Wireless Sensor FAQ
General Frequently asked questions
We didn’t add a power led to save power, you can hit the reset button on the sensor and it will send two data packets. First data packet will indicate that the sensor is in run mode and the second data packet will contain all the sensor info, device info and sensor readings. You can find more about this in the product manual.
Zigmo is a wireless router/modem, which can be connected to any computer over a USB port. This router is highly recommended. You can use this for a number of applications:
- Allow your computer to send and receive data to the sensor’s wireless network.
- Quick setup and testing using LabVIEW utility.
- This router can be used as a repeater as well.
- Makes debugging and testing easier and speeds up the development time.
- Makes sensor deployment easier, you will be able to see each sensor output in LabVIEW UI
No, you will need a router. You can connect the router to a PC or embedded computer like Pi. From there you can send data anywhere you want.
It has a barrel connector, you can plug the power supply directly in to it. Make sure you change the jumper on the externally powered board to the correct position ( you can find this info on the product page under resources section/wiring diagram).
If you are sending data more frequently or don’t want to rely on a battery.
It is recommended that you save/write down all the settings you change. You can restore the factory settings by following these steps
- hit reset and hold the cfg button for 15 seconds
- then after 5 seconds hit reset again. This will restore the factory settings.
For more details, please refer to the product manual
You will need a Zigmo/Wireless router.
Once you receive the sensor, the sensor and all its data belong to you. We have no way to access it.
For added security you can setup your personal key for the encrypted communication on your sensor network.
The sensor is designed to be used indoors only. Outdoor operation is only recommended with proper cover for rain.
Yes, but make sure there is no water around the sensor.
Using Zigmo/Wireless Router and the LabVIEW User Interface with default settings on sensor and Zigmo/Wireless Router. To know more about the sensor feel free to checkout sensor user manuals like this one.
You can measure the voltage at battery terminals on the board. If the battery is plugged correctly and fully charged you will read around 3.3-3.6V over there.
If its powered correctly, you will also be able to see battery voltage in its data packets.
Using the Zigmo/Wireless router and LabVIEW UI(free).
No, there is no monthly fee. This device and data belong to you.
The protocol used for wireless communication has a auto retry functionality available at the Link layer. Moreover, adding a retry feature at the application layer adds greater reliability. These along with mesh networking feature makes these sensors highly reliable in any configuration or environment.
These sensors are convenient to use and require no experience in wireless communication or electronics. You can buy a Sensor with a Zigmo/Wireless router and have it working in a few minutes.
Industrial Frequently asked questions
The device comes with multiple security features.
You can configure your own network as per your requirements. For added security, you can enabled encryption with your own custom created key. Some of the settings are as follows:
- Pan ID: Using this you can build your own sensor network or multiple sensor networks
- 128 bit encryption: The sensor comes with a 128bit encryption key, only the sensor or user who has this key can receive the data
- Destination Address: The device also has a destination address feature, so you can set it to send data to a particular device.
For all configuration options please read product manual. For detailed explanations of parameters, please read X-bee product manual from DIGI’s website.
It operates in the 900MHz band.
This frequency was selected for a number of reasons:
- Greater communication range
- Better penetration capabilities, it can pass through a wall or other wood structure
- It is an acceptable wireless frequency in most factory or industrial environments.
If you live in north America then you can use the 9ooMHz frequency without any issue, but there are still some plants which ban the use of this frequency. It is therefore recommended to check with your IT or plant automation department.
Yes, we can provide these sensors with different frequencies as well.
These device work as point to point devices, each device has its own unique serial number and even though all these work in the same frequency band there will be no frequency collision. You can use hundreds of these without any issue.
Yes, you can use only one zigmo/wireless router to read data from hundreds sensors. All you will need to do is to set destination address of all the sensor modules to the address of the router.
You can use Zigmo/Wireless routers as repeaters to increase wireless range. To use them as repeaters all you will need to do is power them up and install at multiple locations throughout the factory floor and they will automatically start working as repeaters. Make sure these wireless routers have the same wireless settings as you main router or sensor.
All wireless sensors send data packets which can be read by a wireless router. The data packet info can be found in each product’s manual. Once you have the data locally you can upload it to any cloud service like Azure, AWS, Google Fire, ThingsSpeak or your own cloud.
Advanced Frequently asked questions
It is printed right under every wireless module. You can use our LabVIEW utility to read the Sensor address as well.
You can do a few things like
- Using a 128 bit encryption key
- Building up your own network using Pan ID
- Setting the destination address, so that sensor will send data just to your router
By changing Pan ID you can create your own network.
Do not throw out your old router, you will need it to replicate its serial number. You can get a new router and replicate the settings that were present in the old router. You can find the wireless settings on the product page under rescuers. For more info on wireless router parameters please refer to the DIGI Xbee guide.
Yes, you can use any number of different sensors with one wireless receiver.
Yes, you can use these sensors with any embedded platform which supports serial communications or USB communications.
Please see our warranty information at https://ncd.io/info/warranty-return-policy/
These sensors are convenient to use and require no experience in wireless communication or electronics. You can buy a Sensor with a Zigmo/Wireless router and have it working in a few minutes.
All wireless sensors work in the same way. If you get a new sensor and want to add it into an existing setup you can change the following parameters to match with those of already present sensors:
- PAN ID
- Encryption key
- Destination address
If you haven’t changed these settings in the old sensors after delivery then the new sensors will work with old sensors out of the box.
You can use any cellular module. Particle Electron is one of the modules we recommend for cellular communication.
If you have all the hardware and software (found on each product page under resources) you can setup a sensor in just few minutes.
You should be careful with the batteries, it will damage the sensor.
We highly recommend getting a ncd.io Zigmo/Wireless router for quick testing, development and troubleshooting. You can use this router to connect with:
You can also use the following Wireless shields with these sensors
