Notification (alert) Delay Function

Setting Up a Delay for an Action

Actions (Notifications) offer the ability to send an alert after a delay period. This can be useful in scenarios where a particular triggering condition does not require an alert unless the condition persists for a certain amount of time. This article will provide information on this feature.

Use case examples

Refrigeration Monitoring

An example of when this feature might be useful is common in refrigeration monitoring. MSG sensors are often used to monitor the temperature inside refrigeration units to make sure the contents of the refrigeration unit do not go out of temperature compliance for more than the mandated time period. Since MSG sensors will often detect a temperature change when a refrigerator door is opened or during a defrost cycle, receiving an alert on every temperature change below the specified threshold may unnecessarily result in alerts being sent to a user very frequently. In such cases, a user may only want to receive an alert if the temperature threshold has been breached for an extended period of time. In other words, a user may not want to be notified every time the refrigerator door is opened, but rather prefer to be notified if the refrigerator door is left open for a certain amount of time. This is such a use case for the Delay function of an Action.

Tiered Recipients

Another example of where a delay might be useful is when there are multiple users which are set up to receive notifications, but you need the recipients to be notified in a tiered manner. That is to say, one user is notified and prompted to address the issue, and if that user does not respond the second user is notified after a delay (and possibly additional users after additional delay time). The delay can be used to strategically alert users of a condition, only if the condition was not already addressed by another user within a specified amount of time. Actions can be configured to send notifications to multiple users with multiple independent delay times.

Summary of Steps

1. Log into your View My Sensors Online account.
2. Click Actions in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Click the name of the Action to which you wish to add a delay.
4. Click the Actions tab in the top navigation bar (Rocket ship icon).
5. Click the Notifications option toward the main viewing area of the window.
6. In the Recipient pane, locate the user for which you wish to set up a delayed notification.
7. Click the icon for the notification type for which you wish to set up a delay.
8. An overlay with Delay options will appear; select the Delay you wish to apply to the notification.
9. Click the Set button.
10. Confirm the notification icon for that user is highlighted in green, and displays the configured delay next to the icon.

How the delay works

If the triggering condition of the Action is met, the Action will be triggered without sending a notification, and the delay timer will start. If the sensor does not report a reading within normal operating conditions, the notification will be sent after the delay timer is up. If the sensor reports a reading back within normal operating conditions before the delay timer is up, the Action will be disarmed/rearmed, and the notification will not be sent to the recipient.

Notify after aware period notification

There is an alternate manner by which you can configure a notification to send after a sensor has detected a particular condition for a set amount of time. This method utilizes the Aware State of a sensor, and triggers the Action after the sensor has reported an additional consecutive Aware State reading for the configured amount of time.

Temperature buffer

MSG also offers temperature buffers which might be useful in cases where a delayed notification is implemented. The temperature buffer is a glass bead vile into which you insert the temperature sensor probe (sensor must have a wired probe). The buffer is effective at slowing the rate at which a temperature sensor will detect changes in ambient temperature. Since the glass beads that are in contact with the sensor’s probe and react to temperature fluctuations more slowly than ambient air, the rate of change is slower. In some cases, this can be useful in achieving a desired delay.

Conclusion

There are many scenarios (in addition to the above mentioned) in which a delayed notification is desirable. Using the tools mentioned in this article, you should be able to achieve your desired configuration. Feel free to contact Support with related inquiries.