Don’t dispatch without data. An Intelligent Site Management Solution lets you monitor and manage remotely for more efficient and economical sites
Imagine trying to get a status from your team members by visiting each of them at different times. And they each give you differently encoded documents. Sounds frustrating, right? But that’s exactly the problem you have trying to figure out your site’s supporting infrastructure.
“AC/DC Power. ATS. Battery systems. Rectifier. Generator. They all have layers of complex integration between them. They each have varying communications capabilities,” says Westell’s Director of ISM Business Development, Chris Miller. “They come from different vendors. You need different software for each system. You can’t access the information from everywhere. Repeated site visits are time consuming and costly. It’s a huge headache.”
Westell can help you out. Its Intelligent Site Management (ISM) Solution lets you collect consistent data from your sites. The data is accessible to your entire team on a convenient dashboard. And the data is available in real-time.
“It works by combining a remote hardware platform (Remote) with a secure hosted cloud network management system (Optima NMS),” Miller explains. “The Remote offers monitoring, management, and control through enhanced M2M communications. Each site can be online and visible through a common intelligent platform. The Optima NMS system gives a total, real-time view of connected site components. And it’s accessible from anywhere.”
Cure your site monitoring headaches
Miller shares just three of the many ways the ISM Solution can get you better data while reducing maintenance visits and costs.
#1—Better Generator Management: Your maintenance teams regularly visit sites to maintain and cycle the generator. They need to document and report statuses and run hours to governmental agencies. They also need to be aware of the Air Quality Index (AQI) days, so they don’t cycle or run the generator during AQI alerts.
Westell’s Generator Management Solution saves you man-hours and helps keep you in compliance. It gives you secure LTE access to the generator so that you can remotely perform—or not perform—generator cycling based on AQI indicators.
The platform collects and reports fuel levels, current and remaining run hours, and maintenance state data. You can get a complete picture of your generator health, in real-time.
#2—Better Battery Management: Batteries are a common backup power source. They are also commonly unmanaged. It’s not hard to see why. Frequent testing is expensive and intrusive. Even with frequent testing, you may not be collecting temperature data. And temperature plays a key role in the life of your batteries.
Westell’s SiteBus temperature and humidity sensors collect this data. They deploy easily in the site or battery racks. And if there is an intelligent battery rectifier or third-party battery monitoring system, that information can be collected into the Optima NMS.
Your battery system data helps you with warranty claims. The automatic alarm and notification for site and battery health let you dispatch efficiently. And, if supported, you can test batteries remotely, saving you unnecessary and costly preventative maintenance visits.
#3—Better HVAC Management: With limited remote visibility, only site visits or high temperature alarms alert you to problems. This reactionary approach is costly. And, without tracking performance over time or seasons, you’re leaving HVAC efficiency (and energy cost savings) on the table.
Westell’s remote HVAC monitor and controls change that. The Remote connects directly to an intelligent HVAC controller. It collects and transmits HVAC states, events, measurements and control data.
Site temperature set points can be controlled remotely to reduce energy costs. Knowing your “Economizing” hardware is functional helps you get the most savings from your system. The solution also provides you with sensors to connect to the site HVAC input power. You can see how much power each unit consumes compared with your total site energy cost.
Designed with you in mind
“These ISM Solutions were created from discussions with customers just like you,” says Miller. “Westell spent the time to thoroughly understand the issues facing our users so we could create solutions that are scalable, flexible and unique.”
“The on-line dashboards and reporting were designed to make your life easier, too. For example, you can check on your generators before sending a maintenance team. Or you can see trends affecting your battery plant infrastructure sooner, so you can act to keep your sites functional. You can even use Optima’s multi-site view to compare HVAC performance across your network so you can see trends, predict failures, and reduce energy costs.”
With the visibility and access Westell’s ISM Solutions gives you, your team can address problems directly and remotely—without expensive, reactive truck rolls. The improved efficiency lowers your maintenance-related operating expenses. It can improve your network quality. And it allows anyone in your organization access to a site’s energy information from anywhere.
Discover all the ways Westell’s ISM Solutions can help your sites function more efficiently and economically at www.westell.com.
Published September 27, 2019
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