technical user’s manual · whisker.io™ smart.hub™ – technical user’s manual © 2016, 2017...

Patent Pending

Whisker.io™ Smart.Hub™

Technical User’s Manual

Digital Six Laboratories LLC www.d6labs.com

© 2016, 2017 Digital Six Laboratories Inc, All Rights Reserved

Patent Pending

1 Table of Contents 2 Revision History .................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1

4 Ordering Information ............................................................................................................................ 2

5 Specifications ........................................................................................................................................ 3

5.1 Electrical Specifications ................................................................................................................. 3

6 Concepts and Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 4

6.1 Whisker.io™ Solution Overview .................................................................................................... 4

6.2 Whisker.io™ Control Panel............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.2.1 Manage Locations .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

6.2.2 Adding Gateways and SensorBlocks ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

7 Operation .............................................................................................................................................. 5

7.1 Status Lights .................................................................................................................................. 5

7.2 Operation with Whisker.io™ Cloud Platform ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

8 Security ................................................................................................................................................. 6

9 Optimizing Range Performance ............................................................................................................ 6

10 Firmware Upgrade ............................................................................................................................ 7

11 TCP Ports ........................................................................................................................................... 7

12 Ethernet MAC address ranges .......................................................................................................... 7

13 External url’s ..................................................................................................................................... 7

13.1 MQTT............................................................................................................................................. 7

13.2 HTTP .............................................................................................................................................. 8

14 Agency Certifications ........................................................................................................................ 8

14.1 United States FCC .......................................................................................................................... 8

14.1.1 OEM Labeling Requirements ................................................................................................ 8

14.1.2 FCC Notices ........................................................................................................................... 9

14.1.3 RF Exposure ........................................................................................................................... 9

14.2 Additional Countries ..................................................................................................................... 9

Whisker.io™ Smart.Hub™ – Technical User’s Manual

© 2016, 2017 Digital Six Laboratories Inc 1 | P a g e All Rights Reserved Revision 0.E Released: 7/3/2017

2 Revision History

Revision Date Revisor Description

0.A 11/18/2015 SJM Initial Revision

0.B 3/15/2016 SJM Fixed several errors

0.C 7/12/2016 SJM Updated info on Whisker.io™ portal

0.D 10/14/2016 SJM Updated to reflect changed in Whisker.io™ platform

0.E 5/14/2017 SJM Updated to reflect new changes in Whisker.io™ platform

3 Introduction Whisker.io™™ is a comprehensive, enterprise grade wireless IoT solution platform designed to meet the needs of industrial and commercial applications. The platform is comprised of the following components:

1. Whisker.Block™ – Battery powered wireless I/O devices that can measure and monitor almost anything you can imagine.

2. Whisker.Hub™ – Acts as a hub between Whisker.io™™ devices and our cloud platform. We have a family of Whisker.Hubs™ that can connect to the cloud using Ethernet, WiFi, or the cellular network.

3. Whisker.Cloud™ – Cloud services provide analytics, storage, and automation. Web Application provides UI tools to install and maintain devices in the field, monitor their status in real time, and perform analysis and reporting on historical data.

The primary job of the hub is to act as a bridge between the Internet and the various Whisker.io™ enabled devices. Devices can send readings and information to the hub, which will in turn push that data to clients in the cloud. Likewise, clients can send commands and requests to the hub, which will in turn communicate those to the devices. The commercial hub is designed for indoor use and is small (3x4x1.5”), self-contained, and very easy to use.



It communicates to the Whisker.io™ devices using an integrated ½ wave articulated di-pole antenna. Internet connectivity options include Ethernet, WiFi, and Cellular. The hub will immediately attempt to connect to the Whisker.io™ platform as soon as power is applied. Each hub is shipped with a 5V wall transformer and 3 meter micro-USB power cable. The commercial hub has three (3) status lights on the top of the enclosure that indicate power, cloud connectivity status and activity, and Whisker.io™ wireless status and activity. These provide a quick indication of operating status and are very useful in debugging problems in the field.

Every hub is assigned a unique serial number at the factory. This serial number is used to uniquely identify the hub globally. The serial number label also includes the MAC addresses of the Ethernet and WiFi (if equipped) ports and the MEID for the internal cellular modem if so equipped.

4 Ordering Information

Ordering Code Antenna Configuration

WH-900-SDE 902-928MHz, Ethernet

WH-900-SDW 902-928MHz, WiFi

WH-900-SDC 902-928MHz, Cellular

Serial Number Label

Status Lights Power Connection

Ethernet Port



5 Specifications

• 900MHz Quad Core ARM Cortex A7 CPU

• 1GB RAM

• Ethernet, WiFi, and Cellular connectivity

• MicroSD card – OS and data storage

• Auto software update – configurable

• Integrates with Whisker.io™ cloud storage and web portal

• Works with all Whisker.io™ devices

5.1 Electrical Specifications

Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Units

Supply voltage 5.0 VDC

Supply current – Ethernet version 650 mA

Supply current – WiFi version 750 mA

Supply current – Cellular version 1750 mA

Wireless Range 1 Mile1

Frequency 902 928 MHz

Notes: (1) Assumes hub elevation of 10 feet and device elevation of 3 feet above ground level.



6 Concepts and Definitions

6.1 Whisker.io™ Solution Overview The following diagram shows the general relationship between the components of the Whisker.io™ solution platform. Our Whisker.Blocks™ are capable of monitoring environmental conditions (indicated by blue circles). They can also monitor and control equipment and processes using a combination of digital and analog inputs and outputs (indicated by blue circles).

ºC

RH%

CO2

0-5V

4-20mA

PSI

GW

OEM products can also be connected to a Whisker.io™ hub using our Whisker.io™ Engine. This provides a fast and inexpensive way to connect legacy devices to the Internet of Things. Any Whisker.io™ enabled device can monitor its environment using sensors and report measured data to the hub. These reports can be scheduled periodically or can be configured to trigger when specific conditions are met. Each Whisker.io™ device must be provisioned to operate with the platform. This is accomplished using the Whisker.io™ Web App; contact our sales department for access to the Whisker.io™ web application. When a device sends a report (or update) to the hub, the hub in turn publishes the data to the cloud. Our Whisker.io™ cloud server can be configured to receive and store messages from hubs (and devices). Customers can then use our portal to view and analyze data from the devices and configure alerts that can perform automatic functions based on device data. Alerts are very flexible and can be used to send text messages and emails, send commands to devices, post to REST API urls and more. Additionally, the cloud can be configured to push device data directly with 3rd party cloud services and applications using our Forwarding services. Forwarding protocols can use MQTT or RESTful APIs to communicate with virtually any 3rd party platform or application.



7 Operation The Smart.Hub™ is plug-and-play. As long as it has power and access to the Internet via the required ports, it will operate automatically. In the event Internet connectivity is lost, the hub will automatically buffer incoming device data using internal storage. When connectivity is restored, the hub will flush the buffered data to the cloud, ensuring that the data is not lost. For applications where up time is critical, we do recommend using a UPS for the hub’s power supply.

7.1 Status Lights The commercial hub has three (3) status lights on top of the plastic enclosure as shown below:

The Power light will be on anytime power is applied to the hub. If this light is not lit, then there is no power to the hub. The Network light indicates that the hub is connected to the Internet and has been able to establish a persistent connection to our Whisker.io™ cloud. This light will normally be on when connectivity is established and will blink quickly whenever messages are sent back and forth between the hub and the cloud. If the Network light is not on, then the hub is not able to connect to the Internet. For the Ethernet and WiFi versions, you will need to make sure that the premises network is configured properly: see sections 11, 12 and 13 for information you might need to properly configure your network. For the cellular version, the problem could either be an issue with activation on the cellular network or the cellular signal might be too weak. If the Network light fails to come on, temporarily move the cellular hub to a location where you know the cellular signal strength is good to verify proper hub operation. Please keep in mind that our hubs use Verizon cellular services and will only work with their towers. The RF light indicates that the hub is connected to the Whisker.io™ network and is able to transmit and receive to and from Whisker.io™ devices. This light will normally be on when the Whisker.io™ radio is working properly and will blink quickly whenever messages are sent back and forth between the hub and Whisker.io™ devices.

RF Status/Act

Network Status/Act

Power



8 Security The commercial hub encrypts every message except logging and diagnostic messages using AES-256 encryption. A unique encryption key is programmed into each hub at the factory and provided to the customer on the provisioning card included with the hub. This key should be kept secret and only provided to those people who need to have access to the hub directly. The encryption key can be changed by Digital Labs personnel, so it is possible to re-secure a hub whose current encryption key has been compromised.

9 Optimizing Range Performance The communication range between a hub and its devices is affected by how and where the hub is mounted. If possible, the hub should not be mounted on a metal surface. If this is required, the antenna should be remotely mounted using an extension cable, which can be purchased separately. The antenna is articulated so that it can be correctly positioned regardless of the orientation of the hub. The antenna should be oriented so that it points up. The height of the hub is critically important. In general, it should be mounted as high as possible. Actual performance is impossible to accurately predict for any given application because there are many factors that must be accounted for. The following table should be used only for reference purposes. For new deployments, actual range testing should be accomplished on-site to ensure that the performance is adequate.

Height Estimated Indoor Range Estimated Outside Range

2 ft 1000 feet 2000 feet 4 ft 2000 feet 4500 feet 10ft 2500 feet 1 miles 30ft NA 15 miles



10 Firmware Upgrade Under normal operation, there should be no need for firmware upgrades. However, from time to time, we may need to release upgrades to fix bugs or add new features. When new firmware is released, there are two possible upgrade paths. First, if the hub is so configured and has access to the Internet on ports 21 and 22, it will automatically download new firmware from our server at midnight if new firmware is available. It will then shut down the hub application, copy the new firmware into place, and restart the hub application. The second method is by swapping out SD cards. If the hub is under a service agreement, we will automatically provide a new SD card for each hub when new firmware is released. The new SD card will be configured exactly like the deployed hub, with the same devices and settings. The upgrade process is as simple as removing power, changing the SD card, and restoring power.

11 TCP Ports Several ports must be open for the hub to operate properly. Others are optional.

Port Description Optional or Required?

21 FTP port – for firmware upgrades. Outgoing only. Optional

22 SFTP port – for firmware upgrades. Outgoing only. Optional

80 HTTP port – for various REST services Option

443 HTTPS port – for various REST services Option

1883 MQTT port Required

12 Ethernet MAC address ranges B827EB000000 - B827EBFFFFFF

13 External url’s

13.1 MQTT The hub must connect to at least one MQTT broker in the cloud: the D6 broker. This broker is located at the following URL:

D6 Labs MQTT Broker – mqtt.d6labs.com



Additional brokers may be configured based on how the hub is setup to operate.

13.2 HTTP The hub also consumes several REST APIs via port HTTP. The following is a list of those APIs and their corresponding URLs.

API URL Description

Whisker.io™ https://www.d6labs.com/api Provides access to WhiskerIO database. Used to update config, etc.

MAIL http://mail.d6labs.com Allows hub to send outbound emails.

14 Agency Certifications

14.1 United States FCC The Whisker.io™ Engine module complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules and regulations. Compliance with the labeling requirements, FCC notices and antenna usage guidelines is required. To fulfill FCC Certification, the OEM must comply with the following regulations:

1. The system integrator must ensure that the text on the external label provided with this device is placed on the outside of the final product.

2. Whisker.io™ Engine module may only be used with antennas that have been tested and approved for use with

this module.

14.1.1 OEM Labeling Requirements The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) must ensure that FCC labeling requirements are met. This includes a clearly visible label on the outside of the final product enclosure that displays the contents shown in the figure below.

Contains FCC ID: 2AFTI-WEN9* The enclosed device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following 2 conditions: (i). this device may not cause harmful interference and (ii). This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

https://www.d6labs.com/api

http://mail.d6labs.com/



14.1.2 FCC Notices

Important: The Whisker.io™ Engine module has been certified by the FCC for use with other products without any further certification required (as per FCC section 2.1091). Modifications not expressly approved by Digital Six Laboratories could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. Important: OEMs must test final product to comply with unintentional radiators (FCC section 15.107 and 15.109) before declaring compliance of their final product to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Important: The RF module has been certified for remote and base radio applications. If the module will be used for portable applications, the device may require additional SAR testing. Consult Part 15 of FCC rules for more information. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna, Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver, Connect equipment and receiver to outlets on different circuits, or Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

14.1.3 RF Exposure

The preceding statement must be included as a CAUTION statement in OEM product manuals in order to alert users of FCC RF Exposure compliance.

14.2 Additional Countries Additional certifications can be provided on request. Please contact [email protected].

CAUTION: To satisfy FCC RF exposure requirements for mobile transmitting devices, a separation distance of 20 cm or more should be maintained between the antenna of this device and persons during device operation. To ensure compliance, operations at closer than this distance are not recommended. The antenna used for this transmitter must not be co-located in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

mailto:[email protected]

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