safe range or if the logger data do not reach the platform. In the Efento
mobile app go to the Main menu and select “Alarm rules” tab, set up the rule and save the
changes.
Configuration with a custom server
Efento NB-IoT loggers send data using the CoAP protocol (RFC 7252 Constrained Application Protocol).
CoAP is a lightweight UDP based data exchange protocol that is one of the standard IoT protocols. The
data is sent in Protobuf format, which, thanks to its low overhead, is also very convenient for sending
data by Internet of Things devices.
Efento loggers can be easily integrated with any server application. Integration allows users to access all
the loggers’ features in their application - this includes both receiving the data from the loggers and
remotely configuring the devices. A detailed description of the data format sent in Protobuf is available in
the "Efento NB-IoT Loggers Integration Manual". We can also provide you with a demo source code,
which you can run on your server in order to communicate with Efento NB-IoT loggers. Should you have
any questions about the integration, please contact our support team.
The initial configuration of Efento NB-IoT loggers is done with Efento mobile application for Android
devices that can be downloaded from Google Play. The application allows you to configure all
parameters of the logger and read the measurements from the logger's memory. After that, the
configuration can be either done locally or remotely, from a server.
After downloading and launching the app select the “Nearby devices” mode, you will see all the loggers
that are in your mobile device’s range.
Tap on the main menu icon (three lines in the upper left corner) and quickly tap Efento ogo 10 times.
This will activate the Power user mode and give you access to full configuration of Efento loggers.
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If you set a rule for the logger (e.g. humidity over 40% RH), the value will be sent to
the logger during the next communication. From that moment on, if the measured
value exceeds the threshold, the logger will send the data to Efento Cloud
immediately, no matter what is the transmission interval.
Activate Power user mode to get access to full configuration options of Efento
loggers. To activate Power user mode, quickly tap 10 times on the Efento logo in
the Efento application main menu.
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Tap on the logger you’re interested in, the app will connect to it and show the logger’s information along
with its current configuration. To open up the settings menu, tap on the „three dots” icon in the upper
right corner.
Tap on “Cellular status” in order to display the current status of the network communication. Check the
value of the “Registration status” field.
If the value is:
● REGISTERED
● REGISTERED ROAMING
The logger has registered on the network. You do not need to change the network settings of the device.
If the value is:
● NOT REGISTERED, SEARCHING
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The logger is still trying to connect to the NB-IoT network. Wait for 5 minutes and check the status again.
It may also be required to manually select the network, on which the device has to register (this is
described in the further steps of this manual)
If the value is:
● REGISTRATION DENIED
● REGISTERED EMERGENCY ONLY
● UNKNOWN
The device is not able to properly register on the network. Contact your mobile operator to identify and
solve the issues. If the device has been rejected by the network, the reason will be listed in the
“Registration reject cause”. Provide your operator with that value, to speed up the troubleshooting.
If the value is:
● NOT REGISTERED_NOT_SEARCHING
Most probably there is no NB-IoT network coverage in the place where the logger is located.
If the device has not registered on the network automatically, you need to manually select the carrier.
Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, go to the “Settings” menu and select “Power user”
-> “PLMN code”. PLMN is an unique operator identifier. You should get the information about the PLMN
code of your operator either from the operator or you can check it here. Set the PLMN code, save
changes and after a few minutes check, if the logger has successfully managed to register on the
network.
In order to allow the logger to communicate with the server, you need to assign it to a proper APN. The
APN (Access Point Name) is the name of a gateway between a mobile network and the public Internet.
APN settings define with what servers the loggers can communicate. You should receive the information
about APN settings along with the SIM card. If you did not receive the APN settings, try setting it to
“Auto” (default settings).
In order to set the APN, connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, go to the “Settings” menu
and select “Power user” -> “APN”.
After successful network registration, the device will fetch the time from the network. From now on, all
the measurements taken by the device will have the timestamp assigned. If for any reasons the device
is not able to fetch the time from the network, it will try to connect to the Efento Cloud platform and get
time from the server. If the connection with the server is also not possible (e.g. device communicates
with a third party server, or APN is configured incorrectly), it is also possible to set the logger’s time
using Efento application.
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Check the required APN and PLMN settings with your mobile operator. If the
settings are not correct the device will not be able to send / receive the data through
the cellular network.
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During the registration process the logger saves the measurements in its volatile memory (RAM), and
after fetching the time from the network, it will assign correct timestamps to the measurements. If the
battery is removed before fetching the time from the network, these measurements will be lost.
If you set both PLMN and APN correctly, but the logger is not able to register on the network or
communicate with the server, please refer to the “Troubleshooting” section of this manual.
Once the logger is successfully registered in the network, you can set the address of the server, to
which the logger will send the data:
1. Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, tap on the three dots in the upper right
corner -> “Power user” -> “Server configuration”
2. Select “Other” and key in the address and port of the server, to which the data should be sent
3. If you want to, you can use the “Organisation token” field to send additional information to the
server (e.g. API token). Optionally, you can set the logger to send its IMEI to the server. To
switch that option on, select the checkbox “IMEI as token”.
Device settings
All the settings of Efento loggers described in this chapter can be also done remotely, from the server. In
order to get the information how to configure the device remotely, please refer to “Efento Cloud User
Manual” or to “Efento NB-IoT Loggers Integration Manual”.
Rules
Users can set up to twelve edge logic rules on the device. Each
rule is an “if condition is met, trigger an action” statement.
Moreover, it is possible to add some mathematical operations to
the conditions and build statements like “If the average value of
the last five measurements is over...”. Rules are used to limit the
number of transmissions done by a device and increase the
battery life time.
Available conditions:
●Above threshold - if a measurement taken by the logger
is lower than the threshold value, the transmission to the server
will be triggered. It is possible to set hysteresis for this type of
condition
●Below threshold - if a measurement taken by the logger
is higher than the threshold value, the transmission to the server
will be triggered. It is possible to set hysteresis for this type of
condition
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●Differential threshold - if the absolute value of the difference between the current measurement
and the last measurement sent to the server, the transmission to the server will be triggered
Users can also set the logger to calculate the average value out
of a few measurements and compare this value to the
differential threshold value. This feature is used to reduce the
effect of measurement fluctuation. For example, a user can set
the logger to compute the average value of five temperature
measurements, and check if the difference between the last
sent measurement and the average value is larger than 0,5 C.
There are two modes for the average value calculation:
● Moving average mode - device calculates the average
value out of the last N samples. If there is a new measurement,
it is taken to the average value calculation instead of the oldest
one. Users can define how many measurements should be
taken into the account when calculating the average value. For
instance, if the user set the device to calculate the average
value from the last three samples, the device will calculate the
average value from samples N-2, N-1 and N. Once a new
measurement is taken, the average value will be calculated
from samples N-1, N, N+1.
● Window mode - device calculates the average value
out of the all samples in the window size. The window ‘moves’
once the device has taken a number of measurements equal to
the window size. Users can define how many measurements
should be taken into the account when calculating the average
value. For instance, if the user set the device to calculate the
average value from the last three samples, the device will
calculate the average value from samples N-2, N-1 and N. The
new average value will be calculated as soon as the device has
taken three new measurements (N+1, N+2, N+3).
In order to set the values:
1. Connect to the logger, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner -> “Power user” -> “Rules”
2. Select one of the rules slots. All slots are treated equally, so it does not matter to which slot you
assign the new rule. Each time a device takes a measurement, it checks if any of the rules is
violated.
3. Select the condition type, channel (if a device measures e.g. temperature and humidity you can
set the rule for one of the channels), threshold value, hysteresis, average mode. This parameters
define the rule’s conditions
4. Set the action type (right now, the only possible action is “Trigger transmission”. Other action
types will be added in the future)
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If you want to remove a rule, tap on it, set the Condition to “Disabled” and save the settings.
Measurement interval
Measurement interval defines how often the logger takes a measurement. It is possible to set the
measurement interval to any value from 1 minute to 10 days. Changing the measurement period does
not remove measurements from the device’s memory by default.
In order to change the measurement interval:
1. Connect to the logger, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner -> “Change measurement
period”
2. Set the new measurement interval and save changes
In order to change the measurement interval and remove all the measurements from the device’s
memory:
1. Connect to the logger, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner -> “Change measurement
period”
2. Set the new measurement interval, select “Clear memory” and save changes
Transmission interval
With this parameter you can set how often the logger sends data to Efento Cloud platform or a server.
You can set any value from 5 minutes to 10 days. The maximum value of the transmission interval
depends on the measurement interval - it can be set to 60 times the measurement interval (e.g.
measurement interval = 1 minute, transmission interval can be set to any value from 5 minutes to 60
minutes).
If the logger works with Efento Cloud, the platform informs the user, when the new data from the device
is expected.
Additionally, it is possible to configure how often the message sent by the logger requires confirmation of
receipt by the server (ACK). If the ACK is not received by the logger, it will retransmit the data to the
server. The confirmation frame (ACK) is used also to send a new configuration to the device.
Type of messages sent by the loggers depend on the use case. If your use case requires all the
messages to reach the server, then you should set the logger to always require the ACK. If your use
case is not critical, and you are aware that some data frames can be lost, you can set the device to
require the confirmation less often (e.g. every 24 hours). This will increase the battery lifetime, as the
device stays in the transmission mode for less time.
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Logger stores up to 60 000 measurements in its memory. In case of any issues that block the
communication between logger and server (network issue, server issue, etc.), if the ACKs are enabled,
the logger will resent the missing data to the server.
In order to set the transmission interval:
1. Connect to the logger, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner -> “Advanced” -> “Sending
interval”
2. Set the new transmission interval - remember that it can’t be less than measurement interval and
more than 60 times the measurement interval
3. Set the ACK interval. You can set it to:
a. Always - every data frame sent by the logger will require the ACK form the server. If the
data has not reached the server, it will be retransmitted once the connection is
reestablished
b. Every - you can set how often the device should require the ACK from the server (e.g.
every 3rd transmission, every 24th transmission). This is a good balance between making
sure the data reaches the server and battery lifetime
Transfer limit
Efento NB-IoT logger allows you to limit the number of transmissions in a given period of time. For
instance, you can set the device to be able to send the data maximum 5 times in a 30 minutes window.
This feature allows you to control the battery life time in an environment, in which the small fluctuations
of the measurements would trigger the transmision very often. By default this function is disabled (there
is no transfer limit set).
You can set up two parameters of the transfer limit function: number of transmissions (N) and time
period (T). After each successful transmission a transmission counter increments by 1. The counter
decrements every time period (T). If a transmission is triggered, but the counter is equal or greater than
the set number of transmissions (N), the communication with the server is blocked, until the counter
derements to a value below the number of transmissions (N). This applies only to regular transmissions
and threshold triggered transmissions. Transmission triggered over Bluetooth will always be sent to the
server.
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Do not set the ACK interval to more than once every 24 hours. Device gets new
configuration from the server in the ACK frames
In order to make sure that all the measurements reach the server, set the ACK
interval to “Always”. In case of any transmission issues, the logger will try to
resend the data until it succeeds.
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In order to set the transfer limit:
1. Connect to the logger, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner -> “Power user” -> “Transfer
limit”
2. Enable the transfer limit and key in the number of transmissions and the time period for the
transfer limit function
Bluetooth turn off time
You can set up the logger to automatically switch off the Bluetooth interface after a selected period of
time. This increases the battery lifetime but you will not be able to connect with the logger and change
its configuration with your mobile device. By default the Bluetooth interface is always on.
If the Bluetooth has been turned off, in order to enable it you either need to restart the device (switch it
off, wait for 10 seconds and switch it on again) or turn it on remotely, from the server.
In order to set the Bluetooth turn off time:
1. Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, tap on the three dots in the upper right
corner -> “Power user” -> “BLE turn off time”
Encryption (Bluetooth)
Enabling the encryption will result in encrypting the data sent by the logger over Bluetooth Low Energy
interface. The encrypted data sent by the logger can only be decrypted by a device with the encryption
key.
This feature is useful, if you need to be sure that only the authorized personnel can read the data over
Bluetooth interface. Users who do not know the encryption key, will not be able to read the data.
In order to set the encryption key:
1. Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, tap on the three dots in the upper right
corner -> “Advanced” -> “Turn encryption on”
2. Key in the encryption key. Make sure you write it down as you will need to add it in mobile
devices that will access the logger data
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If you enable the transfer limit, the device may not be able to send the data to the
server, even if an alarm threshold has been exceeded!
If the logger communication is encrypted, only devices with a proper encryption key can read its
measurements (right). Devices without the encryption key are not able to read the data (left)
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3. From now on, the communication is encrypted. You will need to add the encryption key in Efento
in order to see the data sent by the logger
In order to switch the encryption off:
1. Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, tap on the three dots in the upper right
corner -> “Advanced” -> “Turn encryption off”
If the encryption has been turned on, once you try to connect to the logger with Efento mobile
application, you will be asked to key in the encryption key. Once you add it, the application will store the
encryption key and you will be able to access the logger without adding it again.
Efento mobile application allows you to add up to five default encryption keys. If a logger communication
is encrypted with any of the added keys, Efento mobile application will automatically decrypt the data.
This is useful for managing a fleet of loggers.
In order to add a default encryption key in Efento mobile application:
1. Enter the application settings (menu icon in the upper left corner -> “Configuration”)
2. Select “Default keys”
3. Press “Add encryption key” button
4. Add the encryption key and its label
If you want to delete an encryption key:
1. Enter the application settings (menu icon in the upper left corner -> “Configuration”)
2. Select “Default keys”
3. Tap and hold the encryption key you want to remove
Device time
In order to operate properly, Efento NB-IoT logger has to set its internal time. After successful network
registration, the device will automatically fetch the time from the network. From now on, all the
measurements taken by the device will have the timestamp assigned. If for any reasons the device is
not able to fetch the time from the network, it will try to connect to the Efento Cloud platform and get time
from the server. If the connection with Efento Cloud is also not possible (e.g. device communicates with
a third party server, or APN is configured incorrectly), it is also possible to set the logger’s time using
Efento Logger application.
In order to set the time:
1. Connect to the logger with Efento mobile application, tap on the three dots in the upper right
corner -> “Power user” -> “Device time”
2. Logger will get the time from your mobile device. If the time set on your mobile phone is wrong,
the logger will also has wrong time settings
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Logger synchronizes the time settings with the network every time it communicates. If you manually set
the time and the logger will be able to fetch the time from the network, it will overwrite the manual
settings.
Logger status
Efento loggers collect information about its current status. This information is useful for troubleshooting
and solving the connectivity issues. Information about current logger status can be accessed with Efento
Logger application or remotely, from the server. If you want to integrate Efento loggers into your cloud /
server platform and want to receive the information about the logger status, please refer to “Efento
NB-IoT loggers integration manual”.
Cellular status
Current device’s cellular status can be checked in the “Cellular status” tab (connect to the logger ->
three dots in the upper right corner -> “Cellular status”). In the tab, you can see the following information:
●Supported technologies - what celular technologies are supported by the device. There are two
options: NB-IoT or NB-IoT & LTE-M
●Current technology - what technology is currently in use. For NB-IoT only loggers it will always
be NB-IoT, For NB-IoT & LTE-M logger, current technology depends on the technology which is
currently in use. Devices automatically switch between technologies, depending on the inserted
SIM card
●Registration status - indicates current network communication status:
○ REGISTERED - registered to the network - this is typical status of the device;
○ NOT REGISTERED, SEARCHING - not registered to the network, searching for it - this
status may be seen during device power up, when it did not manage to attach to the
network yet;
○ NOR REGISTERED_NOT_SEARCHING - not registered to the network, not searching
for it - this status is seen mainly, if there is no network coverage;
○ REGISTRATION DENIED - network did not allow device to register
○ REGISTERED ROAMING - if the device is registered in roaming
○ REGISTERED EMERGENCY ONLY
○ UNKNOWN - all the other states
●Registration reject cause - if the device is not able to register to the network, the cause is
displayed in this field. Reject causes are described in 3GPP TS 24.301 Annex A
●Signal strength - strength of the signal
●Communication status - describing current status of communication with the server. Possible
statuses: OK, server error, encoding error, socket error, timeout, mismatch, unauthorized,
unexpected error, not registered, not supported
●IMEI - IMEI number of the cellular module
● ICCID - ICCID of the SIM card in the device
●IP address - current IP address of the device
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●ECL - ECL level. This parameter is a good indicator of the signal quality. The lower, the better.
ECL 1 or 2 may significantly reduce the battery life
●Cell ID - ID of the cell in to which the device is connected
●Last communication timestamp - timestamp of the last successful communication. All the
information on this card is refreshed during the communication / self check.
●Last status check timestamp - timestamp of the last self check. Self checks are performed on
the startup or may be performed on server’s demand. All the information on this card is refreshed
during the communication / self check.
Battery status
Efento loggers will inform you about the low battery level both on Efento Cloud platform and in Efento
Logger mobile application. Once a “low battery” status shows up, you will have 2-3 months to replace
the battery.
Efento loggers allow you to get the detailed information about the battery voltage and operation
parameters. In order to get the detailed battery parameters, connect to the logger with Efento mobile
application -> three dots in the upper right corner -> “Battery status”.
You can get the following information:
●Battery status - information if the battery has to be replaced (“LOW”) or not (“OK”)
●Battery Voltage - current voltage of the battery in mV
●MCU temperature - current temperature of the processor
●MCU min temperature - lowest temperature of the processor
●MCU max temperature - highest temperature of the processor
●Battery min voltage - lowest voltage of the battery
●Battery reset timestamp - beginning of the battery monitoring period
Installation mode
In the installation mode, the device continuously communicates with the network and Efento Cloud for
300 seconds (5 minutes), refreshing the signal strength and connection parameters. Starting the
installation mode allows you to check whether the logger correctly logs into the network and whether the
signal strength of the NB-IoT network is sufficient for the correct operation of the logger. Launching the
installation mode is not required for the correct device configuration. After starting installation mode, the
user can check:
●Seconds left - the number of seconds remaining until automatic exit from the installation mode
●Signal strength - NB-IoT signal strength in tenths of dBm. -120 is taken as the extreme value. If
the signal strength is below this value, the device may regularly lose connection and not be able
to correctly send data to the server
●Signal Quality - parameter defining the signal quality
●Last data fetch Timestamp - date and time of the last communication with the network. All
parameters related to communication with the network have been refreshed at this time
●Registration Status - network connection status. There are three possible statuses:
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○ REGISTERED - registered on the network
○ NOT REGISTERED SEARCHING - not registered on the network, trying to find the
network and register on it.
○ NOT REGISTERED NOT SEARCHING - not registered on the network, does not try to
search for the network and register to it. If the logger cannot register on the network for
any reasons (e.g. poor signal quality, SIM card error), this status will appear after several
unsuccessful registration attempts
●Ping status - information if the logger is able to reach Efento Cloud platform. Ping status allows
you to verify the correct configuration of the APN - if the device is connected to the network, but
does not communicate with the platform, it is most likely caused by a wrong APN configuration
●Firmware Version - logger’s software version
Software updates
Logger software can be updated in two ways:
●Remotely (Software Over The Air) - the Efento team, after preparing and testing the new
software version, can remotely update the software on all connected loggers. The software
update is done by sending to the logger only the difference between the new software version
and the current version. Thanks to this, the consumption of battery and data transmission during
the update is limited, which extends the working time of the logger. This type of update does not
require any action on the user side and is done in a way that does not have any impact on the
operation of the device.
●Locally - wirelessly using Efento Logger mobile application. This update method is mainly used
to upload test software versions provided by the Efento technical support team. To update
senor’s software locally connect to the logger with Efento mobile application -> three dots in the
upper right corner -> “Advanced” -> “Update firmware from a file”.
Troubleshooting
Logger doesn’t switch on
If red and green diodes keep blinking, it means that the logger is in reset loop due to the low voltage of
the battery. To solve this problem replace the battery pack with a new one.
Logger doesn’t send the data
If the logger is taking measurements, and they are visible in Efento Logger, but it doesn’t send the data
to Efento Cloud please check:
● SIM card – make sure that SIM card is active and dedicated for NB-IoT / LTE-M devices
● Range – make sure that there is NB-IoT / LTE-M coverage in the place where you want to use
the logger
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