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Reserve Your Seat TodaySometimes, when you arrive at a remote site, you just want to quickly review that site's alarms. Maybe you've been dispatched to respond to an alarm, and you want to confirm the alarm status as you arrive. Maybe you were simply in the area and want to check for standing alarms. There's almost no convient way for you to check a site's alarm status.
Traditionally, you might have been required to call your Network Operating Center (NOC), if you're at a site with cell coverage, for an alarm summary. If you have a NetGuardian RTU with a front-panel screen, you can enter the site and scroll through the standing alarms yourself. These 'old school' methods worked well in the past but there is a new way to get alarm statuses. This new option makes use of WI-Fi which allows almost any WiFi capable devices to view alarms. The two 'old school' methods along with the newer 'Wi-Fi' method means that you have three options for getting the information you need.
The best option between the three options is to wirelessly connect to your RTU via Wi-Fi using your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Wi-Fi allows your devices to communicate with each other wirelessly when connected to the Internet. You can view alarms in a web interface on a large screen, and you might not even have to leave your truck and get into the site to do it. As long as you have access to the internet, you can manage your alarms from any web browser.
Deploying RTUs with Wi-Fi capability can save you time and money. You will reduce your windshield time when checking your remote site's alarm status. On one hand, you can check your remote site's status via a web interface using your Wi-Fi connected device (smartphone, laptop, or tablet) without having to go to the site.
So if you are constantly worrying about the status of your sites (like how everyone else should be), this is the best option for you. With Wi-Fi, you can check your site's status without having to be there physically. What does this mean for you? This means that if you're the technician in charge of maintaining your company's remote sites, you'll be able to check the status of your alarms 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as long as you have a device with a web browser that can access the Internet.
On the other hand, of course, you can deploy a RTU with no form of communication to your devices that can be easily accessible from the Internet. This means you'll have to drive to your remote site to check your alarm status. You'll have to physically be there. This wastes gas, time, and money. And it's even worse when your remote site is located in an area with extremely hot or cold weather conditions as these areas tend to not be easily accessible.
Which way would you prefer? Of course, the Wi-Fi way. It is convenient and easily accessible from almost any devices such as a cellphone, tablet, laptop, and more.
Wi-Fi is now available on DPS RTUs. By connecting with your smartphone, laptop, or tablet, you'll gain access to a fast, streamlined web interface that lets you check site alarms and even toggle control relays. The interface is password-protected to prevent unauthorized access. You can also give or remove access privileges to certain users. This way, you can manage and have full control in maintaining access to your site's web interface.
Let's take a look at some DPS RTUs with Wi-Fi capabililty:
The NetGuardian 832A G5 is a large-capacity RTU. It monitors 32 discrete alarms and 8 analog alarms. It can also ping 32 network elements, control 8 relays, provide LAN reach-through access to 8 serial ports, and reports via SNMP v2c or DCPX. The NetGuardian 832A G5 also has support for alarm notification that can be sent to pagers or through email. If you happen to have a RADIUS server, then we have good news because the NetGuardian 832A G5 features RADIUS authentication. A notable feature that can be found on the NetGuardian 832A G5 is its built-in web interface. This interface is intuitive and fast. It allows you to view your alarms, connected devices, and more. It is a feature-rich web-based interface and it can be easily accessed from devices that has a web browser installed.
If your site grows, you can expand your NetGuardian 832A G5's alarms by adding the NetGuardian DX Expansion unit, available in . You can add (daisy-chain) up to three NetGuardian DX G5 expansion units to increase your alarm capacity to a total of 128 discrete alarms, 32 analog inputs, and 32 control relays. If you decide to daisy-chain three NetGuardian DX G4 expansion units, you can have a total capacity of 176 discrete alarms.
The NetGuardian 216 G3 is a smaller RTU that provides exactly the right capacity to manage your small and medium sites. It comes with 16 discrete alarms as well as 2 control outputs. Depending on your order option, the NetGuardian 216 G3 will have between 2 to 8 analog inputs. Alarms from the NetGuardian 216 G3 can be reported using either the SNMP protocol or the DCP protocol. The reported alarms can even be sent over your existing IP network. Alarm notifications can be sent to cellular phones or PDAs. It also have a built-in web interface. This web interface allows users to see alarms and set up their prefered alarm notifications type. In a small and compact size, the NetGuardian 216 G3 provides the right amount of remote alarm monitoring capabilities.
Please note these units are built to order and can be purchased with other build options as well. DPS provides perfect-fit and custom engineered products at no extra cost to you.
Right now, we need to hear from you as we package this technology onto NetGuardian RTU platforms. Is this Wi-Fi technology something that would help you do your job? Do you see any problems with RTUs that have Wi-Fi connectivity? Do you have any specific requirements for compatibility or security? Let us know. If you contact us now, we'll work with you to include this in a perfect-fit RTU for you.
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