Monnit PoE-X Dry Contact Sensor User manual

PoE-X Dry Contact Sensor
User Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. ABOUT THE PoE-X DRY CONTACT SENSOR 1
PoE-X DRY CONTACT FEATURES 1
APPLICATION EXAMPLES 1
II. SENSOR SECURITY 2
DATA SECURITY ON THE SENSOR 2
iMONNIT SECURITY 2
III. ORDER OF OPERATIONS 2
SET-UP STEPS 2
IV. REGISTRATION 3
REGISTERING A PoE-X DRY CONTACT SENSOR 3
V. SETTING UP THE PoE-X DRY CONTACT SENSOR 4
THE LIGHTING SEQUENCE 4
MOUNTING THE SENSOR 5
VI. SENSOR OVERVIEW 6
MENU SYSTEM 6
INTERFACE SETTINGS 9
VII. ACTIONS OVERVIEW 11
VIII. USING THE LOCAL INTERFACE 15
THE STATUS TAB 16
THE SETTINGS TAB 17
SUPPORT 23
WARRANTY INFORMATION 23
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS 25

I. ABOUT THE PoE-X DRY CONTACT SENSOR
The Monnit Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Dry Contact Sensor detects when there
is contact between the two wired end points. It can easily be integrated into
existing switches or contact plates. When the sensor detects contact between
the two end points, it will immediately transmit the data to iMonnit, allowing the
user to immediately receive an SMS text or email alert. The sensor can be
configured to detect both closed and open loops alerting if contact is made or
broken.
The Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Sensor products measure various conditions
(environmental, power, access). All devices come with flexible settings ?
including notifications, alerts, reports, and maps ? can be customized in the
iMonnit online sensor management interface.
PoE-X SENSOR FEATURES
- Power-over-Ethernet ready (injector hardware required)
- Embedded LEDs for transmission & online condition indicators
- 50,000 sensor message memory (non-volatile)
- Modbus TCP & SNTP v1 interface capabilities
- No PC required (managed through apps and smart devices)
- Remote update capable w/automatic updates
- Works with iMonnit Cloud and Enterprise software applications
- Optional 5V DC power supply available
- US Power Adapter
- International Power Adapter
EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS
- Barn door monitoring
- Forklift seat switches
- Production line tracking
- Freezer / cooler monitoring
- Button or switch integration
- And many more!
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PAGE 2
II. SENSOR SECURITY
Security is paramount for the PoE-X Sensor when it comes to managing your
data and transferring it to sensors. iMonnit is the online software and central hub
for configuring your device settings. All data is secured on dedicated servers
operating Microsoft SQL Server.
Data Security on the Sensor
The fortified sensor secures your data from attackers and secures the sensor
from becoming a relay for malicious programs. Even when the sensor is at rest,
the PoE-X Sensor is designed to prevent prying eyes from accessing the data.
The Monnit PoE-X Sensor does not run on an off-the-shelf multi-function OS
(operating system). Instead it runs a purpose-specific real-time embedded state
machine that can?t be hacked to run malicious processes. It also provides no
active interface listeners that can be used to gain access to the device over the
network.
iMONNIT Security
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.
III. ORDER OF OPERATIONS
It is important to understand the order of operations for activating your PoE-X
Sensor. If performed out of sequence, your sensor may have trouble
communicating with iMonnit. Please follow the steps below to make sure
you are performing your set-up correctly.
SET-UP STEPS
1. Register your PoE-X Sensor on iMonnit.
Add your PoE-X Sensor to the iMonnit account (see page 3 for
step-by-step directions).
2. Connect the Ethernet and optional power cords to the sensor.
Plug in powered Ethernet cable. Depending on your facility, you might need
to plug in both the Ethernet cable and power cord.
3. Mount your sensor.
Place your sensor in the desired location using screws or double-sided
tape.
Note: Each step is covered in more detail in the following sections.

IV. REGISTRATION
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 for an iMonnit account, please consult the iMonnit
User Guide at https://www.monnit.com/support/documentation.
REGISTERING THE POE-X SENSOR
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 bottom of your device.
3. Adding your device. See Figure 2.
You will need to enter the Device ID
and the Security Code from your PoE-X
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 on 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.
PAGE 3
Figure 1
Figure 2
Desktop Mobile

V. SETTING UP YOUR PoE-X SENSOR
Plug in powered Ethernet cable.
Depending on your facility, you might need
to plug in both the Ethernet cable and power
cord. See Figure 3.
LIGHTING SEQUENCE
The sensor will cycle through three stages as it powers on:
Power-on stage: At this stage, the sensor will analyze electronics and
programming. The LED lights will flash red and green, before all becoming green
for one second. In the case of failure, the light sequence will repeat after ten
seconds. Please contact technical support if the lights aren?t green after two
minutes.
Connection stage: The sensor will attempt to settle all operational connections.
As the sensor attempts to connect, the Sensor Status LED will be off, waiting for
the Ethernet connection to complete. After the Ethernet setup is complete, the
Sensor Status Light will briefly blink red before turning green and then going off
completely. If the Ethernet Status LED is orange, there is a failure in your
Ethernet connection. Check your connection.
Operational stage: In the operational stage, the Ethernet lights will remain
active while the Sensor Status light remains off ? unless there is an issue. See
Figure 4 & Figure 5.
PAGE 4
Ethernet Status LED
Steady Blinking Green:
Performing Ethernet set up
operations
Solid Green with Flicker:
Connection successful for normal
operation
Ethernet Link LED
Off:
No Ethernet cable connected
Green:
Ethernet is connected
Figure 3
Figure 4

PAGE 5
MOUNTING THE SENSOR
Monnit sensors feature mounting flanges
and can be attached to most surfaces
using the included mounting screws or
double-sided tape. See Figure 6.
Figure 5
Figure 6
Mounting flanges
Sensor Status LED
Off:
Everything is fine! Sensor is waiting
to measure
Blinking Green:
Communicating to server
Blinking Red:
Failed to communicate with server

VI. SENSOR OVERVIEW
Select Sensors from the main navigation menu on iMonnit to access the sensor
overview page and begin adjusting your PoE-X Sensors.
MENU SYSTEM
Details - Displays a graph of recent sensor data
History - List of past readings
Actions - List of actions attached to this sensor
Settings - Editable levels for your sensor
Calibrate - Reset readings for your sensor
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 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 out of date, possibly due to 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 7.
PAGE 6
A. The Sensor Overview section is at the
top of every page. This will 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. The Readings Chart displays how the
sensor readings fluctuate 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. Figure 7
A
B
C

PAGE 7
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 or 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 integer 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.
Using a temperature sensor as an example:
If the sensor is using factory calibrations, the Calibrate Active field is set True
(1) so the bit values are 00010000 and it is represented as 16.
If the sensor is outside the Min or Max Threshold, the Aware State is set True
(1) so the bit values are 00000010 and it is represented as 2.
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.

If the user has calibrated the sensor, the Calibrate Active field is set False (0)
and the sensor is operating inside the Min and Max Thresholds, the bits look
like 00000000 ? this is represented as 0.
If the sensor is using factory calibrations and it is outside the threshold, the bit
values are 00010010 and it is represented as 18 (16 + 2 because both the bit
in the 16 value is set and the bit in the 2 value is set).
Settings View
To edit the operational settings for a sensor, choose the Sensor option in
the main navigation menu and then select the Settings Tab to access the
configuration page. See Figure 8.
A. Sensor Name is the unique name you
give the sensor to easily identify it in a list
along with any notifications.
B. Heartbeat Interval is how often the
sensor communicates with the server if no
activity is recorded.
C. Aware State Heartbeat is how often the
sensor communicates with the server while
in the Aware State.
D. Event Aware State when loop is sets
the sensor to detect when the loop is
closed, open, or a state change.
E. Time to Re-Arm is the time in seconds
after a triggering event that the sensor will
wait before re-arming itself.
PAGE 8
Figure 8
Finish by selecting the Save button.
A
B
C
D
E

INTERFACE SETTINGS
The PoE-X Sensor supports SNMP, Modbus, SNTP, and HTTP Interfaces. Toggle
on these interfaces by going to the sensor settings page and choosing the
Interface Settings button.
Interface Activation
To activate these interfaces, choose the switch under to access their
individual settings. See Figure 9.
Trap Settings ? The switch for Trap Settings will be disabled by default.
Enable to view the trap settings.
Trap IP Address ? The IP Address for the SNMP Server where the trap will
be sent.
Trap Port ? The server port where the trap alert state is sent when active.
PAGE 9
Note: Be sure to select the Save button anytime you make a change
to any of the sensor parameters. All changes made to the sensor
settings will be downloaded to the sensor on the next sensor
heartbeat (check-in). Once a change has been made and saved, you
will not be able to edit that sensor?s configuration again until it has
downloaded the new setting.
SNMP Interface ? SNMP (Simple Network
Management Protocol) is an Internet
application protocol that manages and
monitors network device functionality.
Monnit uses SNMP version 1. These
settings can both be configured on iMonnit
and the local interface.
Inbound IP Range Start and End ? This is
the IP address for the SNMP client. If you
have one device to communicate with, the
start and end IP addresses will be the same.
Exchanging information with multiple
machines will require a set of different start
and end IP addresses.
Inbound Port ? Server port where data
from the device is received.
SNMP Community String ? This is used to
support SNMPv1 protocol by giving access
to a router?s or other device?s statistics. The
default will be set to ?public.? Figure 9

Modbus Interface ? Monnit provides the
Modbus TCP interface for you to pull
sensor data. You can use Modbus
without the server interface active. The
data will not be sent to a server, but you
can continue to poll for new data as it is
received by the server.
SNTP Interface ? SNTP (Simple
Network Time Protocol) is a
synchronized computer clock on a
network. An SNTP server can
be set up on the same LAN as the
server, such as on a router or a Linux
computer. The sensor should be
configured to retrieve time from only
trusted servers, such as the ones
maintained by your ISP. Incorrect
time can affect the delivery of sensor
traffic. See Figure 10.
If the Monnit Server is active, it will be
utilized for time synchronization in
ordinary operation. So SNTP will be used
as a backup. If you disable the default
server interface, you must configure the
SNTP Interface.
HTTP Interface ? The HTTP Interface
allows you to set how long you wish the
local interface to be active before being
automatically disabled. For increased
Security, your choices are to have the
local HTTP interface disabled after 1
minute, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or always
active. See page 15 of this guide for
more on the local interface. See Figure
11.
PAGE 10
Figure 10
Figure 11

VII. ACTIONS OVERVIEW
Device notifications can be created, deleted, and edited by selecting the
Actions Tab in the tab bar.
You can toggle the Action Trigger on or off by selecting the switch under Current
Action Triggers. See Figure 12.
CREATING AN ACTION
- Actions are triggers or alarms set to notify you when a sensor reading
identifies that immediate attention is needed. Types of actions include
sensor readings, device inactivity, and scheduled data. Any one of these
can be set to send a notification or trigger an action in the system.
Choose Actions in the main navigation menu.
-
-
- A list of previously created actions will display on the screen. From here,
you have the ability to filter, refresh, and add new actions to the list.
Note: If this is your first time adding an action, the screen will be blank.
PAGE 11
Figure 12
Figure 13

From the Actions page, tap Add Action in the left hand corner.
Step 1: What triggers your action?
The drop-down menu will have the following options for Action Types (See
Figure 15):
- Select Sensor Reading from the drop-down menu.
- A second drop-down menu will appear. From here, you will be able to see
a list of the different type of sensors registered to your account. Choose
Dry Contact in the drop-down menu.
- Next, you will be asked to input the trigger settings. You have the option of
setting this trigger to notify when ?Loop Closed?or ?Loop Open.?
Press the Save button.
PAGE 12
- Sensor Reading: Set actions based
on activity or reading.
- Device Inactivity: Actions when the
device doesn?t communicate for an
extended period of time.
- Advanced: Actions based on
advanced rules, such as comparing
past data points with current ones.
- Scheduled: These actions are
performed at a time set basis.
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16

Step 2: Actions
- Press the Add Action button under the information header, available
action types will then be presented in a select list.
- Notification Action: Specify account users to receive notification when
this event triggers.
- System Action: Assign actions for the system to process when this
event triggers.
- Choose Notification Action from the notification list.
A. Input the subject for the notification.
See Figure 17.
B. Customize the message body
for the notification. See Figure 17.
C. Recipient list identifies who will
receive the notification.
See Figure 18.
- Select the icon next to a user to specify how they will be notified.
- Choose if you want notifications sent immediately, when triggered, or if
you want a delay before sending and press Set.
- A green icon indicates that the users that will receive the notifications.
- If a delay has been selected, the delay time will display beside the icon.
PAGE 13
Figure 17
Figure 18
A
B
C

Step 3: Action Name and Devices
- By default, the sensor(s) will not be
assigned to the action conditions
you?ve just set. To assign a sensor,
find the device(s) you want to
designate for this action and select.
Selected sensor boxes will turn green
when activated. Choose the sensor
box again to unassign the sensor
from the action. See Figure 20.
- Continue toggling the sensor(s)
corresponding to this new action until
you are satisfied with your selection.
These can be adjusted later by
returning to this page.
Press the Check-mark button to complete the process.
Select System Action from the Add Action list. See Figure 19.
PAGE 14
Acknowledge: Automatically signals
that you have been notified of an action.
When an action has been triggered,
alerts will continue processing until the
action returns to a value that no longer
triggers an action.
Full Reset: Reset your trigger so it is
armed for the next reading.
Activate: Enable an action trigger.
Deactivate: Disable an action trigger.
Figure 19
Figure 20
- Scroll down to the System Action
section.
- The Action to be done select list has
the following options:

PAGE 15
VIII. USING THE LOCAL INTERFACE
If using iMonnit is not an option, you can set up your sensor offline through the
local interface.
1. Connect the sensor to a router or network switch using an Ethernet cable.
Plug in the sensor to a power outlet. The device will automatically power
on. Press and hold the utility button. At the end of the boot process, the
Sensor Status LED will shift to red. Release the button and the Sensor
Status LED will blink green and red signaling that the sensor has force-
enabled the HTTP Interface. This interface will be temporarily active for
five minutes, even if the interface is configured to be disabled.
If the button is not released after 10 seconds, the Sensor Status LED will
begin to blink red. When the button is released, the device will perform
a factory reset.
Use a PC on the local network to access your router?s configuration page
first (see your router documentation). Use your router?s web interface to
determine the IP address it assigns your device.
Use your web browser to connect to your sensor using the assigned IP
address. You should be redirected to the Status Tab.
Find the Settings Tab and select the ?Miscellaneous?page. Enable the
HTTP Interface and set it to be available for one hour (3600 seconds).
Choose ?Save Changes?when completed.
Note: Each time a page is refreshed or every time the sensor
restarts, the HTTP interface time resets. After it times out, the web
interface will be disabled until either the device restarts with a
non-zero timeout value, or the special restart mode is enabled using
the utility button. After configuration, set this to a small integer.

STATUS TAB
This is a read only section listing the current conditions for your Local Area
Network (LAN). See Figure 21.
Device MAC Address ? This is
the Media Control Address of your
device to exclusively identify the
device to a Network Interface
Controller.
Device IP Address ? This is a
numerical identifier for your device
when it is connected to the Internet.
Router IP Address ? This is a
numerical identifier for your router
when it is connected to the Internet.
Network Mask ? Also known as
a ?Subnet Mask,?this masks the
IP address by dividing it into the
network address and the host address.
DNS Address ? A Domain Name System (DNS) is the method employed by a
URL of translating the alphabetic entry in an address bar into a numerical
address associated with a server.
Sensor Statuses
Temperature ? Reading of the device temperature.
Data Cache Used ? This percentage represents the amount of internal flash
memory storage for holding sensor messages that has been used out of the
maximum (896 kb). Messages sent from the sensor are stored temporarily in
the sensor cache until a data interface (i.e. Default Server, SNMP, Modbus,
etc.) confirms the data has been stored or transmitted elsewhere.
Interface Status
This section lists the interfaces communicating with the device and indicates
whether they are on or off. Options include: Default Server, Modbus TCP,
SNMP, and SNTP. These can all be enabled or disabled under the
Settings Tab.
PAGE 16
Figure 21

SETTINGS TAB
The Settings Tab will open to the Network Page. See Figure 22.
The Network Page
From the Network Page, you
can modify settings for your IP
address, Router IP Address,
Subnet Mask, DNS Server, and
Default Server Settings.
IP Address ? A unique number
typically formatted as
XXX.XXX.XXX.X. It can be
dynamic, meaning the IP
address is constantly changing,
or static, meaning the IP address
stays the same.
Router IP Address ? This is a unique number identifying your router to the
default server.
Subnet Mask ? This number hides the network half of an IP address. The
most common Subnet Mask number is 255.255.255.0.
DNS ? The Domain Name Server takes alphanumerical data (like a url
address) and returns the IP address for the server containing the information
you?re looking for.
Under Default Server Settings, choose the radio button to enable or disable the
Default Server. Enter the name of your Default Server Name/IP in the text box.
Lastly, input the Server Port number. Finish by choosing the Save Changes
button.
The Settings View Page
The Settings View Page is where you can adjust settings for your sensor. These
will be the same as in iMonnit (See page 8 for definitions of settings for your
PoE-X Sensor.
The Modbus Page
Modbus TCP interface runs on an Ethernet connection. TCP makes sure all
data is received. Modbus TCP is a non-streaming data interface standard.
This means data must be requested in order for it to be received. The Modbus
TCP Interface will store all data values in 16-bit registers. See Figure 23 on the
next page.
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Figure 22

The registers and their associated data fields are mapped on the next page.
To access the sensor holding registers, the assigned slot number for the device
needs to be known. When reviewing added devices through the default server,
the order in which devices are presented may not necessarily correspond to the
order in which the devices are stored in the network list as the default server will
sort the devices based on their ID. To be certain which device is in a particular
slot, go to the local web interface (wsn.htm page) or status page and note which
slot the desired device is assigned to.
After the slot number(s) for the desired devices to read from are known, the
following formula may be applied to determine the correct starting register
to read from to retrieve the recorded data from the device: starting
register=101+16(slot no.-1). Each reading will report the most recent message
received from that device by the device, so the polling frequency should be
greater than the device heartbeat frequency to avoid missing device updates.
PAGE 18
Figure 23