Frequently Asked Questions
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General
Although the data is being collected by Braingrid and made available through our proprietary dashboard, it belongs to you. We do not have any rights to nor ownership of your data nor do we share it with any third party services. Your data is 100% secure and it will not be distributed outside Braingrid unless we receive your explicit consent to do so.
We typically roll the first 12 months of Data & Support costs into the initial contract. Beyond the initial period, there is a nominal fee to cover our infrastructure and data costs.
The data is stored indefinitely, and can be exported to CSV. Other means of extraction is also possible. We provide access to the raw data or analytics process via web API, should you or the end user like to run their own processes against it.
Professional Services are any service falling outside the technical support which is made available within our instrumentation solution. For example, Data Sciences, Data Organization, Integration with other systems etc…
The monthly data services cover the basic infrastructure, dashboard site, as well as the cellular cost. A large portion of the monthly fee is static per site. As more devices are deployed this monthly data cost/device will shrink. Please contact us for more details on pricing.
First Response
Instrumentation
Sentrollers can be mounted on a flat surface (ie. wall) with its built-in magnets, or using adhesives. When a flat surface is not available, Sentrollers can be mounted on a pole, pipe, or cable using the cable or pole mounting kit or from the ceiling, using the hanging kit.
Sentrollers can also be placed on grow tables directly, whether they are static or mobile. Braingrid designs custom table mounts, which can travel with the grow table. Please contact us for more info.
Sentrollers will immediately begin to send data to nearest gateway as soon as it is turned on / powered up
The reporting interval is set to a default of every 5 minutes when the Sentroller has access to permanent power (ie. plugged in with AC adapter).
When the Sentroller is deployed with a Solar panel, the standard reporting interval is every 10 minutes when there is light available, and every 30 minutes when it is in the dark. This is to conserve energy when there is less activity at night
If the application requires it, the default interval at night can be customized. However, it is recommended that the interval be no less than 20 minutes so as to reduce the possibility of a data outage.
You own the devices if you buy them upfront and this is reflected in the initial quote. However, if you prefer a monthly fee, the ownership of the devices is transferred to you after 24 payments.
Although we can upgrade your devices to solar, this would require removing them from your site while we service them. They cannot be exchanged for solar units as previously used devices can no longer be commissioned for future use. However, please contact us and we can certainly find an option that works for you.
Nutshell supported interfaces: Analog (x 4) and Digital: I2C/RS485/Modbus
Each Sentroller has an expansion module at the top right. They support expansion modules which enable different capabilities. We currently enable Temp/Humidity/Pressure/CO2 or EC/VWC/Root-Temp measurement via this expansion slot. These are considered integrated sensors.
The expansion module can also be equipped with a Synapse module to enable cell connectivity.
Sentroller also have 4 analog inputs, which can be used for compatible sensors.
Finally, they also have an RS485 connection, which can be used for MODBUS connectivity. We tend to use this for interfacing with existing building systems.
It is our commitment to ensure the monitoring solution makes sense for you and serves your needs. If the transmission at your site does not work as expected we will find the best possible resolution which may include signal extenders and recommendations to relocate devices.
While it is possible to adjust the transmit power or attach an external antenna, we cannot recommend operating these devices in this manner for regulatory purposes.
As these are your devices, you are free to move them wherever you choose. However, in order for the devices to display correctly on the dashboard, please contact us should you device to relocate a device to another room.
If we are conducting analytics of your data it is imperative that the devices remain in the anticipated locations. Should you wish to move a device, please contact us immediately so we can account for this in your data.
Sensors
The TEROS12 is factory calibrated by MeterGroup, and meets the specified accuracy as per datasheet. To increase accuracy of VWC measurements from +/-5% to +/-1 or +/-2%, media-specific formula can be applied. MeterGroup provides formulas for Mineral soil and sandy soil. No Rockwool calibration is available at this time.
At user’s request, a calibration formula can generated by MeterGroup, and integrated into the Sentroller platform. Please contact us for further info.
A media-specific calibration can be performed by following the steps detailed in: https://www.metergroup.com/environment/articles/how-calibrate-soil-moisture-sensors/
TEROS12 can be configured to display Pore EC or Bulk EC. It can also be adapted for different media, based on the linked info from MeterGroup.
Please contact our support team, and we can help you adjust the readings with the appropriate formula.
Information on difference between Bulk vs Pore EC, and how to best use each: https://drive.google.com/open?id=181VogWtvnot9yTrBU98OAkAjU_C2BQU0
Dashboard
On login, users will be taken to the Home page, which is the Dashboard view. Here the data is organized into Rooms, and each room can have multiple zones (or devices).
The dashboard is set to auto-refresh every 5 minutes.
The dashboard shows the most recent data, pulled every 5 minutes. In the event of a data outage, the dashboard can show up to the most recent 60 minutes.
Click on the Zone/Device label (button), and the most recent 24 hours of measurements will be displayed.
Reports view loads the most recent 7 days by default. To specify a custom time-range, please click on the date selector, above the chart, and select one of the available options. You can also specify a custom range.
Up to 30 days can be selected for custom range when the devices are configured for 5-minute reporting interval. More than 30 days is possible for larger reporting intervals. However, performance may degrade when loading intervals larger than 30 days.
Reporting interval is adjustable. However, is subject to power availability. Typically Devices are configured report every 5 minutes when plugged in to AC power. When on solar, they report every 10 minutes when light, and 30 minutes when dark.
The data on the main Dashboard displays all points reported, although the chart may reduce/aggregate it for display purposes. If zoomed in, you should see the individual points.
To zoom in, simply click and drag on the chart to highlight the section you’d like to see.
Alarms & Alerts
You can define the thresholds for which the alarm system will trigger should the conditions fall outside the selected range. The Braingrid Monitoring System will notify you via email when this occurs. Currently these alarms are available for Temperature, Humidity, and CO2.
Additional Alarm parameters, such as EC (Electrical Conductivity), VWC (Volumetric Water Content), and Light levels are available and will require customized scheduling to account for varying timing of activities. Please contact us for more details on these alarms.
Key Metrics
Reports are delivered as per your request. We can schedule them to be delivered monthly, or you can let us know when you’d like them delivered on a month-to-month basis. For added value, we recommend aligning the reporting dates with your batch schedule. This allows for rapid improvements within a single batch, as well as for the next batch.
Deep Insights
The packages on our website are prescribed solutions based on common industry interests. However, we can design ANY experiment based on your data to deliver measurable outcomes. Let us know what you’re interested in and we’ll create a customized package just for you.
As part of our service offering, we will detect outages at your site and contact you within 8 hours to ensure you are aware of the situation. Data coverage is crucial for the efficacy of analytics and data-driven decision making. We will work with you to ensure you get the highest level of data integrity.
In the event of a data interruption, we will assess the situation and determine the impact, if any, on your project goals and timeline. In most cases our data scientist is able to extrapolate missing data points provided the data loss is not severe.
Issue resolution
No. We can integrate systems in whichever way works best for you. For instance, we can push data from our system to your Argus system, or we can integrate the Argus system within our instrumentation solution so the data appears on the Braingrid Dashboard. Contact us so we can design the solution that’s right for you.
That’s why we’re here. We’ll show you how to manage and organize the data to simplify reporting or integrate it within your QMS or ERP systems. Contact us for more details.