Monnit ALTA MNS2-4-W2-GS-C2 User manual

Remote Monitoring for Business
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Sensor
USER GUIDE

Table of Contents
PAGE II
I. ABOUT THE WIRELESS CO2 SENSOR 1
ALTA WIRELESS CO2 SENSOR FEATURES 1
EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS 1
II. ORDER OF OPERATIONS 2
III. SETUP AND INSTALLATION 3
REGISTER THE SENSOR 3
IV. SETTING UP YOUR CARBON DIOXIDE SENSOR 5
INSTALLING BATTERIES 5
ANTENNA ORIENTATION 6
V. SENSOR OVERVIEW IN iMONNIT 7
MENU SYSTEM 7
VI. ACTIONS OVERVIEW 12
CREATING AN ACTION 12
VII. SECURITY 16
SENSOR TO GATEWAY 16
GATEWAYTO iMONNIT 16
iMONNIT 16
SENSOR PRINTS 16
SUPPORT 17
WARRANTY INFORMATION 17
CERTIFICATIONS 19
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS 21

I. ABOUT THE WIRELESS CO2SENSOR
The ALTA Wireless Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Sensor measures the amount of CO2in the
ambient air surrounding the element. It is programmed to take readings at a set interval to
accurately calculate CO2levels, then send the time-stamped data to the iMonnit Online
Sensor Monitoring and Notification System at user-specified time intervals (sensor
heartbeat). The CO2data can be reviewed and exported as a data sheet or graph and
notifications can be set up through the online system to alert the user when defined
thresholds have been met or exceeded.
PAGE 1
ALTA WIRELESS CO2 SENSOR FEATURES
- Wireless range of 1,200+ feet through 12+ walls *
- Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
- Interference immunity
- Power management for longer battery life **
- Encrypt-RF®Security (Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange + AES-128 CBC for sensor data
messages)
- Onboard data memory stores up to hundreds of readings per sensor:
- 10-minute heartbeats = 22 days
- 2-hour heartbeats = 266 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 via SMS text and email
* Actual range may vary depending on environment.
** Battery life is determined by sensor reporting frequency and other variables. Other power options are also
available.
EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS
- Indoor air quality
- Greenhouses
- Cellar and gas stores
- Marine vessels
- Modified atmospheres
- Landfill gas
- Confined spaces
- Cryogenics
- Ventilation management
- Additional applications

PAGE 2
II. ORDER OF OPERATIONS
It is important to understand the order of operations for activating your sensor. If performed
out of sequence, your sensor may have trouble communicating with iMonnit. Please
perform the steps below in the order indicated to make sure you are performing your set-up
correctly.
1. Create iMonnit Account (If new user).
2. Register all sensors and gateways to a network in iMonnit.
Sensors can only communicate with gateways on the same iMonnit
network.
3. Connect/power on gateway and wait till it checks into iMonnit.
4. Power on sensor and verify it checks into iMonnit.
We recommend powering the sensor on near the gateway then moving to the
installation location, checking signal strength along the way.
5. Configure sensor for use (This can be done at any point after step 2)
6. Install sensor in final location.
Note: Device specific setup is covered in more detail in the following
sections.
Note: For information on setting up iMonnit and the gateway refer to
the iMonnit User Guide and the gateways user guide.

PAGE 3
III. SETUP AND INSTALLATION
If this is your first time using the iMonnit online portal, you will need to create a new
account. If you have already created an account, start by logging in. For instructions on how
to register and setup your iMonnit account, please consult the iMonnit User Guide.
STEP 1: ADD DEVICE
1. Add the sensor on 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 Security Code from your
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 Security Code manually.
- The Device ID is a unique number
located on each device label.
- Next, you?ll be asked to enter the Security Code from your device. A
security code 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.
Unlike most sensors, choosing a use case in
Step 2 of adding this sensor does not give
you the option to customize your settings.
These will need to be adjusted in the settings
tab for your device. See page 9 for
instructions.
Select the Skip button when completed.
STEP 2: SETUP
Figure 3

Check your signal. See Figure 4.
The validation checklist will help you 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. Once
you insert the batteries (or flip the switch on an
industrial sensor) 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 12 for how to set actions for your sensor.
Select the Done button when completed.
Figure 5
PAGE 4

IV. SETTING UP YOUR CO2SENSOR
INSTALLING BATTERIES
ALTA commercial sensors are powered by AA batteries. Monnit encourages customers to
recycle all old batteries.
When you are finished adding the sensor to your account, the next step is to insert the
battery. The type of battery you use will depend on the category of your sensor. ALTA
Wireless CO2Sensors are powered by AA batteries.
The standard version of this sensor is powered by two
replaceable 1.5 V AA sized batteries (included with
purchase). The typical battery life is up to 10 years.
This sensor is also available with a line power option.
The line powered version of this sensor has a barrel
power connector allowing it to be powered by a
standard 3.0?3.6 V power supply. The line powered
version also uses two standard 1.5 V AA batteries as
backup for uninterrupted operation in the event of line
power outage.
Power options must be selected at time of purchase,
as the internal hardware of the sensor must be
changed to support the selected power requirements.
Place batteries in the device by first taking the sensor and sliding the battery door open.
Insert fresh AA batteries in the carriage, then shut the battery door.
Complete the process by opening up iMonnit and selecting Sensors from the main
navigation menu. Verify that iMonnit is showing the sensor has a full battery level.
PAGE 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

PAGE 6
ANTENNA ORIENTATION
In order to get the best performance out of your ALTA Wireless Sensors, it is important to
note proper antenna orientation and sensor positioning. Antennas should all be oriented in
the same direction, pointing vertically from the sensor. If the sensor is mounted flat on its
back on a horizontal surface, you should bend the antenna as close to the sensor housing
as possible giving you the most amount of antenna pointing vertical. You should make the
antenna wire as straight as possible, avoiding any kinks and curving of the wire. Sensors
must be at least 3 ft. away from other sensors and the wireless gateway to function.
More Signal
Less Signal
Figure 8

PAGE 7
IV. SENSOR OVERVIEW IN iMONNIT
Select Sensors from the main navigation menu on iMonnit to access the sensor overview
page and begin making adjustments to your Carbon Dioxide Sensor .
MENU SYSTEM
A. Details - Displays a graph of recent sensor data
B. History - List of all past heartbeats and readings
C. Events - List of all events attached to this sensor
D. Settings - Editable levels for your sensor
E. Calibrate - Set your sensor to read more accurately
F. Scale - Change the scale of readings for your sensor
Directly under the tab bar is an overview of your sensor. This allows you to 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.
Details View
The Details View will be the first page you see upon selecting which sensor you would like
to modify.
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 below the
chart shows your most recent data
received by the sensor.
C. This graph charts how the sensor
fluctuates 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 from and/or to date.
- Green indicates the sensor is checking in and 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 out of date, due to perhaps a missed
heartbeat check-in.
A
B
C
A B C D E F
Figure 9
Figure 10

Readings View
Selecting the Readings Tab within the tab bar allows you to view the sensor?s
data history as time stamped data.
- On the far right of the Sensor History Data is a cloud icon. ( ) Selecting this icon
will export an Excel file for your sensor into your download folder.
The data file will have the following fields:
MessageID: Unique identifier of the message in our database.
Sensor ID: If multiple sensors are exported, you can distinguish between the
sensors using this number ? even if the names are the same.
Sensor Name: The name you have given the sensor.
Date: The date the message was transmitted from the sensor.
Value: Data presented with transformations applied, but without additional
labels.
Formatted Value: Data transformed and presented as it is shown in the
monitoring portal.
Raw Data: Raw data as it is stored from the sensor.
Sensor State: Binary field represented as an integer containing information
about the state of the sensor when the message was transmitted. (See
?Sensor State?explained below.)
Alert Sent: Boolean indicating if this reading triggered a notification to be sent
from the system.
Sensor State
The value presented here is generated from a single byte of stored data.
A byte consists of 8 bits of data that we read as Boolean (True (1) / False (0))
fields.
When broken into individual bits, the State byte contains the following information:
aaaabcde
STS: This value is specific to the sensor profile and is often used to indicate error states
and other sensor conditions.
UNUSED: This sensor does not use these bits.
AWARE: Sensors become aware when critical sensor specific conditions are met. Going
aware can cause the sensor to trigger and report before the heartbeat and cause the
gateway to forward the data to the server immediately resulting in near immediate
transmission of the data.
TEST: This bit is active when the sensor is first powered on or reset and remains active
for the first 9 messages when using default configurations.
STS Specific Codes:
0 = No problems, sensor is functioning normally.
1 = Open circuit detected in lead.
2 = Short circuit detected in lead.
3 = Range error. Temperature is reading outside of -40 F and 257 F (-40 C and 125 C).
Note: Make sure you have the date range for the data you need input
in the ?From? and ?To? text boxes. This will be the previous day by
default. Only the first 2,500 entries in the selected date range will be
exported.
PAGE 8