Monnit ALTA MNS2-4-PK-WS-PS User manual

Remote Monitoring for Business
ALTA Water Detection Puck Sensor
USER GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE II
I. ABOUT THE WATER DETECTION PUCK SENSOR 1
II. SENSOR SECURITY 2
SENSOR COMMUNICATION SECURITY 2
DATA SECURITY ON THE GATEWAY 2
iMONNIT SECURITY 2
III. ORDER OF OPERATIONS 3
SETUP STEPS 3
IV. iMONNT AND SENSOR SETUP 4
ADD DEVICE 4
SETUP 4
VALIDATION 5
ACTIONS 5
V. POWERING ON AND PLACEMENT 6
MAGNETIC REED SWITCH 6
ANTENNA ORIENTATION 7
VI. SENSOR OVERVIEW IN iMONNIT 8
MENU SYSTEM 8
READINGS VIEW 9
SETTINGS VIEW 10
VII. ACTIONS OVERVIEW 11
CREATING AN ACTION 11
SUPPORT 15
WARRANTY INFORMATION 15
CERTIFICATIONS 17
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS 19

PAGE 1
I. ABOUT THE WATER DETECTION PUCK SENSOR
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The ALTA Wireless Water Detection Puck Sensor detects the presence and absence of
water. The convenient watertight puck design allows the sensor to be placed anywhere it's
dry or wet. Note: water levels must be ~ 1.6mm high to trigger detection.
SENSOR FEATURES
- Waterproof and fully submersible
- Immediately detects water presence
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The ALTA Wireless Water Detection Puck Sensor detects when water is present by
completing the circuit between the two probe points (exposed stainless-steel metal screw
heads) on the bottom of the puck sensor. When the detection state changes (water present
or absent), the sensor will immediately turn on the radio and transmit the data to the
wireless gateway and the iMonnit Online Sensor Monitoring and Notification System. Once
data is received in iMonnit, the user-configurable notification system can send emails, text
messages, and automated phone calls to alert you to any changes to the sensor. The
sensor detects both presence and absence of water.
ALTA SENSOR FEATURES
- Wireless range of 1,200+ feet through 12+ walls 1
- Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
- Best-in-class interference immunity
- Best-in-class power management for longer battery life 2
- Encrypt-RF®Security (Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange + AES-128 CBC for sensor
data messages)
- Data logs 2000 to 4000 readings if the gateway connection is lost (non-volatile flash,
persists through the power cycle):
- 10-minute heartbeats = 3.5 days
- 2-hour heartbeats = 42 days
- Over-the-air updates (future-proof)
- Free iMonnit Basic Online Wireless Sensor Monitoring and Notification System to
configure sensors, view data, and set alerts to be sent via SMS text and email
- Response time to iMonnit: ~ three seconds
1 Actual range may vary depending on the environment.
2 Battery life is determined by the sensor reporting frequency and other variables. Other power options are also
available.
EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS
- Water heater tank leak monitoring
- Plumbing leak detection
- Data center subfloor water detection
- Water intrusion / flood detection
- Crawl space water intrusion monitoring
- Reservoir / tank-level monitoring

PAGE 2
II. SENSOR SECURITY
The ALTA Water Detection Puck has been designed and built to securely manage data.
Monnit works to ensure your data security is handled with the utmost care. The same
methods utilized by financial institutions to transmit data are also used in Monnit's security
infrastructure. Security features from sensors to gateways include tamper-proof network
interfaces, data encryption, and bank-grade security.
Monnit?s proprietary sensor protocol uses low power and specialized radio equipment to
transmit application data. Wireless devices listening on open communication protocols
cannot eavesdrop on sensors. Packet-level encryption and verification is key to ensuring
data traffic isn?t altered between sensors and gateways. Paired with a best-in-class range
and power consumption protocol, all data is transmitted securely from your devices,
ensuring a smooth, worry-free experience.
SENSOR COMMUNICATION SECURITY
Monnit's sensor-to-gateway, secure wireless tunnel is generated using ECDH-256 (Elliptic
Curve Diffie-Hellman) public key exchange to generate a unique symmetric key between
each pair of devices. Sensors and gateways use this link-specific key to process
packet-level data with hardware-accelerated 128-bit AES encryption, which minimizes
power consumption to provide better battery life. Thanks to this combination, Monnit
proudly offers robust bank-grade security at every level.
DATA SECURITY ON THE GATEWAY
The ALTA Gateways are designed to prevent prying eyes from accessing the data that is
stored on the sensors. Gateways do not run on an off-the-shelf, multi-function operating
system. Instead, they run on a purpose-specific, real-time, and embedded state machine
that cannot be hacked to run malicious processes. There are also no active interface
listeners that can be used to gain access to the device over the network. The fortified
gateway secures your data from attackers and secures the gateway from becoming a relay
for malicious programs.
iMONNIT SECURITY
The iMonnit system is the online software and central hub for configuring your device
settings. All data is secured on dedicated servers operating Microsoft SQL Server. Access
is granted through the iMonnit user interface, or an Application Programming Interface
(API) safeguarded by 256-bit Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.2) encryption. TLS is a
blanket of protection to encrypt all data exchanged between iMonnit and you. The same
encryption is available to you whether you are a Basic or Premiere user of iMonnit. You can
rest assured that your data is safe with iMonnit.

PAGE 3
III. ORDER OF OPERATIONS
It is important to understand the order of operations for activating your device. If done out of
order, your device may have trouble communicating with iMonnit. Please consult the steps
below to make sure you are performing your setup correctly.
SETUP STEPS
1. Register your gateway in iMonnit.
Add sensor(s) and gateway(s) to the same network in iMonnit. The sensor must be on
the same network as the gateway in iMonnit to work properly.
2. Power on the gateway.
After all of the gateways and sensors are registered to the same network in iMonnit,
power on the gateway. If the gateway was already registered on the network and
powered on, press the button on the gateway to force it to pick up a new sensor list or
reform the gateway via iMonnit. (Wait until the gateway clears the reform command
before powering on the sensor.)
3. Power on the sensor.
After the sensor is added and the gateway is communicating with iMonnit, you can
power on the sensor. The ALTA Water Detection Puck comes with a magnetic switch,
which when placed in the correct spot, activates the sensor. See the Setting Up the
Water Detection Puck section for specific details on this process.
4. Position the sensor.
Place the sensor in the desired location within range of the gateway, assemble as
needed, and orient the radio antenna for optimal range.
Note: Each step is covered in more detail in the following sections.

PAGE 4
IV. SETUP AND INSTALLATION
If this is your first time using iMonnit, you will need to create a new account. If you have
already created an account, start by logging into iMonnit. For instructions on how to register
and set up your iMonnit account, please consult the iMonnit user guide.
STEP 1: ADD DEVICE
1. Add the sensor in iMonnit.
Add the sensor to your account by choosing Sensors in the main menu.
Navigate to the Add Sensor button.
2. Find the device ID. See Figure 1.
The Device ID (ID) and Security Code
(SC) are necessary to add a sensor.
These can both be located on the label
on the side of your device.
3. Adding your device. See Figure 2.
You will need to enter the Device ID
and the SC from the sensor in the
corresponding text boxes.
Use the camera on your smartphone to
scan the QR code on your device. If you
do not have a camera on your phone,
or the system is not accepting the QR
code, you may enter the Device ID
and SC manually.
- The Device ID is a unique number
located on each device label.
- Next, you?ll be asked to enter the SC from your device. An SC consists of letters and
must be entered in upper case (no numbers). It can also be found on the barcode
label of your device.
When completed, select the Add Device button.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Desktop Mobile
Select your use case. See Figure 3.
To get up and running fast, your sensor comes
with preset use cases. Choose from the list or
create your own custom settings. You will see
the heartbeat interval, and aware state settings
(see page 10 for definitions) .
Select the Skip button when completed.
STEP 2: SETUP
Figure 3

Check your signal. See Figure 4.
The validation checklist will help ensure your sensor
is communicating with the gateway properly and
you have a strong signal.
Checkpoint 4 will only complete when your sensor
achieves a solid connection to the gateway. See
section V of this user guide to learn how to power
on the puck sensor via the magnetic reed switch.
Once powered on, the sensor will communicate with
the gateway every 30 seconds for the first few
minutes.
Select the Save button when completed.
STEP 3: VALIDATION
Figure 4
STEP 4: ACTIONS
Choose your Actions. See Figure 5.
Actions are the alerts that will be sent to your phone
or email in the event of an emergency. Low battery
life and device inactivity are two of the most
common Actions to have enabled on your device.
See page 11 for how to set Actions for your sensor.
Select the Done button when completed.
Figure 5
PAGE 5

PAGE 6
Figure 6
V. POWERING ON AND PLACEMENT
MAGNETIC REED SWITCH
AB
When the Water Detection Puck Sensor is shipped
to you, it comes with a small but powerful magnet.
This is used to control the power state of the puck.
See Figure 6.
Using the magnet will trigger the following
reactions from the embedded LED, visible from the
underside of the puck (B).
The area marked by the label on the top of the
water puck indicates the hot spot location for
effective use of the magnetic power control (A).
-Bring the magnet in range of (A) and the LED will
illuminate indicating the power state.
-Solid Green: Powered ON, connected to
the gateway
-Flash Red, then Solid Green: Powered ON,
not connected to the gateway
-Solid Red: Powered OFF, not connected
to the gateway
-If the magnet is held in place for two seconds after
the LED illuminates, then the LED will flash rapidly.
-Flash Green: Will turn ON after magnet
is removed
-Flash Red: Will turn OFF after magnet is
removed
-If the magnet is removed after holding it on the hot
spot for over two seconds, then the sensor will
change its power state.
-Single, Slow Green Flash: Turning ON
or powered ON
-Single, Slow Red Flash: Turning OFF
A
B

ANTENNA ORIENTATION
Get the best performance out of ALTA devices by correctly positioning antennas. Standard
Monnit antennas emit the strongest signal outward (perpendicular) from the sides of the
antenna and the weakest signal out of the top or bottom tips of the antenna. See Figure 7.
Set up antennas so that the strong signal from the gateway and sensor antennas intersect.
If you install the sensors at the same elevation, orient all antennas vertically for the best
performance. In a multilevel structure, where the sensors are immediately above or below
the gateway, orient the antennas horizontally for the best performance.
If there are multiple sensors, with some parallel and some perpendicular to the gateway,
setting the gateway antenna to a 45-degree angle may give good signal strength for both.
However, install two gateways and orient one gateway antenna vertically and the other
horizontally for the best performance.
The signal performance will generally improve if the sensor and gateway are mounted
farther from the ground. When surrounded by non-RF blocking material (metal, water, and
thick, dense material like concrete), surrounded by open-air is ideal. If the sensor has a
wire antenna, bend as needed (without twisting) for the greatest signal intersection
between the gateway and sensor(s).
More Signal
Less Signal
Figure 7
PAGE 7

VI. SENSOR OVERVIEW IN iMONNIT
Select Sensors from the left main navigation menu on iMonnit to access the Sensor
Overview page and begin making adjustments to your Water Detection Puck Sensor.
MENU SYSTEM
Details - Displays a graph of recent sensor data
Readings - List of all past heartbeats and readings
Actions - List of all events attached to this sensor
Settings - Configurable levels for a sensor
Directly under the top horizontal tabbed menu bar is an overview of your sensor. You can
see the signal strength and the battery level of the selected sensor. A colored dot in the left
corner of the sensor icon denotes its status.
- Green indicates the sensor is checking in and is within user-defined safe
parameters.
- Red indicates the sensor has met or exceeded a user-defined threshold or triggered
event.
- Gray indicates that no sensor readings are being recorded, rendering the sensor
inactive.
- Yellow indicates that the sensor reading is outdated, due to perhaps a missed
heartbeat check-in.
Details View
The Details View will be the first page you see upon selecting which sensor you would like
to modify. See Figure 8.
PAGE 8
A. The Sensor Overview section will
be above every page. This will
consistently display the present
reading, signal strength, battery level,
and status.
B. The recent Readings section
shows the most recent data received
by the sensor.
C. This graph charts any changes
throughout a set date range. To
change the date range displayed in
the graph, navigate up to the top of
the Readings Chart section on the
right-hand corner to change the date
range.
A
B
C
Figure 8