Step by Step: Building a Remote Equipment Monitoring System

Want to monitor your equipment from anywhere? Learn how to set up a remote monitoring system in this step-by-step guide.Whether you are a factory manager or a lover of the smart home, you can use the low-cost solution to monitor the status of equipment in real time, receive alerts when there is an abnormality, and remotely control the equipment, doubling the efficiency of operations and maintenance.

Why do you need a remote monitoring system?

Nowadays, whether in a factory or in the home, the biggest headache is that "when a problem occurs, no one is on the scene to know about it.For example, last week a friend who runs a convenience store complained to me that the power went out in the middle of the night, spoiling all the food in the freezer.If there were a remote monitoring system, a cell-phone alarm could save thousands of dollars.This system may sound fancy, but the hardware to set it up costs only a few hundred NT dollars.

Preparations before construction.

Picking the right hardware to avoid pitfalls.

The core equipment is threefold: sensors, gateways, and power modules.For temperature and humidity monitoring, the DHT22 module offers high performance for a reasonable price. For industrial applications, the 4-20mA current sensor is recommended because it is resistant to interference.Don't buy cheapo routers! I've been there, done that. The 50-yuan routers from AliExpress are a nightmare; they keep dropping the connection. I've switched to a Raspberry Pi with a 4G module, which is a lot more stable.

The infrastructure for the Internet must be solid.

I suggest that the monitoring devices be given their own broadband connection and be separated from the daily-use network.One customer had a problem with its WiFi signal sometimes working and sometimes not. The problem was solved by using an industrial-grade 4G router.If the equipment is located in a suburban area, be sure to check the operator's network coverage.

Three steps to configuring the system.

The hardware is connected like a set of building blocks.

Connecting the sensor to the gateway is like playing with Lego--just line up the connectors and don't force anything.One little trick is to take a photo of the wiring before you remove it. It will be a lifesaver when you have to rewire the system later.Before you plug it in, check the voltage. Don't ask me how I know that I've burned out three sensors.

The software is easier to set up than you might expect.

I recommend that beginners use Node-RED, a graphical tool that lets you drag and drop modules to upload data.I've seen many old-timers manually write code using the MQTT protocol, but they end up setting the alarm threshold incorrectly, and the machine sends out a flood of text messages in the middle of the night.

The data can be viewed on a mobile phone.

Using an open-source platform like ThingsBoard, you can create an app for monitoring your own devices in just 10 minutes.Last week he helped a noodle shop owner set up a system to monitor the temperature in his steamer.

A guide to avoiding common pitfalls.

If the data is delayed, check whether the gateway is connected to too many sensors, and if so, divide the load.I've seen customers who've hooked up 200 sensors, and the gateway just hangs up.Another time, we discovered that data was being cut off intermittently, and in the end it turned out that a mouse had chewed through the network cable! It's important to regularly carry out stress tests, so that you don't have to regret it once something goes wrong.

Advanced features make the system even smarter.

After adding the AI analysis module, the system can predict equipment failure.For example, monitoring data on the vibrations of a pump can give three days 'warning of bearing failure.A car repair shop has saved NT $ 100,000 in maintenance costs over the past six months.If the budget is sufficient, digital twins can be used to directly replicate the state of the equipment 1:1 on the computer.