FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions
To the devices
There are two ways to obtain the MAC address:
(1) You can register at the following address: https://console.ubibot.com and look up the MAC address in the portal (Data Warehouse-> MAC address search).
(2) Download and install the PC tools to read the MAC address from the device: https://www.ubibot.com/manuals/2001/pc-tools
In the near future we'll be adding the MAC address in the 'Network' field so it's easy to find.
The mini-ports and the micro-ports cannot work at the same time. Both mini-ports and micro-ports can be used for the power supply.
For an external DS18B20 temperature sensor, you need to connect it to the micro USB port. If you need temperature sensor and micro USB power supply at the same time, you need the micro USB splitter.
Further information on accessories can be found at: https://www.ubibot.de/related-accessories/
Probes
When you are using the WS1 Pro device and connect the TH30S-B external probe, you usually go to the Settings page to enable the RS485 button first. Please note, you only need to enable the RS485 button if there is only one probe is connected. If you turned on other buttons, such as external probe, RS485 S (for soil probe), the data on the device screen will flash automatically.
Therefore, please remember to enable just the corresponding button for the probe you're using.
Tips: For TH30S-B and Soil probe, they can only be connected to the bottom USB port (USB2)on WS1 Pro device. WS1 device doesn't support them.
Ubibot insists on researching and developing self-owned patent products, including the external probes that match our sensing devices.
There are three types of probes that can match with the WS1 and WS1 Pro device. Here are the instructions of how to use them.
Using WS1 device:
This device supports DS18B20 probe. As it only has one USB port, only one probe can be connected. When using USB power at the same time, one USB splitter is needed. Connect the splitter to the device USB port, one female port is for power and the other is for data transmission.
Using WS1 Pro device:
This device supports DS18B20, TH30s-B, Soil temperature and moisture sensor, and PT-100 extreme temperature probe.
It has two USB ports, of which the lower one is embedded with RS485 interface. Except the DS18B20 probe, the others both need to be connected to this lower USB port. While, you can use DS18B20 on either of the USB port. When you need to power the device via Micro USB and you want to connect more than two probes at the same time, please remember, the ends of the splitter must be connected with one power supply and one probe, or one DS18B20 and one RS485 probe. Two same probes are not supported on one port.
Using GS1 device:
The GS1 device is built with RS485 interface and audio jack. It supports all of the 6 types of Ubibot probes, such as TH30S-B temperature humidity probe, Soil moisture probe, PT-100 temperature probe, CO2 probe, wind speed probe, external light probe.
If you need only one probe, you can connect it directly to the device. If you need more than one type, you can attach multiple probes at the same time with our splitters. Please refer to the following cutting line for reference. Please note that only one probe of each type is supported. You cannot attach two or more of the same probes at the same time. The TH30S-B probe and the CO2 probe cannot be used at the same time.
*Please note, the probes are under one year limited warranty since the purchase date. For details, please click here.
Power
This usually happens when the device is exposed to liquids. It is very likely some capacitor on the device is broken and have caused internal electric leak. In this case, your device can still work, but it will drain the batteries significantly, probably only last for a few days. A normal WS1 device on default settings with brand new batteries should last for 4-6 months. You can use external 5V micro-usb as power source so you won't have to change the batteries any more.
For outdoor environments and environments with high humidity, we recommend using an external DS18B20 temperature sensor or a waterproof housing. For more information on accessories, see https://www.ubibot.de/related-accessories/
Both WS1 and WS1 PRO are not waterproof, so please keep them away from high humidity (over 85%) environment. We do have some accessories to protect them in tougher environments, more can be found at: https://www.ubibot.de/related-accessories/
Please note the device's optimal operational conditions:
Temperature: -20ºC to 60ºC (-4ºF to 140ºF)
Relative Humidity: 10% to 90%
Placing the device outside the above recommended temperature and humidity range can damage the device and significantly affect its accuracy and battery life.
You can use 5V/2A USB power source to power the device. Meanwhile you can use AA batteries as backup.
Please note when you have just connected the micro-usb power to the device, the green light will start flashing as the device will be running the USB connection mode for the first 15 minutes, but your device should sense and sync normally. It will quit this mode automatically after 15 minutes. Please wait about 30-45 minutes for the device to leave the USB connection mode and equilibrate with its environment to have the best temperature accuracy.
The WS1 and WS1 Pro device can be powered both by AA alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries. According to our test, the VARTA Industrial batteries perform well so they are recommended. Please note, when using rechargeable batteries, you need to charge them separately with battery charger.
The GS1 device is equipped with a 2900 mAh lithium battery that can be charged via USB and DC 5V / 12V type C chargers. The battery life can be affected by many factors.
The following examples are tested under default synchronisation and sampling settings. The WS1 and WS1 Pro are tested with VARTA industrial batteries.
Please note, stable network signal also helps saving power. The signal under which we tested was stable -60dbm.
Here are the different battery life of our products for your reference:
Battery life
WS1: 4-6 months
WS1 Pro (Wifi: 8-12 months
WS1 Pro (Wifi+SIM): 1-2 months
GS1 (WiFi): 3-6 months
GS1 (WiFi+SIM): 1-2 months
GS1 (WiFi+RJ45): 1 week
The battery life changes accordingly with the synchronisation and the sampling frequencies.
The shorter the sync interval is, the shorter the battery life becomes, vice versa.
The screenshot below is the default settings of the UbiBot platform for WS1 :
The screenshot below is the default settings of the UbiBot platform for WS1 Pro:
The screenshot below is the default settings of the UbiBot platform for GS1:
Connection problems
In this condition, please check the following things:
1. Check if you have activated the “positioning function” in your phone. If not, you need to turn it on. Typically, when you tap the Setup button, you'll see a power-on notification.
2. Please confirm if you have VPN installed on your phone. Some settings of the VPN app may conflict with Ubibot app or forbid it's permission to access to WiFi information. Please switch off the VPN app and try again.
3. There may be a problem with your version of iOS. Please contact the UbiBot support team for detailed instructions. Support email: support@ubibot.com
(1) Make sure your wireless router has a working network connection with other devices. If the network is working properly, check the following:
Is your router's WiFi SSID hidden? If not, check that you have the correct frequency and channel. The WS1 can only be connected to 2.4 GHz networks (802.11 b / g / n), channels 1-13. Please note that 5 GHz WLAN is NOT supported. If you are using a mixed 2.4 / 5 GHz network, make sure your mobile device is connected to a 2.4 GHz network at the beginning of the setup process. For detailed requirements for setting up WiFi, see this link. .
(2) WLAN security type: The WS1 supports OPEN, WEP or WPA / WPA2 types.
(3) WLAN channel width: Make sure 20 MHz or "Auto" is set.
(4) WLAN password: Go through the WLAN setup again and make sure you have set the correct WLAN password for the network. If your Wi-Fi password has changed, you need to go through the Wi-Fi setup again.
(5) Does your WLAN require an additional login procedure to access the Internet after establishing a connection? In this case, the device will not work on this network.
(6) Battery problems: The WLAN connection consumes a lot of power. Your device may be able to turn on, but may not have enough power for the WLAN. Try replacing the batteries.
(7) Power saving routers: Your wireless router can be set to low power or network connection if needed. Some routers do this to save power or avoid interference. You may need to increase the power of your wireless router or move the device closer to the router.
(8) Interference: Interference from electrical or electronic equipment in the environment can cause transmission problems. This may occur more frequently in some industrial environments.
(9) WiFi interference. If there are too many other Wi-Fi networks nearby using the same channel, you will not get a good connection. Switch to another channel to avoid interference. Remember, even if the device cannot connect to WLAN, measurements will still be taken and stored internally.
(10) Signal strength. Check that you are in range for your WLAN, or if using mobile data, make sure you have a good signal.
During setup, your device must be in WiFi setup mode. This will activate the internal WiFi connection and allow you to transfer details of your own WiFi network to it.
Here is some more help:
This Setup-Demonstrationsvideo provides the step-by-step guide to get your first device connected. Full link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= fTmc7euwAu4
If ERROR 50X occurs during setup, the connection between your phone and the device was not established successfully.In some cases, your phone prefers to use its cellular network instead of the device WLAN to send data during the setup process. Try turning off cellular data and try again.
Please check the device is in device setup mode (the indicator flashes alternate red and green.
Please make sure your phone connects to the device WiFi. Then return to the App.
Please make sure to use brand new Alkaline batteries. The WiFi setup will consume a lot of energy. External 5V 2A Micro USB can also be used as power source.
Please note that UbiBot devices cannot connect to 5 GHz networks only. If you see an error code of 510, it means that the device could not connect to the Internet. When checking your network settings, make sure the following:Radio mode = 2.4 GHz or 2.4 / 5 GHz mixed network.
WiFi Channel Supported: 1-13. (Some earlier models may only support channel 1-11 as US standard)
Channel width is set to 20 MHz or auto.
WiFi Security: use OPEN, WEP, or WPA/WPA2 on your WiFi router.
Your router does not need any additional login procedure to access the Internet after connecting.
Your router has turned off MAC Address Filtering.
You are not using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or Proxy Server.
Your router does not have Wi-Fi isolation enabled. Some "guest" networks have this setting by default.
Your router supports IPv4.
If you are using a network extender/repeater, the network name (SSID) and password are the same as your primary network.
If you are using a 2.4/5 GHz mixed network, make sure your mobile device is connected to a 2.4 GHz network at the beginning of the setup process.
If your device is automatically switching back to the 5 GHz network during setup, your mobile device may need to forget the 5 GHz network. You can rejoing the network after setup.
If you are using a 2.4/5 GHz mixed router and you have not set up a 2.4 GHz network, please set up the 2.4 GHz network to connect your UbiBot device. Access your router’s administrator screen. Type in the IP address of your router in an internet browser window. To locate the IP of your router, please refer to your router’s documentation or this list of common router IP addresses.
Common special characters in WiFi SSID or password are acceptable but double quotation mark " will not be supported. Please check if there is this mark in the SSID or the WiFi password.
Is the indicator flashing alternate red and green during the setup process? If it isn't, turn the device off and then re-enter WiFi setup mode.
If you still have problem with the setup, please download the PC Tools to try again. Here is the download page: https://www.ubibot.de/download/
This tool is much easier to use and can provide detailed reasons for failure by diagnosing the problem you are encountering.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at the following address: support@ubibot.com We can respond within 24 hours and usually less than 2 hours.
Alerts and Notifications
Here are the templates of the alert for senser readings and offline status.
Voice call & SMS text templates:
Sensor alert: From UbiBot, your device channel %s has triggered an alert. Observed value: %s. Please go to the platform to see the details. Trigger ID is %s
Sensor alert recovery: From UbiBot, your device channel %s has returned to the normal range. %s now %s. You can login to the console to view the details. Trigger ID is %s
Offline alert: From UbiBot, your device channel %s appears to be offline. Last data sync was %s ago. This may be caused by low battery or network problems. Trigger ID is %s
Offline alert recovery: From UbiBot, your device channel %s is back online and sending new data correctly.You can login to the console to view the details. Trigger ID is %s
App notification & Email alert samples:
Dear UbiBot User:
Your device, *** (Channel ID:***) has triggered an alert. Visit the console to see the details.
Details: Rule Name: test (RULE ID:***) Time: 2019-11-29 16:09:03(Asia/Tokyo) Trigger Condition: field3 (Light)<300 Observed Value: *** Rule Type: Once -only Alert Trigger ID: ***
Dear UbiBot User:
Your device, *** (Channel ID:***) has triggered an alert. Visit the console to see the details.
Details: Rule Name: Default Offline Alert (RULE ID:***) Time: 2019-11-29 16:16:02(Asia/Tokyo) Trigger Condition: Device *** appears to be offline. Last data sync was 5 minutes ago. This may be caused by low battery or network problems. Please check FAQ section for more info. You can also login to the console to view the details. (Trigger ID: ***). Observed Value: Offline Alert Rule Type: Once-only Alert Trigger ID: ***
One-time alarm: Only trigger an alarm if the alarm threshold is exceeded for the first time.
If you z. For example, if you set an alarm for a temperature greater than 15 ℃, you will be notified when the detected temperature reaches 15.1 ℃.
If the new temperature reading remains higher than 15 ℃, no new alarms are triggered. When the temperature drops below 15 ℃ the alarm will reset and you will be notified the next time the temperature goes above 15 ℃.
Constant alarm: Trigger an alarm every time the alarm threshold is exceeded.
If you z. For example, if you set an alarm for a temperature higher than 15 ℃, you will be notified when the detected temperature reaches 15.1 ℃. Every time the device detects a new temperature above 15 ℃, it triggers a new notification.
Please noteThat the continuous notification can generate a large amount of redundant notifications that can be annoying for certain users and also raise concerns about spamming from email, SMS and push notification gateway providers. Therefore, if a continuous alert rule triggers more than 5 alerts within the last hour, no further alerts will be received until the next alert triggers 1 hour later. The report icons on the Sensor Logs page are displayed in red to indicate that the alarm was not sent successfully.
Please make sure that you select the alarm type "Continuous alarm".
With continuous alert, if more than 5 alerts of the rule have been created within the last 60 minutes, our platform may block these alerts from running. This mechanism is designed to prevent our servers from being blocked by spam messages from Google Play, iOS Store and email servers. As you can see in the trigger logs, some app notification items are marked in red, which means the notifications for them were not sent or failed. I suggest changing the rule to "modify only".
You can manage your alerts in the Alerts page in the App.
Tap on the “+” to add a new alert. If you want to delete any alerts, just drag it to the left and tap the orange “–“ that appears next to the alert.
NOTE: The “Default Offline Alert” can only be turned off. It cannot be deleted.
Alert Metric: You can set alerts for any of the metrics shown below. The voltage indicates the remaining battery in the device. Typically, when this drops below 2.6v, it's not able to support WiFi and hence data sync, alerts and wireless setup won’t work.
Modes of Alerts: We offer multiple channels to send alerts, including in-App notifications, emails, SMS texts, voice call,web notifications and audibal alerts (only available for WS1 Pro device). You can configure any combination of these via the UbiBot ® App or using the IoT portal.
Please note that the SMS and voice call alerts will cost you credits from your balance. The precise fee depends on the network provider of the receiving number. This cost can be checked when you set up the alerts or on our pricing page.
Sensor Readings
The accuracy of the device and the external probe are tested under stable laboratory environment. When used in real cases, the readings will be affected by the conditions.
We conclude some possibilities that could increase or decrease the temperature readings:
1) The sunlight. If the device or the probe is exposed to direct sunlight, it will be heat up.
2) Contact material. Is your probe hanged over the air or placed on the ground? The material it contacts will also affect the temperature transmission. For example, in the same room, the temperature of the wooden desk surface might be warmer than the iron desk leg.
3) ventilation. This is also an important factor in temperature. With better ventilation, the temperature is lower. Since the device sensor is very sensitive, they can detect tiny changes in the air. Finally, we recommend that you place both the device and the probe in the same place and wait half an hour. Then they will give narrow readings within the tolerably accurate range.
The vibration index and the shock counter are both fed by the built-in accelerometer.
The vibration index measures the actual intensity of vibrations. In other words, how strong is the vibration / movement.
The burst counter works a little differently. Beats are analyzed from the raw vibration data (accelerometer). It is recorded when the device senses a sudden vibration or bump. The firmware can distinguish between a single push and a double push.
If you use the device e.g. B. place it on a stable and flat surface and hit the surrounding surface with your hand or another object, the device can recognize such an event from the raw vibration data. The vibration index is scanned at most once per second.
Application examples:
Attach the device to your door or window. Every time the door / window is opened or closed can be detected.
If you place the device near a device motor, it can help to monitor whether the motor is working or not.
The threshold for vibration perception ranges from 5 to 255. The smaller the value, the greater the sensitivity of the sensor. Please note that the vibration sensor consumes a lot of electricity. Once activated, the power consumption increases by at least 40 %. Please activate it according to your needs.
Currently, the WS1 Pro doesn't support display of the external humidity readings on its screen when using the TH30S-B probe.
When you are using TH30S-B probe, please be restfully assured that the sensors are working properly as long as the data can be viewed via the app or the console.
The development team is working hard to improve this feature and hopefully the next batch of screens would be able to display all the external readings by an easy tap on the button.
Regarding to the sensing accuracy of the device, please note that:
1.The initial WiFi setup procedure for the device will may cause the MCU (Microprogrammed Control Unit) temperature to go up significantly depending on how long the WiFi setup goes, thus the temperature sensor will have a higher reading as the internal temperature does get higher than outside of the device. Also holding the device during the setup process can also increase the overall temperature of the device. After the initial setup, normally after 30 minutes, the device only awakes on sync and sampling cycles that will not cause this problem any more.
2.If you use Micro USB to power the device, it will automatically enter USB connection mode, in which case the device’s MCU keeps on working for receiving PC command for the first 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the device will go up significantly. After the first 15 minutes, the device will quit the USB connection mode, MCU will go back to sleep again. Therefore, If you have just plugged in your device to the USB power source, please wait about 45 minutes for the device to be fully recovered to the environment temperature.
3.If the data sync frequency is set too high, such as 1 minute, it also increases the temperature internally. The default frequency is 15 minutes. We notice you are currently setting this to 1 minute. We recommend to set the sync frequency to a value higher than 10 minutes or use external temperature probe that we offer.
4.If you are concerned with the internal temperature sensor reading affected by the MCU, you can purchase our external temperature probe that can be attached to the device through micro-usb port. The external temperature probe (DS18B20) is waterproof and designed to operate in extreme conditions (-55ºC to 125ºC).
You can find more about our accessories on https://www.ubibot.de/related-accessories/
The sensor chips we integrated such as SHT30 (temperature & humidity) were fully calibrated, linearized and compensated for temperature and supply voltage dependencies by the chip factory.
The SHT30 is a digital sensor that performs best when operated within the recommended normal temperature and humidity range of 5 to 60 ° C and 20 to 80% RH, respectively. Long-term exposure to conditions outside the normal range, especially high humidity, may temporarily offset the RH signal (e.g., + 3% RH after 60 hours at> 80% RH). After returning to the normal temperature and humidity range, the sensor will slowly return to the calibration state on its own. Prolonged exposure to extreme conditions may accelerate aging.
The chip factory provides us with a period of 12 months warranty. However the chip was designed to meet the industry standard and is expected to have a long lifetime that over 3 years. We can't suggest exactly when you need calibration as it will depend on the environment where you use the device. Our customers normally do yearly calibration just to make sure the whole system works as expected. Our platform does provide the interface for calibrating the displayed values which can be configured as follows:
Please login to https://console.ubibot.com .
Go to the channel which you want to calibrate
Select Settings, then Calibrate sensors from the sub-menu.
Configure and you will see the calibrated reading instantly.
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