Monitoring/logging temperature for 150 refrigerators...

[Edvins]

All -

We currently have around 147 medication refrigerators scattered about in locations covered by our corporate network and we would like to have an across-the-board approach to monitoring their temperatures. The temperature range that we must maintain for the refrigerators is 36-45 degrees. I'm trying to identify a solution that could be monitored/tracked without affirmative responsibilities by the local staff and that could be reproduced if needed to prove that the temperature was being monitored.

It feels like HomeSeer could be utilized for this type of a solution. Is anyone aware of ip-based temperature probes that could report back to Homeseer so that we could log temperature data as well as set off some alert if the temperature violates the specified temperature range?

Thanks in advance for your assistance


Ed

[Rupp]

Ed,
The one-wire temp sensors run over cat 5 and work very well with HomeSeer. I'm not sure the limit on the number of sensors though.

[Edvins]

IP-Based?

Thanks Rupp - do you by chance have a link that I can look at? Are these IP-Based? the challenge is that these friges are in multiple buildings that would be beyond the ~300ft. distance limitations of a straight Cat-5 pull...I'l need to have a network interface.

Thanks.

Ed

[Rupp]

This site has a lot of good information but it's not IPBased but rather just uses cat5 as the transport.

http://www.midondesign.com/TEMP08/TEMP08.html

[Michael McSharry]

If you are looking for a DIY project then I suggest using a federated architecture with Embedded Data Systems HA7Net as the collection point for a group of colocated refrigerators. Multiple HA7Net units could then be connected via IP to a central data collection/monitoring location. You really do not need Homeseer for this single-purpose function. I do not have any good links for the packaging of a temp sensors that would make install in the refrig easy. The link to the EDS site is http://embeddeddatasystems.com/page/EDS/PROD/HA/HA7Net

[Edvins]

Sensorsoft

Thanks for the input! I'll check that out as well!

In researching this, we ran across a company that has a number of interesting solutions at really reasonable pricing - Sensorsoft. They've got a number of very interesting sensors and packages:

www.sensorsoft.com/pricelist.html

I wonder if integration to HS is a possibility?

Ed

[Michael McSharry]

The sensorsoft product does not scale up very well to 147 units, but I suspect any industrial solution will have a price tag. What is the purpose of integrating with Homeseer? It seems your needs are data collection and alert and there is nothing special that HS provides that will not already be available in the solution you select.

A thermochron Ibutton (DS1921 from maxim-ic) is a device about the size of a fat nickel. It measures temperature at regular interval and stores it in its memory. It can be setup to only store on certain conditions. They sell for a few bucks each and could be placed in each refrigerator without any wiring or probes to deal with. It does not give you the notification you desire, but it does provide the logging for evidence. The memory can be dumped for achive at any time you desire. You may find something like this usefull for mobile equipment for which a wired probe is not practical.

[zimmer62]

you can leave a thermochron on the onewire network for real time notification of conditions. These things are really nice.

[stevene]

It doesn't require HS, but I use these IP based temp monitoring modules and sensors to monitor our remote server rooms.

http://www.sensatronics.com/products...re-monitor.php

And a wonderful program to pull all the data together and alert of us of problems, Host Monitor.

http://ks-soft.com

StevenE