Pre Sales FAQ

We would like to ensure that you have as much information as possible when you are considering purchasing AKCP products from Enviromon.net. Below is a sampling of a variety of the questions commonly heard by our technical support staff and sales team by those researching Environmental Monitoring systems.

Already an Enviromon customer? Be sure to view our Customer

Support Frequently Asked Questions for more product-specific questions.

Are the sensors limited to the cable lengths you sell with them?

Most of AKCP Smart Sensors (with the exception of the Spot Water Detection Sensor) can be extended using standard CAT5/6 Ethernet cable to extend the distances of the sensors. Some sensors such as the Siren/Strobe sensors have specific distance limitations (such as the case with the Siren/Strobe sensor which cannot be extended beyond 60′ and still ensure full functionality. 

What is the difference between smart sensors and dry contact sensors?

The difference between Smart Sensors and dry contact sensors are that smart sensors plug into the Base Units via Ethernet cable. In addition, the Smart Sensors have ranges (i.e. You can define a temperature range for notification with the Temperature Sensors) whereas dry contact sensors are simply on or off (positive or negative). An example of dry contact sensors are Door Contact Sensors.

Are your products upgradeable / expandable?

Yes! Unlike other manufacturers, all of our Smart Sensors, attachments and peripherals work with our entire product line, which means you can keep all of your existing sensors when you upgrade to a larger Base Unit. Firmware on your sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe units can be updated  using a simple graphical tool. Our Firmware & Downloads page is the prime location for all product and firmware updates.

Can your products operate in a standalone fashion?

Yes! sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe Base Units provide all of the alerting and network functionality to operate as a standalone network device. They do, however, require a network connection and an available IP address to assign to the unit.

What are the limits to the number of sensors I can have?

The sensorProbe 2 Base Unit can have a maximum of 2 Smart Sensors, while the sensorProbe 8 Base Unit, SensorProbe 8-20 Base Unit and the securityProbe 8 Base Unit can have a maximum of 8 Smart
Sensors. There is no limit to the number of each kind of sensor you have attached to the base unit.

For example, on the sensorProbe 8 Port Base Unit you can have 8 temperature sensors plugged in, or 4 temperature sensors and 4 liquid detection sensors, or 8 different kind of sensors.

How are the sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe products accessed and controlled?

The application which controls the sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe products is a web application, meaning it is accessed through your web browser. Once the Base Unit is setup on your network, you will enter the Base Unit’s IP address in your web browser. From here, you can configure
sensors, notifications and all other settings and information.

The Base Unit also supports SNMP, for integration with network management systems, such as Netmon.

How are sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe configured for my network?

All AKCP sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ and securityProbe products come are available with a downloadable application which includes a
Windows application called IPSet. This tool is run from a Windows workstation, and allows you to discover the device and configure its IP address, netmask, gateway and DNS servers.

How is the firmware updated?

When new firmware is released, you may download the firmware package from the Firmware & Downloads page.
The package comes with a program that is run from a Windows workstation, which allows you to connect to the device and update the firmware.

Do the sensorProbe products support sending SMS messages for alert notification and can they dial up a phone number?

No, the sensorProbe products do not support SMS or phone dialing for alerts, however the sensorProbe+ and securityProbe devices DO support SMS notification and phone dialing for alerts.

Can I use the Smart Sensors by themselves and plug them directly into my network switch?

No! All Smart Sensors must be connected directly to the sensorProbe, sensorProbe+ or securityProbe Base Units in order to function.

Do Enviromon products have a warranty?

Yes! A one year global limited warranty is provided on all AKCP products.
An additional one year warranty, if one is desired, is available at an extra 20% of the list
price.