Add a component and link it to a mote

[mitchell]

Before you get started

Definitions

Component: refers to a physical part of a water system that is being monitored by the meter.me system (e.g., tank, well, water meter)

Mote: refers to a communication device that collects information from a monitored component and sends that information to the meter.me server.

Role

Please ensure your user is set up with an “Installer” Role on the applicable water system. An “installer” role is required to add, edit, swap, or remove motes or components on a meter.me system. Another user with an “Owner” or “Installer” Role on the system can add you as an “Installer” Role if needed.

As an Installer, you can:

1. Add a component and link it to a mote, or
2. Add a mote and link it to a component later on

Option 1: Add a Component and link it to a mote

Mobile App:

1. Log in to the mobile app
2. Navigate to the system to which you want to add the mote and component
3. On the components list, make sure you are toggled to “components” and select the ellipse in the upper right corner
4. Select “Add Component”
5. Select the component type you want to add: Tank, Well, Pond, Water meter, or Custom range sensor
6. Specify a unique name for the component (i.e., South Well, Reserve Tank, etc.) and Tap “Next”

**

7. Enter the component-specific information:

For tanks

1. Enter the tank details either by Capacity or Shape
   • Capacity requires
     • The capacity amount and unit (e.g., 5,000 gallons)
     • The overflow height and unit (e.g., 5 ft)
   • Shape requires
     • Choose the tank’s shape: capsule, cylinder, rectangle, etc
     • Enter the dimensions of that tank shape
   • Tap “Next”
2. Enter the sensor information
   • Select the sensor model (this should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
   • Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In some deployments, the sensor cannot be placed at the bottom of the tank. In those cases, the distance from the bottom of the tank to the sensor level should be specified in the sensor offset field.
   • Tap “Next”

For wells

1. Enter the sensor model: the sensor model should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
2. Enter the sensor depth: the distance from the top of the well to the sensor level
3. Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In some deployments, the sensor cannot be placed at the pump level of the well. In those cases, the distance from the pump to the sensor level should be specified in the sensor offset field.

For ponds

1. Enter Pond information
   • Optional) Enter the maximum height of the pond’s water level
     • If the total max pond height is not known, leave this blank, and the max height will be learned over time as the pond is monitored
   • (Optional) Enter the minimum safe level for the pond.
     • If defined, this level will be displayed in the pond view and indicates the point the user does not want the pond’s water to drop below (e.g., the level below which the ecosystem in a pond would be compromised or the minimum level of water needed for fire suppression).
       
       
   • Select “Next”
2. Enter the sensor information
   • Enter the sensor model (sensor model should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
   • Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In pond deployments, the sensor should stay above the mud and silt of the pond floor. Additionally, access to the deepest part of the pond might not be available
   • Select “Next”

For water meters

1. Enter the current counter (counter reading currently displayed on the water meter) - For more information, see our article on calibrating a water meter
2. Enter Tick Quantity and Units - This refers to the number of gals or liters that each tick or pulse of the flow meter represents. Often, this is a 1 to 1 ratio, but other times there may be 10 or 100 gals or liters per tick. Consult the manufacturer’s documentation for your water meter if needed.

For Custom range sensor

1. Select the sensor model, if available, from the dropdown list. If you’ve selected a specific sensor model, the unit and range of the sensor will be provided. If you’ve selected a generic sensor model, you’ll need to provide the range unit, range min and range max value of the sensor.
   • Enter the range unit: this is the unit that the sensor was manufactured to measure (e.g, m, mm, amps). Either select a unit from the drop-down or type in a custom value
   • Enter range minimum and range maximum: these are the min and max values that the sensor can measure (e.g., 0-60 m or 0-100 C)
     • For analog range sensors like a 4-20mA sensor, the range min and max are not the mA values but the values the sensor measures (.e.g., 0-10 m)
   • If you want to set a specific display range, you can select the option “Use different display range” and enter a range that is equal to or less than the total sensor range.
     • This can be helpful when the total sensor range is larger than the max value of what is being monitored (e.g., if the sensor range is 0-100 PSI but the pressure gauge being monitored caps at 60 PSI)
     • Please note: if you set a display range that is smaller than the total sensor range, any data that goes beyond that range will not be displayed in the app.

• You can also label sub-ranges of the display range. To do so:
  • Select the number of labels you’d like to use (can be up to 5)
  • Then for each label, select a color and assign a text value (e.g., low, high etc)
  • These labels will give the user more information about the meaning or significance of the component current value at any given time (e.g., whether the pressure is too low, whether voltage is too high etc)

8. Add the component’s location (geo coordinates) - optional but recommended

• Move the map or search for an address to locate the component. Match the map pin to the location of the component
• Tap “Next”
• Why set a location?
  • Location details are required in order to view your components on the map view in the mobile app
  • Location details can also make it easier to remember exactly where components are located on a large property.

9. Next, Select or Add a mote

   1. You will see a list of all available motes on the system that can support the component type you’re adding. If you’ve previously added the mote you need, select it from the list and click Next.
   2. If not, select the Add New button to create a mote:
      • First, if available on the mote, scan the QR code to prefill any information provided.
      • Enter a name for the mote - typically something that indicates which component it will be linked to (i.e., South Tank) Note: the mote name will be displayed to app users in offline and battery-level alerts
      • If not prefilled, select the Model of the mote from the drop-down - the model of the mote should be marked on the mote’s exterior
      • If not prefilled, enter the devEUI of the mote - the devEUI will be provided on the exterior of the mote
      • The uplink interval for the mote will be pre-filled with the default based on the model selected; the defaults can be found on the forum for reference Reference: Mote Settings .
        • The uplink interval refers to how often the mote reports information to the application.
        • In most cases, the default value can be left; however, if you know your mote has a special configuration, you can override the default and enter a different value for the uplink interval.

10. Review your component and select Save

That’s it! You’ve added both a component and a mote that are linked together. The component will be visible to users of the system, and once the mote goes online, users will be able to monitor their component.

New components will appear as “pending” status until the sensor is installed and reporting:

New motes will appear offline, displaying the date it was created, until they are online and reporting:

**

Web App:

1. Log in to the meter.me web app: web.meter.me
2. Select the system to which you want to add the mote and component
3. Under Devices, select Components
4. In the upper right corner, select Add Component

5. Select the component type you want to add: Tank, Well, Pond, Water meter, or Custom range sensor.

6. Specify a unique name for the component (i.e., South Well, Reserve Tank, etc.)
7. Enter the component-specific information:

For tanks:

• Enter the tank height and capacity
• Enter the sensor model (sensor model should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
• Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In some deployments, the sensor cannot be placed at the bottom of the tank. In those cases, the distance from the bottom of the tank to the sensor level should be specified in the sensor offset field.

For wells:

• Enter the sensor model (sensor model should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
• Enter the sensor depth (The distance from the top of the well to the sensor level)
• Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In some deployments, the sensor cannot be placed at the pump level of the well. In those cases, the distance from the pump to the sensor level should be specified in the sensor offset field.

For ponds:

• (Optional) Enter the height of the pond’s water level
• (Optional) Enter the minimum safe level for the pond.
  • If defined, this level will be displayed in the pond view and indicates the point the user does not want the pond’s water to drop below (e.g., the level below which the ecosystem in a pond would be compromised or the minimum level of water needed for fire suppression).
    
    
• Enter the sensor model (sensor model should be labeled on the exterior of the sensor)
• Enter the sensor offset (if applicable) - In pond deployments, the sensor should stay above the mud and silt of the pond floor. Additionally, access to the deepest part of the pond might not be available

For water meters:

• Enter the **current counter (**counter reading currently displayed on the water meter) - For more information, see our article on calibrating a water meter
• Enter Tick Quantity and units - This refers to the number of gals or liters that each tick or pulse of the flow meter represents. Often, this is a 1 to 1 ratio, but other times there may be 10 or 100 gals or liters per tick. Consult the manufacturer’s documentation for your water meter if needed.

For Custom range sensor:

1. Select the sensor model, if available, from the dropdown list. If you’ve selected a specific sensor model, the unit and range of the sensor will be provided. If you’ve selected a generic sensor model, you’ll need to provide the range unit, range min and range max value of the sensor.

• Enter the range unit: this is the unit that the sensor was manufactured to measure (e.g, m, mm, amps). Either select a unit from the drop-down or type in a custom value

• Enter range minimum and range maximum: these are the min and max values that the sensor can measure (e.g., 0-60 m or 0-100 C))

  • For analog range sensors like a 4-20mA sensor, the range min and max are not the mA values but the values the sensor measures (.e.g., 0-10 m)

• If you want to set a specific display range, you can select the option “Use different display range” and enter a range that is equal to or less than the total sensor range.

  • This can be helpful when the total sensor range is larger than the max value of what is being monitored (e.g., if the sensor range is 0-100 PSI but the pressure gauge being monitored caps at 60 PSI)
  • Please note: if you set a display range that is smaller than the total sensor range, any data that goes beyond that range will not be displayed in the app.

• You can also label sub-ranges of the display range. To do so:

  • Select the number of labels you’d like to use (can be up to 5)
  • Then for each label, select a color and assign a text value (e.g., low, high etc)
  • These labels will give the user more information about the meaning or significance of the component current value at any given time (e.g., whether the pressure is too low, whether voltage is too high etc)

8. Add the component’s location (geo coordinates) - optional but recommended
   • Coordinates are required in order to view your components on the map view in the mobile app
   • Coordinates can also make it easier to remember exactly where components are located on a large property.
9. Select Save
10. Next, you will see a list of all available motes on the system that can support the component type you’re adding. If you’ve previously added the mote you need, select it from the list and click Save & Close. If not, select the Add New button to create a mote:
    • Enter a name for the mote - typically something that indicates which component it will be linked to (i.e., South Tank) Note: the mote name will be displayed to app users in offline and battery-level alerts
    • Select the Model of the mote from the drop-down - the model of the mote should be marked on the mote’s exterior.
    • Enter or scan the devEUI of the mote - the devEUI will be provided on the exterior of the mote
      • If your device is connected to a QR code scanner, you can also scan the devEUI from the QR code printed on the device
      • Otherwise, you can type the devEUI into the field
    • The uplink interval for the mote will be pre-filled with the default based on the model selected. (Link to article with default configuration for each model of mote)
      • The uplink interval refers to how often the mote reports information to the application.
      • In most cases, the default value can be left; however, if you know your mote has a special configuration, you can override the default and enter a different value for the uplink interval.
11. Select Save & Close

That’s it! You’ve added both a component and a mote that are linked together. The component will be visible to users of the system, and once the mote goes online, users will be able to monitor their component.

New components will appear as “pending” status until the sensor is installed and reporting:

New motes will appear as “pending” status until they are online and reporting:

Related article: Add a mote and link it to a component later on