Sometimes, the value of remote monitoring isn’t in how much you can do with it, but rather how little. There are many examples now of remote monitoring applications that are vast and complex. However, we’ve always been proud that our low cost solution provides similar sophistication for the little guy.
A clear example of this came in the form of a phone call, from a customer who didn’t need or want alarms or datalogging, and only wanted to monitor one sensor.
He had a digital pressure gauge in a remote corner of his plant. Running cable to the gauge was prohibitively expensive, yet he wanted to know what was happening so he could focus his time on more productive activity.
While he couldn’t run standard cable, he did have a nearby Internet access. The answer became clear when he learned of our RST-5003 series module, which allows monitoring of any sensor with a 4-20mA output via the Internet (or LAN) on a standard web browser.
There was no need for alarm functions, or for data logging. He just needed to see what was going on without making the trip to the other side of the facility. For applications this simple, our online monitoring service is free.
Low cost remote monitoring allows control personnel to fill in measurement gaps that previously did not justify the expense of complex systems. These gaps are often left to manual measurement, or simply ignored.
A single gap can involve more than a single sensor. It can include up to ten sensors on our Tank Cloud system—one Modbus server (the RST-5003 or LOE ultrasonic) and ten Modbus client sensors. This currently only applies to remote level measurements, however.
So small tank farms that are often checked manually can enjoy a robust monitoring system for a cost of a few sensors.
So while the case studies involving intense security and thousands of sensors connecting several plants may sound impressive, what is truly ground breaking is that the playing field has been leveled. Small and large companies alike can deploy one sensor at a time to eliminate measurement gaps and increase both comprehension and control.
Contact us if you have any questions about how remote monitoring can level the playing field for you, and fill your measurement gaps.
