Environmental Monitoring System Keeps Tabs on Animal Welfare
Sensaphone, maker of a comprehensive line of remote monitoring products, announces The Sentinel system which uses cloud technology to provide supervised 24/7 remote monitoring of environmental conditions and critical equipment. These capabilities help maintain precise temperature and other environmental conditions, which are important to keeping animals healthy in zoos, preserves, shelters, veterinary hospitals, boarding centers and other care facilities. This is especially important when these facilities cannot employ onsite personnel around the clock.
The Sentinel system lets operators track conditions like ambient temperature, humidity, ventilation, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water pH, tank levels, water leaks, power failure, storage refrigerator/freezer temperatures and unauthorized access. Sensors can be placed in kennels, burrows, dens, aquatic tanks, and other habitats.
When the Sentinel system detects that a sensor reading has moved out of the preset range, it sends a notification via phone call, text or email to designated personnel. This immediate alert helps staff to take fast corrective action. Personnel can remotely check real-time condition status from anywhere through the Sensaphone app on a mobile device. They can also change settings, disable alarms and readjust temperature limits.
Sensaphone offers two types of Sentinel systems: Ethernet-based and cellular for locations where internet connectivity is unavailable. Each system monitors up to 12 different environmental and equipment status conditions. Housed in a NEMA-4X enclosure, the Sentinel unit is protected from dust, dirt and moisture both indoors and out.
The Sentinel system is also a data acquisition device/data logger that can store an unlimited amount of sensor information that users can view, graph, print and export. This advanced data logging capability saves personnel time and effort when reporting on operating conditions and identifying trends that might indicate potential equipment problems.
The Sentinel system constantly communicates a signal to the Sensaphone cloud to validate its online status. If the communication link is interrupted—for example by a power outage or someone accidentally switching off the unit—the system generates an alert indicating that internet connection is lost or that there is a cellular communications problem. Users are notified about the disruption through phone, text or email.