What is Realtime and how does it work?
Current Versions and Upgrades:
- Version 5.3, 6.0, 6.21, and 7.0 are realtime versions
- Version 3.0 or 3.1 must upgrade to Version 3.2 (over the air upgrade is available)
- Version 5.1 must upgrade to Version 5.2 (over the air upgrade is available)
- Version 2.6 and earlier must upgrade their hardware
Note: The basic package of reporting will now include analog channels and Arm/Disarm reporting at no extra cost. Arm and Disarm are now Realtime events and will be reported to the web site in real-time. Suspension threshold is set to a higher level.
What remains the same?
Alarms have always been reported in real-time and there is no change in alarm reporting.
What are Realtime data reporting methods?
There are two types of real-time data:
- Events - Event data is asynchronous, and can be transmitted at any time, subject to rules for conditioning and suspension. Transmission of event data is not based on time intervals, but triggers, such as changes in the data or an input.
- Sampled - Sampled data is sent on a strict time schedule. The rate of sampling is usually stated in terms of samples per day or time between samples.
Data Buffering:
If there is an interruption in connectivity, any data needing to be sent will be time-stamped and buffered in local memory until connectivity is restored. There is a limit on the number of data points that can be retained in memory (approximately 2000 data points). If, during a lengthy service interruption memory becomes full of data points, the oldest data will be deleted to make space in the buffer for the most recent data.
Data Conditioning:
You are already familiar with trip delays as a conditioning method used to prevent contact bounce or rapidly changing data from causing unwanted transmissions. Realtime data will also require these new types of conditioning:
- Event On/Off delays - All Realtime events shall be conditioned by turn-on and turn-off delays as appropriate for the channel or event type.
- Sensitivity Factor - The sensitivity is the amount by which real-time analog data must change, either by increasing or decreasing, before it can be sent to the web site. Sensitivity is expressing percent of full scale for the data type.
- Event Suspension - Suspension is not exactly a type of data conditioning but a higher-level method of preventing excessive transmissions. The suspension threshold is the daily upper limit on the number of events that may be transmitted for each of the event types.
Arm/Disarm Events - RTU arm and disarm events are sent to the web site in real-time - for both the armed event and the disarmed event. Arm/Disarm events will now appear in the "Non-Alarm Events Log."
Digital Events - Channels not configured as Pump Combo Channels shall also be eligible to send general real-time data. If so configured, on and off events on designated channels shall be transmitted in real-time. Transmission of digital events are subject to turn-on and turn-off delays determined by the service level.
Pump Events - Channels automatically configured as pump combo types under the Pump Performance Templates (1-4) shall be eligible to send real-time pump events. Pump start and stop events shall be transmitted to the web site in real-time.
Analog Events - Analog channel data may be transmitted as events. As will all event types, analog events are subject to the suspension threshold for maximum daily transmitted events. Analog events are also subject to sensitivity and hold time parameters.
Any analog data parameters shall be eligible to be transmitted to the web site on a real-time sampled basis. The eligible analog parameters are:
- The analog inputs (channels 9 and 10)
- Battery voltage
- Input voltage - requires Rev C board
Sample Interval and Samples per Day
The sample interval is the time interval on which analog channels are sampled and their values transmitted to the web site. The sampling interval for an analog value is given as time between samples. A shorter sample interval results in more samples sent to the web site.
Example:
- 60 minutes sampling rate = 1 sample per hour or 24 samples per day
- 10 minutes sampling rate = 60/10 * 24 = 144 samples per day
Digital Data as Sampled Data
There is no reason why digital data cannot be sampled. Flexibility is given to set up custom template reports.
Sample Time versus Sampling Time
The sample time or interval is a user-settable parameter. The sampling time is the actual time at which data samples are taken (snapshot of data). Sample times are synchronized to the RTU's internal clock - which is derived from the local cellular tower time.