High output power requires energy, and the primary consumer of this energy is the radio. To extend battery life, the radio needs to be activated very infrequently. If you simply extend the time between transmissions, you will not be alerted to an abnormal condition in a timely manner. To solve this dilemma, the alarm limits for the sensors being monitored are downloaded and stored in the CQ wireless devices. The onboard microprocessor (separate from the radio) wakes up every second, updates the clock, possibly takes a measurement, and then goes back to sleep. All this happens very quickly (millisecond or so) so very little power is consumed. After a certain number of measurements are taken, they are averaged and the result compared against the alarm limits. If an alarm condition is detected, the radio will be immediately activated and the measurement sent to the host monitoring station (DA-33). If everything is normal, the average value is stored to be sent at a later time. This time is programmable and is usually set to once every 15 minutes or even once an hour.
The CQ wireless sensors utilize standard “AA” alkaline batteries available anywhere at low cost. Our competitors use specialized Lithium batteries which are expensive and often must be purchased from the supplier of the sensor. You can also use standard “AA” lithium batteries in our CQ wireless sensor. These can be purchased just about anywhere and even though they cost more than alkalines, they may be more economical because of their extended life.
To know more about effective web based monitoring systems and more, reach out to SmartScan Technologies today.