Ditto on the old Watchdog products but I also used their air flow
sensors along with strategically placed temperature sensors. A change
in airflow is immediate unlike relatively slower temperature change.
The unit will send alerts (text message, email, SNMP trap) as well.
This appears to be their modern replacement.
https://www.vertiv.com/49bbb1/globalassets/products/critical-power/power-distribution/vertiv-powerit-monitored-rack-pdu/vertiv-geist-environmental-monitoring-product-overview-brochure-sl-70429.pdf
On 5/27/2025 9:42 PM, Nate Burke wrote:
If IT Watchdogs is still around, I use multiple temperature sensors,
monitor incoming temp to unit, and cold air from unit, as well as front
and back of racks. Both SNMP, and could alert directly from the unit.
Looks like it's part of vertiv now. No idea what pricing is. Ours is
about 15 years old and working fine.
You could probably pick up some old APC Temperature sensors off Ebay.
They were always solid as well. Something like this https://
www.ebay.com/itm/236043867062 Again, do multiple sensors to alert on
temperature thresholds. Ceiling of room, outgoing temperature of AC
unit, etc.
On 5/27/2025 6:36 PM, Dennis Burgess - LTI Support via AF wrote:
A multiple input DC voltage reader that has SNMP is what is really
needed. You can codify one or two temp sensors with two DC inputs
reading if the system is suppose to be on or not at the HVAC control.
Then set higher than normal limits on the temp sensors. Hard to tell
if the system is just running but not cooling or not, Its not good to
put it in the vent, as that will have great temp variations. I put
mine right above my servers and set a high threshold, say 75, should
be cool enough for devices, but still getting there, to warn people.
When it goes off, you can assume the AC either needs to be looked at
and/or is not running at all.
*Dennis Burgess*
*
Mikrotik : **Trainer, Network Associate, Routing Engineer, Wireless
Engineer, Traffic Control Engineer, Inter-Networking Engineer,
Security Engineer, Enterprise Wireless Engineer*
*Hurricane Electric: **IPv6 Sage Level***
*Cambium: **ePMP***
**
Author of "Learn RouterOS- Second Edition”
*Link Technologies, Inc*-- Mikrotik & WISP Support Services
*Office*: 314-735-0270 Website: http://www.linktechs.net <http://
www.linktechs.net/>
Create Wireless Coverage’s with www.towercoverage.com
<www.towercoverage.com>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* AF <[email protected]> on behalf of Adam Moffett
<[email protected]>
*Sent:* Tuesday, May 27, 2025 2:34 PM
*To:* 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group'
*Subject:* [AFMUG] Air Conditioner Monitoring
Does anyone here monitor air conditioners? If so, how do you do it?
Up until now, I would find out about an A/C failure by getting
temperature alarms from equipment. When I look at the chart of
temperature over time it usually looks the A/C fail happened hours
(sometimes many hours) before the temperature got critical. It'd be
nice to respond sooner.
*
My first and cheapest idea was to run another temperature sensor
from the rectifier and attach it to the output vent of the air
conditioner. I'd trigger an alarm when that exceeds some
threshold, say 80F or 85F.
*
I also looked at fancy controllers with Ethernet and SNMP
that'll alert you when the filter is clogged, or detect
refrigerant leaks, or whatever. But these all seem to be vendor
specific.
*
Bard makes a couple of Ethernet enabled lead-lag controllers that
are generic enough that I could connect them to any A/C unit with
terminals for an external thermostat, but these are very limited
as to what alarms you'll get. High and low temp alarms, and
probably an alarm if the A/C unit is off completely.....which is
not a common failure mode in my experience. Basically if you're
not adding lead-lag functionality a generic solution doesn't get
much any new info.
Are there options I'm overlooking? I know mostly nothing about Modbus
over TCP for example....would that do anything for me?
I actually am pushing for redundant lead-lag systems at new sites, and
I can get the controller that goes with those systems. For existing
installations I'm thinking the extra temperature sensor is the most
sensible thing. Is there a better way that I'm overlooking?
--
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