IIoT Sensors and Industry Use Cases

The term “Internet of Things”, or IoT, has been making waves in the industrial, commercial, manufacturing and consumer markets over the past years since the concept was formerly introduced in 2012 by the The Global Standards Initiative on Internet of Things (IoT-GSI). Coined as a term for computing devices that can perceive the world without relying on humans for data input, the Internet of Things (IoT) concept promises a world of seamlessly interconnected devices communicating together to process new insights and autonomous actions.

Along with the Internet of Things; terms such as Internet to Machine, Internet of Everything (IoE), and Machine to Machine (M2M) are also often used to describe the relationships of these interconnected sensors and machines. With all the terms being interchangeably and sometimes misused it can be hard to pinpoint the what it all really means. Essentially the underlying concept of behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is to integrate physical devices to communicate with each other, be controlled remotely through the internet or be programmed for autonomous actions based on predefined triggers or conditions from other connected devices such as sensors.

Although the terms are relatively new, this way of thinking and managing operations have been around much longer.

Enviromon has been manufacturing simple ready-to-use ethernet smart sensor technologies to measure and monitor environmental conditions for alerting and control purposes since 2006; long before the term “the internet of things” (IoT) started to emerge into mainstream thinking, but essentially that is what we have been doing for IT departments, data centers, manufacturers, restaurants, cold storage facilities, laboratories and even residential users.

The Internet of Things (IoT) could not exist without smart sensors; sensors provide the data relative to the physical world which allow machine systems to “sense” and “react” to specific conditions. This data is central to the IoT paradigm: from primary sensor data directly related to the physical world, to processed data that adds insights to processes and autonomous control.

Enviromon provides affordable, easy-to-use, easy-to-configure IoT sensor solutions which can be deployed to make operations management and control significantly easier and more convenient for operators and can also offer significant financial advantages for businesses by reducing time, labour and energy costs of many manufacturing and operations processes.

Centralized Platform for IoT Sensors and Equipment

For IoT to truly provide its full value, sensors and equipment need to communicate on the same systems and provide the ability to connect data to action and control. Our base units provide a centralized platform for operations and facility management teams to monitor sensor conditions and configure alerts based on thresholds.

In addition to collecting environmental sensor data, our base units are capable of integrating data from equipment such as generators, CRAC systems, UPS power supplies and other equipment directly by polling these SNMP-enabled devices or using dry contact connections or indirectly by integrating smart sensors to collect key information. All information collected is easily viewed within the web interface and alert thresholds can be defined for any connected devices.

IoT Sensors and SCADA integration

The growing use of smart technology is already transforming how manufacturers, food producers, and utilities are implementing their processes and controls. Sensors are able to provide data to automated systems that are able to streamline processes using analytics and interconnectivity to maximize efficiency and develop new processes that were previously thought not to be possible.

For large and existing infrastructure management systems our base units can be used as RTU devices on-site and to provide sensor data to industry control systems and network monitoring software located in a centralized location.

Many sensor types for the many IoT use cases

Enviromon provides several types of smart sensors for monitoring environmental conditions. Once connected to the base unit sensors are automatically recognized and start collecting data. The sensor data can be configured to be used to trigger alerts once predefined thresholds are met, or be used to provide data to additional equipment.

Security Monitoring and Control

In combination with our base units, IP-enabled security cameras can be connected along with motion detection sensors and door contact sensors to provide visual monitoring anytime someone enters the room.

Additionally, cameras can be configured to send photos or video via SMS or email and can trigger physical alarms or other security systems.

Environmental Monitoring and Control

Temperature sensors can be used to provide temperature and humidity data which can then be used to control other integrated systems such as air conditioners, fans, alerts or other connected devices. Airflow sensors can monitor a room for the presence of airflow to ensure air is circulating properly or to ensure HVAC or CRAC systems are turned on. Leak detection sensors can monitor equipment and rooms for water leakages and alert key personnel to the area of the leakage to prevent further damages and flooding.