This manual is for GNU remotecontrol (version 2.0, 22 April 2016).
| • Overview: | An overview of GNU remotecontrol. | |
| • Scope: | The scope of this document. | |
| • Key Principles: | Key principles of GNU remotecontrol, described. | |
| • GNU remotecontrol and BACnet: | How they work together. | |
| • Tax Benefit: | Tax benefits of using GNU remotecontrol. | |
| • System Architecture and Concepts: | The architecture of the system. | |
| • Usage Instructions: | How to use it. | |
| • Usage Recommendations: | Tips to use it. | |
| • Use Case Scenarios: | How you might want to use it. | |
| • Implementation Cost: | The cost to get started. | |
| • Roadmap: | Where we are going. | |
| • REFERENCE: | Reference materials for cabling and power. | |
| • Contributors: | Who made this? | |
| • GNU Free Documentation License: | The license covering this document. |
GNU remotecontrol is a web application serving as a management tool for multiple IP enabled HVAC thermostat devices and other Building Automation devices. The purpose of GNU remotecontrol is to read from and write to multiple IP enabled thermostat devices all at one time.
The GNU remotecontrol framework is designed to work with any IP enabled HVAC thermostat, but can be easily developed to operate any number of networked devices. This framework is built with cURL, PHP, and MySQL. This system architecture is enabled on a server-client principle, where users can login to the server using a web browser to manage multiple remote devices from a single web interface. The GNU remotecontrol framework was developed to work in combination with a Remote Monitoring Server, which monitors configurable device parameters and can generate automatic system responses and alerts. GNU remotecontrol is both scalable and distributable over multiple computers serving different roles in the HVAC or remote device management framework. The Proliphix thermostat (currently the only true IP enabled HVAC thermostat on the market) was used to develop the GNU remotecontrol web application. The Application Programming Interface (API) Proliphix IP Devices HTTP API, Revision 1.8 is used to read from and write to the Object Identification (OID) numbers defined in the Proliphix API for the Proliphix HVAC thermostat device.
We identify anytime we do not adhere to the Proliphix API instructions with the text...THIS IS A DEVIATION TO THE PROLIPHIX API...in GNU remotecontrol user manual. The only time we deviate from the Proliphix API is when there is a critical thermostat device firmware deficiency. Otherwise, the Proliphix API instructions are strictly followed by GNU remotecontrol.
GNU remotecontrol is now designed and built using the Model-View-Controller (MVC) software architectural pattern. The benefit is to provide easier code reusability and pave the way for Unattended Server Side Automation (USSA or U-S-S-A). The automation is intended to replace repetitive actions in your day-to-day usage of GNU remotecontrol. Examples of such repetition are setting the time on all thermostat devices, or interfacing with an external system such as another Energy Management System. The benefit is to free you of most, if not all, human interaction necessary to operate your GNU remotecontrol implementation.
GNU remotecontrol is now designed and built using a standard Data-Access Layer (DAL) interface via the PHP Data Objects (PDO). This construct supports the GNU remotecontrol MySQL database using the PDO data access components. The DAL can easily mature to support other types of databases or data access components.
There are two significant enhancements to the setup of GNU remotecontrol. First, there is scripting to setup the GNU remotecontrol database. Second, there is a single configuration file to connect your PHP to your MySQL for using GNU remotecontrol along with other settings necessary for GNU remotecontrol. These two enhancements greatly ease GNU remotecontrol configuration and operation.
The intended structure of this documentation is to help you achieve an understanding of why you need or want to use GNU remotecontrol and instruction for how to use GNU remotecontrol. Our research during the development of GNU remotecontrol found users operated best when they were given the opportunity to gain a high-level understanding of all the technologies associated with GNU remotecontrol. This documentation is written as a combined reference manual and technical manual for GNU remotecontrol. The Scope section contains a listing of the minimum recommended chapter reading, per user role. Each section in System Architecture and Concepts contains instructions for Security Model, any Options recommended, Requirements to run the technology, and Configuration of the technology.
We recognize this documentation contains a lot of material. The documentation is segmented for you to select what you need to read to quickly and easily learn about and start using GNU remotecontrol. It is our hope you find this documentation contains all of the information you need to successfully and effortlessly use GNU remotecontrol. We now gladly give you the latest version of GNU remotecontrol.
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The scope of this documentation is to address the three roles (functional disciplines) who interact daily in the usage of GNU remotecontrol; Information Technology, Energy Management, and End User. A fourth role, Financial Management, is a role which operates in the Cost Benefit Analysis and in reviews to evaluate facility improvement opportunities. The documentation contains information pertinent to each role. The intended end result is to help equip each role with the necessary definitions and reference information to further high-level communication among the roles.
The following list is the minimum recommended chapter reading, per role.
Next: GNU remotecontrol and BACnet, Previous: Scope, Up: Top [Contents]
GNU remotecontrol is designed to substantially reduce the time and effort necessary to remotely manage multiple thermostat devices, while significantly increasing your productivity through its many useful and time saving features. The User Interface is no more difficult than using any other web application involving simple check boxes and pull-down menus. GNU remotecontrol, combined with the Remote Monitoring Server, work together as a complete HVAC Energy Management system. GNU remotecontrol more than pays for itself by saving time and effort in manual labor for managing all resources individually.....and then some.
It is necessary to understand the design and usage intent of the HVAC thermostat to fully grasp the design and usage intent of GNU remotecontrol.
The HVAC thermostat device is often a combination of either a relay or a semiconductor device to have circuits either opened or closed, to switch the device either off or on. Examples of this functionality include heating, cooling, or a fan. The addition of a scheduling option to turn any of these items off or on at a certain time does make it more practical of a device in terms of managing day-to-day operation of any HVAC system. Adding in the ability to track run time duration for heating, cooling, or a fan help energy efficiency measurements. The final addition of remote access, through the traditional IP enabled data network, takes the HVAC thermostat to an interconnected device capable of multiple read and write operating functions. The cable from the thermostat to the HVAC equipment is solid core 18-AWG, either 4 or 8 separately jacketed wires, depending on system capability, all contained within a protective jacket.
GNU remotecontrol is here to help you make your Energy Management strategy easier and more productive. GNU remotecontrol is here to help simplify your life, not make it more complicated. Contact the mailing list if you are stuck or cannot figure out the best option for your GNU remotecontrol framework. The chances are the answer you need is something we have already worked through. We would be happy to help you by discussing your situation with you.
You will most likely need to work with others who have a different skill set than you do to develop and implement an effective Energy Management strategy. It is necessary to carefully plan for your selection of the decision makers you choose to work with on your team. Choosing decision makers capable to run your HVAC and IT systems is paramount to the success of your system performance.
Being a licensed Professional Engineer does not make the person a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). They are separate qualifications, each with their own requirements. The titles associated with Energy Engineering are broad. Go with a Certified Energy Manager to help you determine if you qualify for any tax benefit for commercial building being rated as energy efficient. Even if you don’t qualify for a tax benefit, it is highly likely you will find a beneficial set of methods to increase your Energy Management strategies which makes paying the Certified Energy Manager well worth the expense.
Serving in an IT role does not necessarily make one qualified do an end-to-end design of an IT system. Relevant certifications help to know if one is capable to do what they say they can do. Experience is probably the strongest credential one can have for being capable to run an IT system. Simply put, operation does not equal design. They are separate qualifications, each with their own requirements.
Look to your Cost Benefit Analysis for decision making on how you need to design and operate your Energy Management strategy.
The following is a list of links to information which will greatly help you plan for the network implementation and configuration of your Energy Management strategy.
SCADA speaks to the industrial side of HVAC automation.
ICS speaks to industrial production facilities.
SANS specializes in Internet Security training.
This code was originally called JUT.....“Just Use This” to represent the intention of this software automation to take the complicated and make it very, very simple, from a user perspective. The name changed to GNU remotecontrol, when code was released under the GNU license.
If you have thermostat devices, you know it takes time and effort to keep your energy usage down and control your climate for your comfort. This time and effort is increased with each remote device or HVAC unit you want to administrate. GNU remotecontrol helps you spend less time and effort administrating your thermostat devices, provides automated record keeping of what changed, who changed it, and when it was changed. GNU remotecontrol deployment helps keep your energy usage as low as possible.
Review the access logs you have enabled for your Web Server, your Operating System, and all of the other technologies which achieve user validation of a web application. Technologies time tested, tried and true, which you can count on. No need to reinvent the wheel, use what works well when possible.
Free up your time and effort for starters. Also, enable you to know who did what to your thermostat devices when GNU remotecontrol was used to change your thermostat devices. Finally, your GNU remotecontrol application can help you minimize your energy costs.
The IP enabled thermostat will greatly help with this measurement.
Pretty easy, actually. Select the thermostat devices you want to change the settings of.....make the change.....and that’s it. You can easily see the time and effort you save changing the air conditioning from 75°F to 73°F for several thermostat devices, all at once! Then, imagine changing your setback schedule somehow on top of that, for say thirty different thermostat devices, all at once!
Oh, yes. Think of GNU remotecontrol as writing to your thermostat devices while a Remote Monitoring Server reading information about your thermostat devices. The two go hand in hand. They are intended to work together.
Yes. Use your Remote Monitoring Server to collect information about the weather from International Weather Services for the location of your thermostat device. This approach will tell you a great deal about the quality of your Energy Management strategy.
Yes, you can access GNU remotecontrol using your cell phone Internet browser.
No. GNU remotecontrol is a WC3 compliant web application. More times than not, your network is ready to go as-is.
You can set up different user accounts, but the nature of a thermostat device means the people touching it be extremely clear with each other as to how they want to set the thermostat device.
We recommend you use a High Grade (AES-256 bit) encryption to secure the connection from your computer to your GNU remotecontrol server and verify the identity of your server with your own signed SSL Certificate. The connection from your computer to your thermostat device is not changed from your normal connection to your Proliphix thermostat device.
Yes. See GNU remotecontrol and BACnet.
Yes. Remote Monitoring Server and GNU remotecontrol work together to help you do just this. Recorded data of your HVAC system’s usage and outdoor weather information is priceless for testing and balancing. The review of recorded data offers considerable cost savings, in both time and effort, when optimizing your system setup. Additionally, you can reduce the number of people necessary to do the testing and balancing down to one person.
The next logical step is to expand GNU remotecontrol and become certified with industrial HVAC, lighting control, access control, and fire detection technologies. The BACnet communication protocol is an excellent candidate for connection to the GNU remotecontrol framework. See GNU remotecontrol and BACnet. The MODBUS communication protocol may also be implemented at a future date, but demand for this capability enhancement is not clearly understood.
Next: Tax Benefit, Previous: Key Principles, Up: Top [Contents]
The BACnet data communication protocol, for Building Automation and Control Networks, was developed by ASHRAE, the building technology society. The intention is to enable interoperability between automation and control systems by different vendors used in the building industry.
BACnet conformance requires a Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS), which GNU remotecontrol does not currently have. This is because we have no user requests to develop GNU remotecontrol in this direction. However, the PHP code can be adapted to utilize the XML language to effect communication with BACnet systems and compliant devices. GNU remotecontrol is capable of processing packets comprising the BACnet model and its Object types, by utilizing PHP code to parse the data and handle inputs and outputs and network communications as BACnet requires.
The roadmap of GNU remotecontrol is a commitment to International standards and protocols for Information Technology to provide availability, relevance, transparency, and maintenance of the GNU remotecontrol framework. (See Roadmap.) The BACnet XML Working Group is an excellent example of these attributes.
Next: System Architecture and Concepts, Previous: GNU remotecontrol and BACnet, Up: Top [Contents]
Internal Revenue Bulletin: 2006-26, Notice 2006-52, Deduction for Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings defines the tax deduction allowed for the hardware and software required for GNU remotecontrol to operate in commercial buildings in the United States. The costs for GNU remotecontrol are 100% tax deductible.....if you meet these requirements. The tax deduction, combined with spending less money for energy due to an improved Energy Management strategies, means GNU remotecontrol more than pays for itself.
Next: Usage Instructions, Previous: Tax Benefit, Up: Top [Contents]
The following pieces of the GNU remotecontrol architecture are necessary:
The following pieces of the GNU remotecontrol architecture are optional:
The following versions for the GNU remotecontrol architecture are required:
An abbreviated set of installation instructions for GNU remotecontrol as a whole is available in the INSTALL.md file, located in the /PATH-TO-YOUR-SVN/remotecontrol/doc/ directory.
Please make certain you have the required software versions, as listed in the beginning of this section.
GNU remotecontrol is configured with the minimum level of security necessary for a Web Server. You are responsible for setting up your security on your Web Server.
GNU remotecontrol can operate on any platform capable of running PHP with cURL and MySQL. GNU remotecontrol works with either Basic or Digest authentication. GNU remotecontrol works with either Apache mod_PHP or FastCGI Process Manager. Follow the requirements stated by the Web Server you so choose to use.
GNU remotecontrol runs without any known problems on Apache, Nginx, and IIS. Running GNU remotecontrol on a lightweight Web Server versus a complete Web Server is possible, but not recommended. This is due to the security benefits of a complete Web Server. Again, you are responsible for setting up your security on your Web Server.
GNU remotecontrol is configured within the config.example.php file. This file is located in the /PATH-TO-YOUR-SVN/remotecontrol/ directory. Copy config.example.php to config.php. This file contains all necessary parameters to connect your Web Server to your Database Server, after you have initially installed and configured each server.
GNU remotecontrol will not work with anonymous users. This is because of how GNU remotecontrol is designed and for security purposes. You must add at least a single user in your GNU remotecontrol database, which is checked against an identically named user account configured in your website. GNU remotecontrol authentication is aligned with Web Server authentication, by keeping user names between the two identical. Follow the requirements stated by the Web Server you so choose to use.
Here is what you need to run GNU remotecontrol on Apache, after you setup your security on your Web Server.
DocumentRoot /var/www/remotecontrol <Directory /var/www/remotecontrol> Options FollowSymLinks -Indexes AllowOverride None Order allow,deny allow from all </Directory> <Location /> AuthType Basic AuthName "GNU remotecontrol v2.0 - USER AUTHENTICATION REQUIRED" AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/.remotecontrol_passwd Require user tstat_admin tstat_test_user_1 tstat_test_user_2 </Location>
register_globals = Off auto_globals_jit = On
Please make certain you have the required software versions, as listed in the beginning of this section.
GNU remotecontrol is configured with the minimum level of security necessary for a Database System. You are responsible for setting up your security on your Database Server.
GNU remotecontrol runs without any known problems on MySQL. Running GNU remotecontrol on a lightweight Database Server versus a complete Database Server is possible, but not recommended. This is due to the security benefits of a complete Database Server. Again, you are responsible for setting up your security on your Database Server. Follow the requirements stated by the Database System you so choose to use.
There are both complete and partial automation options available to setup your GNU remotecontrol database. The files for these options are located in the /PATH-TO-YOUR-SVN/remotecontrol/dbscripts/ directory. The complete automation option is an all-inclusive interactive script called make-db.sh. The partial automation option is the same all-inclusive script broken into individual SQL scripts. Follow the requirements stated by the Database System you so choose to use.
Command-line arguments for the make-db.sh file are sequential:
Execute the individual SQL scripts in the following order:
The README.md file in this same directory contains abbreviated instructions to setup your GNU remotecontrol database. Again, an abbreviated set of installation instructions for GNU remotecontrol as a whole is available in the INSTALL.md file, located in the /PATH-TO-YOUR-SVN/remotecontrol/doc/ directory.
Please make certain you have the required software versions, as listed in the beginning of this section.
GNU remotecontrol is configured with the minimum level of security necessary for a Remote Monitoring application. You are responsible for setting up your security on your Remote Monitoring Server.
Follow the requirements stated by the Remote Monitoring application you so choose to use.
The question must be answered.....why would you not monitor your systems? This is not a judgemental question, simply framing the context of this section. This section has a list of Frequently Asked Questions, at the end. If your answer brings you peace of mind to not have a Remote Monitoring Server, so be it. Perhaps you trust the decisions and work of others enough to not bother with setting up a Remote Monitoring Server. That is often a poor choice.
Running a Remote Monitoring Server is the easy part of having a Remote Monitoring Server. The biggest decision you have to make is.....are you going to run it, or is someone else? Then, and only then, choose the technology combination you want to have for your Remote Monitoring Server. Do not let your skill set alone decide what is best for meeting your needs. Determine what you needs are, count the cost, and then choose your technology.
Popular Options
Note: There are many, many other options to choose.
We have developed plugins for Nagios to round out the Energy Management strategy. Check out the Nagios Plugins.
Follow the requirements stated by the Remote Monitoring application you so choose to use.
We developed a complementary set of plugins to round out the GNU remotecontrol Architecture. The plugins can be implemented either individually or collectively. We developed our plugins in accordance with the Nagios Plugin Development Guidelines. The function of these plugins is to capture and process numerical characters from data obtained from your IP enabled thermostat device and RSS or JSON feeds for weather information out of doors. The measurements of Temperature, Humidity, Wind-Speed, Wind-Chill, and Atmospheric (Barometric) Pressure help to analyze your entire HVAC system and determine if your Energy Management strategy is working for you. Other measurements can be added in as preferred, as shared below.
The need for the Thermostat Plugin - check_ubicom is better understood when the limitations of the native Proliphix alarms are examined. The Proliphix thermostat device has four alarms.
Alarms in the thermostat device were considered for displaying in GNU remotecontrol home.php or another web page not yet developed (perhaps something like a GNU remotecontrol alarms.php web page). Feedback from users during development of GNU remotecontrol showed their preference is to be informed of alarms from a Remote Monitoring Server notification. This approach also provides logging of all monitored information, a feature not available in the thermostat device itself.
The Temperature and Humidity alarms are already provided for in the Nagios checks we have developed. The Filter Change alarm has various pre-determined options to select; 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, 365 Runtime Days. This does not account for dust accumulating on a filter, should the power be turned off to the thermostat device. This logic combination is determined as insufficient to use for monitoring when to change the filter of any HVAC system. Reasoning for this determination includes:
The Proliphix API only supports reading these alarms, not setting an alarm threshold or resetting an alarm event. The user must go to the web page within the Proliphix thermostat device for setting an alarm threshold or resetting an alarm event. Also, there is only a single alarm issued per alarm type until the alarm type event is reset in the thermostat device. This logic combination means a threshold may be exceeded, return to an acceptable level for the user, and then be exceeded again. This example is an excellent illustration of the value gained by having a Remote Motoring Server, with its fully configurable and flexible alarm functionality, watching your network, your devices, and anything else you can monitor.
Finally, since the thermostat device has a threshold of how many read events the unit can support per minute, we did not want to overwhelm the device with multiple read events. An example of this overwhelming of the device is:
The Proliphix API is quite distinct about this cautioning of too many read events per minute through the Proliphix API. The combination of the web server of the thermostat device and GNU remotecontrol home.php is a proper approach to use and not overwhelm the thermostat device. This approach caches the data and avoids repeated Proliphix API calls to the Proliphix HVAC thermostat device.
Please review the documentation provided with the plugin source code for detailed usage instructions. The following is an outline of the detailed instruction.
This plugin will attempt to read temperature and humidity from a thermostat device. Successful reads initially set the response to STATE_OK. If the temperature or humidity falls outside the range set by the warn-temperature or the warn-humidity arguments, then the response is upgraded to STATE_WARNING. If the temperature or humidity falls outside the range set by the critical-temperature or the critical-humidity arguments, then the response is further upgraded to STATE_CRITICAL. Failure to read both values, due to either a timeout or parsing failure, results in a STATE_UNKNOWN response.
check_ubicom! -wt :70 -ct :90 -wh 10: -ch 5: -t 60 -I example.remote-mon.com -u /status.shtml
check_ubicom! -m -wt 0:30 --critical-temperature=-10:50 -I example.remote-mon.com -u /status.shtml
define command{
command_name check_ubicom
command_line $USER1$/check_ubicom -I 10.10.10.22 -p 8264
}
Please review the documentation provided with the plugin source code for detailed usage instructions. The following is an outline of the detailed instruction.
The check_weather plugin checks the wind-chill, wind-speed, humidity, pressure, and temperature received from Yahoo! Weather RSS Feed for a single location. The return value is always either OK or UNKNOWN, as the weather feed either is or is not accessible.
You are certainly free to use any other feed you prefer. Examples of a feed include The Weather Channel and Weather Underground. All of these feeds have free and paid options. Please carefully read their provisions if you select to use their feed.
The performance values returned by the check_weather plugin, in order, are:
check_weather! -d 23424748 -m F -w 0 -c 0
OK|52 8 88 29.68 52
check_weather! -d 23424748 -m C -w 0 -c 0
OK|35 12.8748 88 753.872 35
define command{
command_name check_weather
command_line $USER1$/check_weather -d 23424748 -m F -w 0 -c 0
}
Please review the documentation provided with the plugin source code for detailed usage instructions. The following is an outline of the detailed instruction.
The check_forecast plugin checks the wind-chill, wind-speed, humidity, pressure, and temperature received from Open Weather Map for a single location. The return value is always either OK or UNKNOWN, as the forecast feed either is or is not accessible.
You are certainly free to use any other feed you prefer. Examples of a feed include The Weather Channel and Weather Underground. All of these feeds have free and paid options. Please carefully read their provisions if you select to use their feed.
The performance values returned by the check_forecast plugin, in order, are:
check_forecast! -t -24.91 -n 133.4 -m F -w 0 -c 0 -a [INSERT YOUR API KEY HERE]
OK|52 8 88 29.68 52
check_forecast! -t -24.91 -n 133.4 -m C -w 0 -c 0 -a [INSERT YOUR API KEY HERE]
OK|35 12.8748 88 753.872 35
define command{
command_name check_forecast
command_line $USER1$/check_forecast! -t -24.91 -n 133.4 -m F -w 0 -c 0 -a [INSERT YOUR API KEY HERE]
}
These plugins are developed under the Nagios License.
GNU remotecontrol is configured with the minimum level of security necessary for an Email Server. You are responsible for setting up your security on your Email Server.
The email send function used in the GNU remotecontrol Architecture is for sending email from your Remote Monitoring Server to you, using SMTP. The mail send function will use the server’s Mail Transfer Agent (MTA). Requirements for High Availability of mail sending necessitate the configuration of a secondary MTA to provide service redundancy. You will need to have your own registered Domain Name with its MX record, to be able to send email messages directly to recipients and not be blocked by various Internet Service Providers (ISPs), for fear of spam. Follow the requirements stated by the Email Server application you so choose to use with your Remote Monitoring Server.
Many ISPs block outgoing packets through port 25. This occurs as a matter of course to minimize spam. If you ISP is blocking port 25, then you have the option.....and is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for security purposes.....to configure your MTA to use SSL/TLS encryption when sending messages to remote mail servers (SMTPS). This configuration would normally use a different port than port 25 for outgoing messages, overcoming the problem of blocked port 25. If your server is not operating under a registered Domain Name, then you have no option but to use a third party SMTP service offered by different ISPs (e.g. DynDNS Email, Gmail, et cetera) to relay messages from your Remote Monitoring Server server to the intended recipients, via your email account on the third party server.
Do yourself a big favor and become clear on these three items:
Then, do yourself a huge favor and become familiar with these four items:
Now, having a familiarity understanding of these items will equip you to have a successful talk with your Email Administrator, or your Internet Service Provider, or a Mail Relay Provider. They will ask you several questions about how you want email handled for your GNU remotecontrol. Prepare beforehand for this discussion. The discussion will go much better if you are familiar with and understand these items.
The Remote Monitoring Server can be configured to send notifications to any number of different recipients. It is advisable you configure the access control list of your Email Server to only allow messages to be sent from the user under which your Remote Monitoring Server is running, as an added security precaution. Follow the requirements stated by the MTA application you so choose to use and the settings provided by any third party SMTP service.
The email you probably want to receive is that which will notify you of a condition occurring. You are notified by email messages sent to you by your Remote Monitoring Server. You do not have to keep these email notifications after you are notified, nor do you need to set any reports to be sent to you in more emails. All of the information you would ever need about notifications, alerts and their history, is being stored on your Remote Monitoring Server, either in log files or in a database. The benefit of receiving an email alert is to be notified in real time, when you need to look into an exception event to mitigate its impact. The benefit of this awareness is priceless.
Note: Don’t use an SMS address when sending email to cell phones. Use the cell phone’s email address via the Free Email To SMS Gateways. Major United States Carriers offer this to both email or SMS users. Look for the same options from cell phone providers where you live. You will be much happier using the cell phone’s email address, as you can easily track if the message went out or not, versus wondering about the SMS system.....in which knowing is often a mystery. Finally, it is one less system to use.
RMS is the acronym of Remote Monitoring Server.
A Remote Monitoring Server regularly keeps track of your chosen networked device (computers, email servers, web servers, routers, thermostat devices, et cetera) and notifies you with alerts of any problems when they occur.
If you want to know the status of any IP addressable device, you need to monitor it. If you do not have the time or effort available to stand there and watch the device yourself, you need something to automatically monitor it and record the results for you to review at your leisure. Ideally, the Remote Monitoring Server will promptly notify you of anything occurring you have defined as a problem. An automated technology which remotely monitors your equipment, commonly referred to as.....stuff.....and alerts you when there is a problem. This is RMS.
Watch your “stuff” and tell you when your “stuff” has a problem. It logs the results of the monitoring of your “stuff” for you to review in a web page based format. This approach will help you quickly figure out if something is wrong and what is wrong with your “stuff”.
Pretty easy, actually. Setup your Remote Monitoring Server and decide what network and devices you want monitored. From there, you receive an email or SMS message to your cell phone when there is a problem.
Yes, it produces graphs providing a visual indication of the measurements taken, in configurable scale and units of measurement.
Yes, you can access your RMS server using your cell phone Internet browser.
No more difficult than receiving an email or SMS message when an alert occurs. Reports of historical events are available on the RMS served website, which includes a summary dashboard and detailed log tables and graphs.
More than enough for you to know if and when there is a problem. A notification system is almost limitless in how it can be configured for you. A good example is not receiving all SMS message in the middle of the night, but only the SMS messages you conclude you must have ’round the clock. When you receive a notification, how many times you receive a subsequent notification for the same failure, and who receives those notifications.....all set up as you want.
Often, there is a primary and a secondary person in a monitoring notification. Each person has an email address and an SMS address, receiving email or SMS notifications to each address.....as you prefer. Or, it is sent to a Distribution List. The combination of options are plentiful to send email, rest assured.
Yes. RMS and GNU remotecontrol work together to help you do just this. Having recorded data for your system usage and outdoors weather information is priceless for testing and balancing. It offers considerable cost savings, in both time and effort, to review recorded data to optimize your system setup. Additionally, you can reduce the number of people necessary to do the testing and balancing down to one person.
Not to sound silly, but RMS prevents a mess. It is impossible to consciously improve anything without first measuring it. You may stumble upon a way to improve it, but is that a pro-active approach to managing anything? Of course not. To help improve things, RMS helps by monitoring the status your resources. The unknown things of life can crop in and cause problems. The faster you know about a problem, the faster you can stop any damage the problem may cause. RMS helps you take advantage of the opportunity to improve how you manage things, so the chance of a problem returning becomes less likely.
If you worry about your “stuff”, and your “stuff” has an IP address, you need RMS.
Next: Usage Recommendations, Previous: System Architecture and Concepts, Up: Top [Contents]
It is our hope the preceding chapters have provided you the opportunity to gain a high-level understanding of all the technologies associated with GNU remotecontrol. We now need to talk about the browser you select to use with GNU remotecontrol and emphasize the concepts of time. Then, you are ready to learn how to use GNU remotecontrol.
GNU remotecontrol works with the following browsers:
Internet Explorer, though one of the worlds earlier graphical options for a web browser and is credited with helping to grow the Internet past text browsing, simply changes too much and too often to deal with all of the inconsistencies of the browser not being compliant with International Standards of the World Wide Web. GNU remotecontrol does work with Internet Explorer. However, Internet Explorer is not the recommendation for selection of a browser to use with GNU remotecontrol.
This section is quite important, perhaps the most important of all. The absence of all devices being set to the same time often results in many problems, problems which are often catastrophic in nature. We have written this section to try to eliminate Clock Synchronization errors from hindering the efficiency of your Energy Management strategy.
The definition of Time can mean many things to many people. We define Time as a dimension in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future, and the measure of durations of events and the intervals between them. Date is a collection of time. Daylight Savings Time is the most common occurrence of Time Change. Time Dilation is not a problem with HVAC operation, nor is the Hafele Keating Effect, as the facility is not traveling.
Examples of how time differences can cause damage and harm people are in a manufacturing facility and while using medical equipment. Awareness during the Daylight Savings Time change is the easiest way to avert any unforeseen problems. Remember, even if you don’t live in a location which observes Daylight Savings Time, there is still a time correction which occurs to resolve Delta T. Finally, you may have newly installed equipment incorrectly configured during installation and erroneously activates the hourly time change when Daylight Savings Time occurs.
All times within the database are stored using the UTC time standard and converted to the user’s time zone (based on their location) for display purposes. All HVAC devices have time specified in the device’s time zone (based on its location). The time you choose on an HVAC device setting is relative to the device’s time zone.
Use the Time Administration setting to update all active thermostat devices to make sure all thermostat devices are set with the correct time for their time zone and Daylight Savings Time setting. A time update must be applied to all thermostat devices whenever the Daylight Savings Time change for the device’s location.
Reference Information
The menu contains web pages by access permissions. The menu is segmented by Main Menu, Language Admin Menu, and Admin Menu. The menu segmentation represents a GNU remotecontrol administrative account able to access all web pages and a non-administrative account only able to access the web pages listed under Main Menu.
There are three types of users: General, Translator, and Administrator. All users are General users. The Translator and Administrator users are nominated in the User Administration section. Access to each web page is limited by user type.
Administrator
General
Translator
The web pages containing a table can either list or hide each column, adjust the display order of each column, and sort each column. These settings are listed in the web page URL. This ability provides for your browser bookmark to record these user preferences.
The name of this web page is Home Page. It is generated by the home.php file. This web page provides bulk management of thermostat devices in the GNU remotecontrol application.
This web page displays all of your active thermostat devices. View your inactive thermostat devices on the Undelete Thermostats web page, generated by the admin-undelete.php file. Activate an inactive thermostat device to display the thermostat device in home.php.
Any user account visiting home.php without first establishing locations is redirected to admin-location.php. Any user account visiting home.php without first establishing groups is redirected to admin-group.php. Establishing both groups and locations is a task of the GNU remotecontrol administrator user account. The first user account to login to GNU remotecontrol is set to Is Admin status. This status selection is regulated by visiting the admin-user.php file.
This web page provides for viewing existing thermostat device settings stored in the thermostat device and writing new settings to the thermostat devices. Loading home.php causes each attribute of each thermostat device to be read. You only view the settings of a single thermostat device, one at a time. The data from a thermostat device is not loaded if the thermostat device cannot be reached or if the thermostat device is unresponsive. Click the Load option in the Action field to view the settings of a single thermostat device. This action will read the said thermostat device and load the thermostat device settings into this web page. Then, alter the thermostat settings as you prefer. Then, click the check box on the row of the thermostat device you want to apply these settings. You can apply settings to one, multiple, or all active thermostat devices.
Selecting a collection of thermostat devices is easily accomplished by selecting them with their Group field entry. Click the hyperlink in the Group field to activate the check box field of the thermostat device record in the GNU remotecontrol database.
Click the Submit button. GNU remotecontrol goes to each device, makes the changes you prescribe, and populates Historical Reporting and Exception List in the GNU remotecontrol database, as appropriate. A successful write event to the thermostat devices renders the message Settings applied successfully in the color of green. An unsuccessful write event to the thermostat device renders the message Error in the color of red. The exact message from each thermostat device for each failed write event is captured. This capability enables you to then use history.php or admin-exception-list.php or Database Management for thermostat device diagnostics to identify if any thermostat device is changing settings, identifying if you need to investigate who is doing this changing, or if the device is problematic.
There are five different fields available to easily manage your thermostat devices. You have two on the thermostat device; Device Name and Site Name. You have three in the GNU remotecontrol database; Group, Custom Name, and Description. You also have Model #, Address, and Username available in the GNU remotecontrol database, though they may not be considered an easy way to identify your thermostat devices. Plan out how you want to populate these fields, making your life much easier for managing your thermostat devices on a daily basis.
You need to know the settings on the different IP enabled thermostat devices you are charged with managing. Using GNU remotecontrol will help you see if anyone or anything has changed the settings on a thermostat device, thereby altering or defeating your Energy Management strategy. Combining into the equation a Remote Monitoring Server with Email Server notification and you are on top of the game for Energy Management.
Reload home.php at any time you prefer to poll each thermostat device and read the current parameters of the attributes for all thermostat devices.
All user types can access this web page.
The list of objects and parameters available on the thermostat device is listed below.
–HVAC Settings–
HVAC Mode:
Fan Mode:
Setback Status:
Setback Heat:
Setback Cool:
–Setback Scheduling–
Period
Time
Day Class Schedules
Heat
Cool
Fan
Default Weekly Schedule - Days
Default Weekly Schedule - Setback Scheduling
–Sensor Settings–
Local Sensor - State
Local Sensor - Averaging
Local Sensor - Correction
Remote Sensor 1 - State
Remote Sensor 1 - Averaging
Remote Sensor 1 - Correction
Remote Sensor 2 - State
Remote Sensor 2 - Averaging
Remote Sensor 2 - Correction
The name of this web page is Historical Reporting. It is generated by the history.php file. This web page provides access to a read-only view of successful write transactions to your thermostat devices.
This web page separates the list successful write transactions to your thermostat devices from the unsuccessful write transactions. The unsuccessful write transactions are listed on the Exception List web page, generated by the admin-exception-list.php file.
This web page provides easy review of changes to the settings on your thermostat devices. Use the filter fields at the top of the table to quickly find similar fields in multiple rows. This search functionality helps to identify patterns in your change activities.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is User Settings. It is generated by the user-settings.php file. This web page provides access to individual configuration of the settings available for the GNU remotecontrol user account in use.
This web page provides editing ability for user preferences of the user account. The user Location is used to provide dates and times in the correct time zone with Daylight Savings Time adjustments. A user type of administrator has user Location as the default location for new thermostats. The Language setting nominates the user’s preferred user interface localization.
Click the Submit to apply your changes.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is Language Administration Dashboard. It is generated by the intl-home.php file. This web page provides a review of your Language Administration in your GNU remotecontrol
Instruction for using this web page is listed on the Language Administration Help web page, generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Language List. It is generated by the intl-language-list.php file. This web page provides the detailed list of languages you have established within your GNU remotecontrol.
Instruction for using this web page is listed on the Language Administration Help web page, generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Add Language. It is generated by the intl-language-add.php file. This web page provides the ability to add a new language to your GNU remotecontrol.
Instruction for using this web page is listed on the Language Administration Help web page, generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Message List. It is generated by the intl-message-list.php file. This web page provides the ability to review messages. Messages are English language content available for translation. Each message in the system can be associated with one or more contexts and one or more content types.
Instruction for using this web page is listed on the Language Administration Help web page, generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Message Context List. It is generated by the intl-context-list.php file. This web page provides to review message context. Message contexts are a label that indicates the context of a message. The message context exists to provide support for message content which may vary according to context.
Instruction for using this web page is listed on the Language Administration Help web page, generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Language Administration Help. It is generated by the intl-help.php file. This web page provides detailed instruction on using the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
This is a read-only web page providing all help available on the GNU remotecontrol Language Administration System.
The name of this web page is Administration Dashboard. It is generated by the admin-home.php file. This web page provides a listing of all web pages in the GNU remotecontrol application having administrative privileges.
This web page has no fields.
Click on the hyperlink of the web page you wish to view.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is Location Administration. It is generated by the admin-location.php file. This web page provides access to configure your GNU remotecontrol thermostat locations.
This web page provides the ability to find a geographic location and correctly identify the time zone of the location. Each thermostat device is resident in a single location. This functionality is used when reading time events in GNU remotecontrol and writing the date and time to the thermostat device. Additionally, use this web page to identify your location to configure your GNU remotecontrol installation. This configuration can be viewed on the System Configuration web page, generated by the admin-config.php file.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is Group Administration. It is generated by the admin-group.php file. This web page provides access to configure your GNU remotecontrol groups.
This web page provides the ability to define groups within GNU remotecontrol. Each thermostat device is a member of a single group. This functionality is used to ease management of writing to multiple thermostat devices at one time.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is User Administration. It is generated by the admin-user.php file. This web page provides access to configure your GNU remotecontrol user accounts.
This web page provides the ability to define users within GNU remotecontrol. The first user account to login is set to admin status via the Is Admin? field. All other GNU remotecontrol user accounts must be established through this web page in combination with a Web Server user account. Add GNU remotecontrol user accounts with the exact same name you setup the user accounts in your Web Server.
The Is Translator? field is present for future functionality. The ability to alter the display language and wording of GNU remotecontrol will arrive through a future GNU remotecontrol version release.
We added a means of user control to this web page, per a request received during our design of GNU remotecontrol. The demand for this feature is the desire to increase awareness of the need to also setup Remote Monitoring for a newly added thermostat device. The intent of this feature is to provide a check and balance for all roles using GNU remotecontrol. Imagine adding a thermostat device to your facility and forgetting to setup monitoring of the thermostat device, only to find out after a month or so has passed you have no information collected for this newly added thermostat device. This feature helps to remind you to setup monitoring of the thermostat device when you add more thermostat devices to your facility. You set the total number of thermostat devices each user account is allowed to whatever you prefer. This collectively provides for a separation of duties between the GNU remotecontrol administrator and the GNU remotecontrol user. This separation of duties greatly helps to structure change management in your environment between the different people in your organization.
Security to access this web page is handled by the Is Admin? field.
The name of this web page is Exception List. It is generated by the admin-exception-list.php file. This web page provides a read-only view of unsuccessful write transactions to your thermostat devices.
This web page displays all unsuccessful write activity within GNU remotecontrol. The Timestamp field has hyperlink functionality, leading to the Exception Details web page generated by the admin-exception.php file. There are two additional fields here not found in the Exception List table, Previous and Trace. Previous has any related error messages and Trace has the lineage of the error event.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is New Thermostat. It is generated by the admin-thermostat.php file. This web page provides the ability to enter your thermostat device information in the GNU remotecontrol application.
Connection Options
Database Settings - This information is resident within the GNU remotecontrol database.
Device Settings - This information is resident within the thermostat device internal memory.
Sensor Settings
Form Submission
This web page provides the ability to define thermostat devices within GNU remotecontrol. This is the only place to configure your sensor settings. The sensor settings are unique to each thermostat device.
Enter the Connection Options field values, then tab out of the Password field. The thermostat device is read. The Device Settings and Sensor Settings are populated in the web page. Select Add New Thermostat to add this record to the GNU remotecontrol database. Select Edit Thermostat to add the record and validate the entries are as preferred. Select Go to Homepage to view the thermostat device listed in home.php.
You must have the password to the admin user account for each thermostat device for GNU remotecontrol to either read from or write to the thermostat device. This approach is to know with certainty the GNU remotecontrol user has administrative authority to the thermostat device. You having complete authority of a thermostat device in your facility is a critical step in you achieving success with your Energy Management strategy.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is Undelete Thermostats. It is generated by the admin-undelete.php file. This web page provides access to restore display of thermostat devices deleted from the GNU remotecontrol application. Undeleted thermostat devices are displayed on the Home Page web page, generated by the home.php file. This functionality provides for maintaining historical records even though a thermostat device may be listed as deleted in GNU remotecontrol.
Click Restore in the Action column to restore a deleted thermostat.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
The name of this web page is Time Administration. It is generated by the admin-time.php file. This web page provides to set the time on all active thermostat devices for the GNU remotecontrol user account.
Click the button Update Time. Each active thermostat device is updated with GNU remotecontrol time for thermostat device timezones and Daylight Savings Time based on the location of each device. Your GNU remotecontrol time is the time setting of the computer hosting GNU remotecontrol. A success message is rendered in green and a failure message is rendered in red. Review the Historical Reporting and Exception List web pages to learn success or failure outcomes to the time setting action. Please review the section above called Time for more information as to why this functionality has been designed.
The name of this web page is System Configuration. It is generated by the admin-config.php file. This web page provides display of the system configuration settings. They are configured by editing the config.php file in the web root of the GNU remotecontrol application.
Debug Settings
Database Settings
Web Settings
HTML Settings
Temperature Settings
Date/Time Settings
Network Settings
This web page provides the ability to review the settings of your GNU remotecontrol configuration. This ability helps to resolve any performance problems caused by configuration or if you need to change a setting such as DEBUG, HTML_PRETTY, or any of the Network Settings.
Security to access this web page is handled by the User Administration web page, generated by the admin-user.php file.
Next: Use Case Scenarios, Previous: Usage Instructions, Up: Top [Contents]
GNU remotecontrol can operate on a laptop, a desktop, even a hand-held computer.....if you can achieve setting up your Web Server and Database Server.
It will probably be much easier on you to setup a GNU remotecontrol system while using your existing Energy Management Control System. This will allow you to learn, test, try, think, try some more, all side-by-side with all of your existing systems. Then, when you are ready, switch over seamlessly to use GNU remotecontrol as your primary system, along with your (then) old Energy Management Control System, to make sure you are absolutely comfortable with your setup of your GNU remotecontrol system. Finally, once your are comfortable with your GNU remotecontrol, decommission your old Energy Management Control System.
Benefits of running GNU remotecontrol on a smaller hardware combination include:
There are many different ways you can use the data you collect:
Next: Implementation Cost, Previous: Usage Recommendations, Up: Top [Contents]
The following are real examples, with abstract names, to illustrate how to put all of this technology together so it will work for you.
This person is overworked and underpaid at the ABC Corporation. They have a boss that all the time wants to know if “thus and so” got done. This person needs a way to get things done faster and have automated documentation that it is complete.
This person uses GNU remotecontrol to help with setting the HVAC in this company, and does a screen shot of the transaction history for their boss to see, as their boss wants an email to see what happens.
This person is overworked and underpaid at Super-Duper Insurance Company. They haves a boss that all the time wants to know if “thus and so” got done. They need a way to get things done faster and have automated documentation that it is complete.
They use GNU remotecontrol to help with setting the HVAC in this company, and does a screen shot of the transaction history for their boss to see, as their boss wants an email to see what happens.
This person is overworked and underpaid at Manage 4 You Property Management Corporation. They have a boss that all the time wants to know if “thus and so” got done. This person needs a way to get things done faster and have automated documentation that it is complete.
This person uses GNU remotecontrol to help with setting the HVAC in the properties to achieve considerable savings on energy cost, and does a screen shot of the transaction history for their boss to see, as their boss wants an email to see what happens.
This person is doing pretty well in life. This person owns several restaurants around town called Super Good Eats. Each site has two different HVAC units. This person also setup a thermostat in their house. Later, they needed to care for their elderly mother, so they put a thermostat in the house of their mother. When this person sets the thermostat in their house, they set the house of their mother the same way. This way, this person knows pretty well how things are in the house of their mother, even though they are not there with their mother.
The corporate office is all of the time messing with the thermostat and there is a lot of inner-office politics from this problem. This person wanted that problem to go away, and to quit paying through the nose in electric bill to keep the air conditioning going. This person set’s the corporate office the same as their home, so they know the climate in the office pretty is much the same as the climate in their home. The owner can now can shut down arguments often before they occur.
This person is saving so much money on energy costs they were able to buy a cabin in the mountains for when they and their family want to get away from the ocean front, where they live. This person remotely sets the temperature before they arrive at their cabin. The owner also makes sure that the temperature and humidity in their cabin is not too extreme when they are away, so pipes don’t burst, and that there is not a mold or mildew problem.
The Certified Energy Manager (CEM) needs to manage multiple sites for multiple customers. The CEM needs to log data over a long time period. The CEM needs to adjust set-points on different HVAC equipment to work out the specific energy control measures for each customer. The CEM has multiple Direct Digital Control (DDC) points. The CEM needs to know a great deal of information from these DDC points. The CEM could greatly benefit from having all of this information coming to them in a structured manner, all stored in a database, leveraging their already existing Information Technology to access and manage this collection of resources.
The CEM can setup GNU remotecontrol over different computers. The Web Server, Database Server, Email Server, and Remote Monitoring Server are all separate from the CEM laptop. The CEM is free to travel and access GNU remotecontrol as necessary to adjust set-points, while receiving notifications something needs attention. The CEM is not bound to their office all day long.
This site has many different air-handling units, many different dampers, and several sources of heat. The facility has adequate staff to handle on-site maintenance. Please see the section above regarding the Certified Energy Manager to learn more about the aspect of accessing and managing Direct Digital Control (DDC) points.
The benefit here is using GNU remotecontrol to decrease reaction time when Remote Monitoring finds a temperature or humidity threshold is close to being reached and not interrupt manufacturing operations.
This scenario is a refinement of the Industrial Manufacturing Facility illustration, but wider in scope than only manufacturing.
The Facility Manager often does not have a Certified Energy Manager to work with them. Please see the section above regarding the Certified Energy Manager to learn more about the aspect of accessing and managing Direct Digital Control (DDC) points.
This site has many different air-handling units, many different dampers, and several sources of heat. The facility has adequate staff to handle on-site maintenance. The benefit here is using GNU remotecontrol to decrease reaction time when Remote Monitoring finds a temperature or humidity threshold is close to being reached and not interrupt facility operations.
Examples of their daily maintenance routine includes:
There are loads of reasons to implement automation in this facility. Mostly, to help the staff accomplish their work in a timely manner, and assure they have a way to schedule vacation time for the staff.
See the Cautionary paragraph in the Power over Ethernet section. It is necessary to understand about powering a thermostat device for this scenario to make sense. There are countless ways to bring external information sensors into your IP enabled thermostat device and use your Remote Monitoring Server to get that data to you.
The Financial Manager is the person who has spending authority over the facility. Month after month, they have high electric and fuel bills because their facility is running either too hot or too cold due to an inability to effectively operate the HVAC systems. They do not have separate meters to know what part of the facility is using however much electricity or fuel. They simply have to do something, as they cannot justify these high expense every month. They lead a Cost Benefit Analysis for their facility, leveraging the staff working at the facility, a Certified Energy Manager, off-site staff, and anyone else they need to complete their Cost Benefit Analysis. The end result is to know if GNU remotecontrol will help them lower their electric and fuel bills. Most likely, it will.
Automated Meter Reading is not the same as Smart Metering. They are both part of Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Smart Metering has much more capability than Automated Meter Reading. Suffice it to say, if you are going to implement either of these technologies, it only makes sense to be able to do something with all of this data. Responding by changing your HVAC system, as appropriate, considerably helps to increase the effectiveness of you Energy Management strategy. Connect your Remote Monitoring Server to the data coming in from your Automated Meter Reading or Smart Metering so you can compare the data to the rest of the data you are capturing. You will have a clear picture of how much energy you are using to achieve your Energy Management strategy.
Smart Metering is not the same as Automated Meter Reading. They are both part of Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Smart Metering has much more capability than Automated Meter Reading. Suffice it to say, if you are going to implement either of these technologies, it only makes sense to be able to do something with all of the data. Responding by changing your HVAC system, as appropriate, helps to increase the effectiveness of you Energy Management strategy. Connect your Remote Monitoring Server to the data coming in from your Automated Meter Reading or Smart Metering so you can compare the data to the rest of the data you are capturing. You will have a clear picture of how much energy you are using to achieve your Energy Management strategy.
This provider has decided to offer an Energy Management service to their customer. They have thousands and thousands of customers. They need a way to help their customer manage their thermostat device for generating heating and cooling, but also maintain air flow in their residential and commercial facilities. This provider also needs to improve their ability to monitor energy consumption, plan for energy manufacturing, and manage emergencies such as roaming Brownouts caused by storms and other catastrophic events. Please see the section Usage Recommendations for more information.
Turning off all power to the HVAC system as a whole removes the ability of the HVAC fan to circulate air and maintain air flow. This defeats the Energy Management strategy, as circulating some amount of air necessary for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most importantly, Environmental Health and Safety has different ventilation requirements for residential, commercial, and industrial facilities.
This provider has a two-part offering to their customers. First, the provider uses GNU remotecontrol to do more than just turn off the electricity, water, or fuel to the HVAC unit. They are now capable of providing either heating or cooling adjustments while having the HVAC fan circulate air, or only circulate air without a heating or cooling adjustment. This combination of options now available are much more than turning off the entire HVAC unit. Second, the provider also uses Smart Metering to connect HVAC usage with energy meter readings to log readings on an hourly basis. This combined offering provides for better control and usage of energy resources, HVAC resources, and visibility to understand customer energy usage. Energy usage as the billing cycle progresses and historically, of course. Imagine how happy the customer will be to be able to see this granular level of detailed billing.
There is no single reason to implement GNU remotecontrol. The reasoning is often multiple and overlapping. All of these reasons help to decrease your costs and increase your comfort level. Think locally and globally, and you will easily see there is more good reasoning to use GNU remotecontrol than ever considered before.
Next: Roadmap, Previous: Use Case Scenarios, Up: Top [Contents]
The GNU remotecontrol framework leverages already existing Information Technologies of a Data Network, Web Server with a complete Operating System, Database Server, Remote Monitoring Server, and Email Server. The cost to implement GNU remotecontrol is then reduced to the following ordered list:
It is highly recommended you choose external sensors for your IP enabled thermostat device having pre-wired cabling long enough to reach where you need the external sensor to reside. Adding in more cable between a device and an external sensor is often problematic. Mixing different cable types, in either quality of cable or type of cable.....or both.....often result with problems to having accurate sensor readings. This pre-wired cabling, per manufacturer design and intent of their sensor, decreases the likelihood of the sensor resulting with skewed metrics. Most external sensors are extremely touchy. This is a good thing, as it provides you with accurate metrics. However, proper cable selection of an external sensor is paramount to proper metrics. Go with the option of a manufacturer having enough cable as-built to meet your needs and not splicing on additional cable.
Finally, consider the benefit of connecting your external sensor directly to your IP enabled thermostat device, provided the IP enabled thermostat device can accept it. The benefit of sensor averaging is highly valuable to improving system performance. A direct connection to the IP enabled thermostat device also eliminates the need for another power supply to operate the external sensor.
The cost to implement GNU remotecontrol, in comparison with a lesser Energy Management strategy for any HVAC system, justifies the completion of a Cost Benefit Analysis to determine if GNU remotecontrol is appropriate for your circumstances. Most likely, it is.
Next: REFERENCE, Previous: Implementation Cost, Up: Top [Contents]
The working list of action items for GNU remotecontrol is posted in the TODO.txt file. This file is located in the /PATH-TO-YOUR-SVN/remotecontrol/doc/ directory. These action items are specific changes we decide to accomplish and release in future versions. Each action item is loaded as either a Bug or Task into our GNU Savannah section. The GNU remotecontrol Road Map is planned for and limited by the following boundaries.
The Future of GNU remotecontrol is a commitment to international standards and protocols for Information Technology to provide availability, relevance, transparency, and maintenance of the GNU remotecontrol framework. The BACnet XML Working Group is an excellent example of these attributes.
OEM’s now often have the feature of IP enablement. The benefits for OEM’s to add IP enablement to their thermostat device product offering far outweigh any hindrance from remaining a standalone device. Examples of these benefits include interoperability, furthered Energy Management strategies, and increased customer satisfaction from the new capability of remote access to their thermostat device.
AEM’s have added the feature of IP enablement in the past with limited success. This is mostly due to the dependency on another piece of proprietary technology to handle translation of some proprietary technology to the data network for the thermostat device. The proprietary aspect of the technology will often bottleneck the success of this technology. The success of the thermostat device as a complimentary good is well-proven. There are hundreds of different programmable thermostat devices for sale at both the local home supply stores and globally. Proper selection of any aftermarket product or service is critical to the success of the primary product being supplemented. A simple example of this scenario is selecting the different parts to enhance an engine for an automobile, or a boat, or a snow mobile, et cetera. Aftermarket Equipment Manufacturers must demonstrate they have in their offering the capability to not damage the existing primary product. Specifically, a heating and cooling system. There must also be solid proof their offering enhances system performance by adding additional feature or benefit combinations. Finally, their offering must be constructed to meet manufacturing directives, such as RoHS.
The outcome of your Cost Benefit Analysis will help you see your Return on Investment (ROI). This will probably be the bottom line to the success of GNU remotecontrol for you. Additionally, consider your Return on Assets (ROA) as you consider your cost and benefits.
The Retro Commission (RCx) of any facility, small or large, is best evaluated by.....is it worth it? Even Testing-Adjusting-Balancing a system is well worth the time and effort, to make sure your system is setup as suitable for your needs and wants. The answer to this ROI question mandates completing several different calculations to make this determination. The answer to this ROA question mandates defining how your investment is considered an asset.
New construction does not require as many calculations to understand costs, but often mandates different aspects to be evaluated and then calculated. Don’t forget to add in the costs and savings of Information Technology. This list includes system design, capital expenditures, and system operation. This is identified as IT Cost Transparency. Then, don’t forget to add in your End User costs and savings for training and system operation. This is identified as Human Resource Accounting.
Not every facility must have a complete set of calculations to know what you need to do for your Energy Management strategy. Consider simple advice on best practices offered by your qualified Decision Makers to help you select what is best for you. Regardless of what you choose for your Energy Management strategy, have a plan.....work the plan.....review and revise your plan, as appropriate.
The cost to implement GNU remotecontrol, in comparison with a lesser Energy Management strategy for any HVAC system, justifies the completion of a Cost Benefit Analysis to determine if GNU remotecontrol is appropriate for your circumstances. Most likely, it is.
Next: Contributors, Previous: Roadmap, Up: Top [Contents]
The intent of this writing is not to make you an expert in cabling. The intent is to provide you with the necessary reference information, tips, and recommendations for you to wisely use cabling. There is no, repeat.....no substitute for hands on experience with cabling.
Please carefully read all of this information before you attempt your cabling efforts. Experience is a great teacher, so don’t be afraid or discouraged if you mix up wiring patterns or do not suitably terminate a connection with the proper amount of pressure on a wire connector as you begin your cabling efforts.
A wire is a single conductor. A cable is a group of two or more insulated conductors. Category 5 cable is available in many forms. The cable is solid core 24-AWG. 8 separately jacketed wires, twisted in pairs, making 4 pairs all contained within a protective jacket. The jacket wrapping around the cable is either Plenum or Non-Plenum. Plenum cable is rated for a fire hazard area. Category 5 cabling is often rated as low-voltage, meaning you do not need a license to install the cable. Please contact your local fire authority for more information.
Proper cable grounding is essential for safety. The assumption the cable carries a low amount of voltage is true, but it also carries enough capability to damage the equipment connected together via your cable and you.....the cabling person. The differences between surge-suppression and transient-voltage-suppression cannot be stated enough. Please contact your local fire authority for more information.
Category 5 cable is installed in either electrical conduit, cable trays, or J-Hooks. Cable must, must, must be properly supported to prevent stretching the copper wire and cause small breaks in the wire. Small wire breaks cause for performance issues in quality-of-service, and lead to a complete breakage in one or more wires. Cable is laid out in a pattern of either a main distribution frame or an intermediate distribution frame.
Properly installed cable is then connected with some type of registered jack -and- plug. This end result is called a cable termination or a wire termination.
All cabling must have continuity all of the time. A simple cable tester is probably the most manageable continuity tester there is after cable has been terminated with a registered jack and plug to determine if you have continuity. If you have nothing else to test with, connecting two bare wires together with a wire nut on one end, then testing the other ends with a multi-meter is always an option. This is quite valuable after cable has been laid in place and you want to know if it has continuity before terminating the cable.
Whatever you do, always install your cable as required by your fire authority and always, always, always properly support your cable with either electrical conduit, cable trays, or J-Hooks. Suffice it to say, cable that is not properly supported will eventually have small cracks in the wire, resulting in a quality-of-service loss, progressing to intermittent continuity problems, and ultimately completely break the wire somewhere within the cable jacket.
Power over Ethernet is quite possibly the best thing to come along to the Information Technology world of hardware since the 1980’s. Literally, it is that wonderful! The essence of PoE is you can use cable that is rated as low-voltage to power a multitude of PoE hardware devices. The list of what is capable of PoE is constantly growing. Here are some common PoE terms to understand.
The PSE is the network PoE element that inserts power onto a Category 5 cable. It may be an endspan device, such as a PoE-enabled data network switch, or a midspan device located between the data network switch and the Powered Device (PD).
A PD is the PoE capable device that receives power over Category 5 cable. It could be a PoE-enabled IP telephone, a Wireless Access Point, an IP enabled HVAC thermostat, any other IP device that needs electrical power.
A midspan device is a PSE that inserts power onto the Category 5 cable. It is situated between the data network switch and the PD. Typically, midspan devices are added to existing networks to allow the use of PoE-enabled PD’s.
An endspan device is typically a data network switch that incorporates PoE capabilities. Endspan devices often are implemented when a new network is created, to avoid adding both midspan devices and a data network switch.
Now, should you need or want to move a device such as a Wireless Access Point, an IP telephone, or an HVAC sensor to another location.....imagine how nice it would be to not have to juggle the powering of that device. There are many combination options available for PoE capable hardware.
Pressing onward, imagine a device is locked up and you need to power the device off and then turn it back on. Walking to that device could be a hassle, and could require opening a lot of access panels. Using PoE, you can turn off the power over your data network and then turn it back on.
The thing for you with PoE is you need to determine how much electrical power you need. This amount will tell you what specification you need to comply with. The manufacturer of the PoE device will tell you what standards they are compatible with. From there, buy the PoE supply. Your selection is either a simple single-port power injector (Midspan), or a rack-mounted midspan power injector, or buy new data network switches that have PoE built-in as an integrated feature (Endspan). Count the cost and choose as best suits you.
The biggest benefit of PoE is you have the ability to have a better handle on your surge-suppression and transient-voltage-suppression efforts. This is because you so chose to install your cabling as recommended. Running a wire as an extension off of an HVAC unit, or a wall outlet, to supply electricity to power the PoE capable hardware, without also providing proper protection for that PoE hardware, is absolutely and positively nothing but trouble. That trouble often shows up as electrical damage in the form of peculiar performance of the hardware, or even hardware failure.
Here is a strong and simple example of why powering your IP enabled thermostat device from an HVAC unit is a bad idea.
The drain line on the HVAC unit somehow gets blocked. This triggers the float switch to prevent flooding and that powers down the whole system. The thermostat has then been turned off due to the absence of power to the thermostat. The same is true if you power your IP enabled thermostat device from your HVAC and not PoE. That means you will be unable to access your IP enabled thermostat device from your data network.
You can also hook your float switch to your IP enabled thermostat device, as an external information sensor, and know when that float switch is activated via Remote Monitoring. Power over Ethernet is a really.....really.....good idea.
Whatever you do, always use cable safely. Please contact your local fire authority for more information.
Next: GNU Free Documentation License, Previous: REFERENCE, Up: Top [Contents]
Stephen Dawson, Robbin Tallent, Robert Vincent, Michael Jacoby, Travis Paul, Virgilio Lino, John Elliot V, Esteban Monge, Wensheng Xie, Federico Daguerre, Vinicius Madureira, Jagadees S., and a host of other people. Their contribution is both respected and appreciated.
[Contents]
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