International Light Technologies ILT1000 Supplement

Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
ILT1000 Application Note
Wireless Light-Level Monitoring
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
The affordability, accessibility, and ease of use of wireless technology combined with the All
New ILT1000 enables remote monitoring and measuring for most light measurement
applications. The light meter, monitor & datalogger can be used anywhere a wired or wireless
networ can reach. The ILT1000 ta es advantage of readily available, cost effective, wireless
devices and provides ISO17025 & NIST -traceable UV, VIS & IR light measurements. Wireless
configurations provide users with the necessary flexibility and portability required for
measurements in locations where cables are impractical. The ILT1000 uses a standards-based
USB interface for power and communication and wor s with most new and or existing wireless
networ s.
This application note will describe specific components that were tested at International Light
Technologies (ILT) for single- and multi-point light monitoring. While the paper is focused on
wireless monitoring, the same principles apply to wired-Ethernet monitoring.
Disclaimer: The application note below describes ILT’s experience integrating 3rd-party devices
with its ILT1000. ILT has no affiliation with these companies, and does not provide any
warranty, guarantee for fit and function, or support of the products below.
Wireless Configurations
Two configurations developed and tested to achieve wireless light-monitoring are described in
the table and figures below.
Configuration Wireless “Path” Key Benefits
Wireless-to-USB Bridge Monitoring server, wirelessly
tal ing to existing networ ,
wirelessly tal ing to USB
bridge, wired to ILT1000’s
- Simple integration into
existing wireless networ .
- 4 USB Ports on the
Wireless-to-USB device
eliminates the need for a
USB hub.
Wired-to-USB Bridge Monitoring computer,
wirelessly tal ing to new or
existing networ , connected
via wired-Ethernet cable to
USB bridge, wired to
ILT1000’s.
- Allows installation of
new/dedicated wireless
networ
-“Travel Routers” provide
small footprint for adding
wireless connectivity to
multiple ILT1000’s that are
not close to each other.
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
text for item (1) of Step 2, however, indicates connection between the HMPS2U and “an
available LAN Port on your networ router.” When following the text, and not the picture, the
installation proceeds as documented and is fairly simple. Of course, access to your networ
router is a requirement. Other notables during installation:
1. The installation calls for a wired Ethernet connection for the initial configuration, but an
Ethernet cable is not provided in the pac age.
2. A reboot is required after installation.
3. The tested configuration included Software Version 2.23 and Driver Version 1.71.25.
Both of these were found via the Haw ing Control Center (HCC) “About” menu.
After following the installation steps, including connecting of USB devices (three ILT1000’s in this
example), the HCC software automatically discovers the ILT1000’s and presents the screen
below in Figure 3.
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
Figure 3. Haw ing Control Center. Devices discovered but not connected.
The ILT1000’s show up based on their interface, which utilizes the Texas Instruments XDS100
protocol. While HCC discovers the devices automatically, it does not automatically connect to
them. Note that HCC also displays printer icons as opposed to something more generic for the
ILT1000’s. To connect to an ILT1000, the particular device is selected as shown below. This
enables the “Connect” icon. It also enables the “Networ Scanner” button, but this control
serves no purpose for the ILT1000.
Figure 4. Device selected and Connect icon activated.
After selecting the “Connect” icon, HCC shows the device as connected.
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
Figure 5. Device connected.
After manually connecting the remaining two devices, all show as connected (Figure 6) and all
show up within Windows Device Manager as USB-to-Serial devices (Figure 7).
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
Error Handling Condition Result
Wireless access point goes out of
range
When the monitoring computer was moved out of the
wireless networ range, while actively accessing the
ILT1000 devices, the HMPS2U required power-cycling to
properly re-identify the ILT1000 devices. This monitoring
computer did not experience any errors or reboot
requirements, but HCC needed to be run after power
cycling the HMPS2U to reconnect the devices. Under
normal conditions, based on accessing the HMPS2U via
the existing wireless networ , this condition should not
occur normally. Nonetheless it is recommended that
system design ensures wireless networ range is
maintained.
Monitoring station/computer returns
from power down mode.
HCC finds the devices, but requires manual “Connect”
action on each device before connection can be
reestablished.
Reboot of the monitoring
station/computer.
HCC finds the devices, but requires manual “Connect”
action on each device before connection can be
reestablished.
Summary:
- Pros
oWor s as advertised, providing robust wireless-to-USB bridging and supporting the
ILT1000.
oSimple installation and setup, after ma ing initial connection to the router and not a
laptop as depicted in the instructions.
oFairly good speed (multiple readings per second when interfacing to 3 ILT1000’s)
through the wireless interface.
- Cons
oDevices, other than printers, cannot be auto-connected upon reboot or return from
low-power modes.
Wired-to-USB Bridge Configuration
For all configurations below, testing was performed on a Windows 8.1 system.
The Wired-to-USB Bridge configuration testing was performed as illustrated in Figure 2 above
and reiterated below in Figure 10 (showing the TP-LINK TL-WR702N as the wireless router). In
this configuration, the monitoring computer is tal ing to a new or existing wireless networ ,
which has a wired connection to a USB bridge.
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
Wireless Range
Testing wireless range is very dependent on the environment. In a typical office and light
manufacturing environment this solution showed a range in excess of 100 feet / 30 meters.
Error Handling
Three types of error handling scenarios were tested for each of the wireless configurations. The
TL-WR702N results are as follows:
Error Handling Condition Result
Wireless access point goes out
of range
During this testing, a system restart was forced (Windows 8
equivalent of a BSOD) upon leaving the wireless range while
accessing the NUS device. This is li ely a driver issue related
to use on Windows 8. Past testing has demonstrated the
behavior on Windows XP, but not on Windows 7. This is
li ely an issue related to the combination of system, OS-
version, and driver. If the wireless range is lost and re-gained
while the NUS device is not being accessed, the restart does
not occur. The wor around is to ensure that wireless
connectivity is maintained while accessing the NUS device.
Monitoring station/computer
returns from power down mode.
With “Connect Device Automatically” is selected (See Figure
15), the ILT1000 is automatically connected when returning
from low-power mode.
Reboot of the monitoring
station/computer.
With “Connect Device Automatically” is selected (See Figure
15), the ILT1000 is automatically connected upon start-up or
reboot.
Summary:
- Pros
oWor s as advertised, with the combination of the wireless router and Ethernet-USB
Bridge providing robust wireless-to-USB bridging and supporting the ILT1000.
oCan be configured to automatically re-connect ILT1000’s after reboot and return
from low-power modes.
oSimple installation and setup.
o1 reading/second sampling, which is li ely good enough for most remote monitoring
applications.
- Cons
oEach Monoprice/Winstars NUS device can handle a maximum of 4 USB devices
connected to it. To expand beyond 4, multiple NUS devices are required.
oPotential system restart requirement, based on the specific configuration tested,
while accessing the USB device when networ connectivity is lost.
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Wireless Light-Level Monitoring ILT1000
Wireless access point goes out of
range
During this testing, a system restart was forced (Windows 8
equivalent of a BSOD) upon leaving the wireless range
while accessing the NUS device. This is li ely a driver issue
related to use on Windows 8. Past testing has
demonstrated the behavior on Windows XP, but not on
Windows 7. This is li ely an issue related to the
combination of system, OS-version, and driver. If the
wireless range is lost and re-gained while the NUS device is
not being accessed, the restart does not occur. The
wor around is to ensure that wireless connectivity is
maintained while accessing the NUS device.
Monitoring station/computer
returns from power down mode.
With “Connect Device Automatically” is selected (See
Figure 15), the ILT1000 is automatically connected when
returning from low-power mode.
Reboot of the monitoring
station/computer.
With “Connect Device Automatically” is selected (See
Figure 15), the ILT1000 is automatically connected upon
start-up or reboot.
Summary:
- Pros
oWor s as advertised, with the combination of the wireless router and Ethernet-USB
Bridge providing robust wireless-to-USB bridging and supporting the ILT1000.
oCan be configured to automatically re-connect ILT1000’s after reboot and return
from low-power modes.
oSimple installation and setup.
o1 reading/second sampling, which is li ely good enough for most remote monitoring
applications.
- Cons
oEach Monoprice/Winstars NUS device can handle a maximum of 4 USB devices
connected to it. To expand beyond 4, multiple NUS devices are required.
oPotential system restart requirement, based on the specific configuration tested,
while accessing the USB device when networ connectivity is lost.
Conclusion
The ILT1000’s industry-standard USB interface, combined with the many networ -to-USB
bridging solutions on the mar et, allows simple, low-cost methods to create wireless light-level
monitoring solutions. This capability opens up the possibility for robust, continuous monitoring
and alerting, particularly in applications where environmental safety may be compromised by
light levels that are either too low or too high.
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