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Wireless Connectivity

VFC400-WiFi User Guide

18

Wireless Connectivity

The VFC400-WiFi is designed to upload real time data to the LogTag

®

 Online cloud application. To do this, the 

logger must be connected to a wireless network (WLAN) and be able to connect to Control Solutions's cloud 
service on the internet.
Before real-time data can be uploaded, a number of setup steps need to be completed:

 

l

You need to have access to a LogTag

®

 Online account.

You can create an account by navigating to 

http://logtagonline.com

 and clicking 

Create an Account

. You

can also use the 

LogTag

®

 Online Connection Wizard

 to navigate to this page.

 

l

The logger needs to be configured for connecting to your network and to LogTag

®

 Online.

This is done with the 

Control Solutions Online Connection Wizard

 during the logger's configuration.

 

l

The logger needs to be registered against your team's account.
The LogTag

®

 Online Connection Wizard will automatically register the VFC400-WiFi for you if you

provide your sign in details when you run the Wizard. You can also register the device by signing in to
your LogTag

®

 Online account at 

http://logtagonline.com

 and completing the steps for device

registration.

 

l

The logger needs to be associated ("attached") to a location.
The logger's uploaded real-time readings will only appear in LogTag

®

 Online, if you have allocated a

place where the data can be stored. In LogTag

®

 Online this is called a 

location

, and associating the

logger with this location is called 

attaching the logger

.

Unlike other loggers uploaded via one of the wireless interfaces a VFC400-WiFi does not 
generate files on Control Solutions Drive.

You can find more information about locations, device registration and attaching loggers in the 

LogTag

®

 

Online help

.

Before you start the LogTag

®

 Online Connection Wizard please make sure you have following information:

 

l

Your wireless network name (the network SSID)

 

l

Your wireless network password (WiFi password)

 

l

Your LogTag

®

 Online account name (email address)

 

l

Your LogTag

®

 Online sign in password

 

l

If you are part of more than one team, the name of the team for which you want to register the logger

 

Transferring data to LogTag

®

 Online

Temperature readings

Data recorded by the VFC400-WiFi are stored in internal memory, ready to be uploaded to the LogTag

®

 Online 

cloud server. The upload to the server is taking place at pre-determined times that cannot be changed:

 

l

If the logger is permanently powerd via USB power supply

The upload to the server takes place every log interval, or multiple thereof, but no sooner than every 5
minutes.
For example, a logger that records every 2 minutes will upload readings to the cloud server every 6
minutes, a logger that takes a reading every 15 minutes will upload readings to the cloud server every 15
minutes.

Summary of Contents for LogTag VFC400-WiFi

Page 1: ...fcdataloggers com VFC400 WiFi Wireless Vaccine temperature monitoring Data Logger Product User Guide Document Release Version 1 3 Published 29 May 2019 Copyright Control Solutions 2018 2019 Control Solutions ...

Page 2: ...ower Supply 17 Wireless Connectivity 18 Transferring data to LogTag Online 18 Wireless and Cloud Symbols 19 Testing your wireless and network connection 20 Troubleshooting 22 Display Overview 24 Powering the VFC400 WiFi 26 Low power operation 27 Audible Alarm 28 Real Time Clock 28 Starting the Logger 29 Push button start 29 Push Button Start with Start Delay 30 During Recording 31 Marking a readin...

Page 3: ...rpreting the Data 44 Data Evaluation Report 44 Data Evaluation Data List 46 Data Evaluation Day Summary 48 Resetting the Logger 49 Hibernating a VFC400 WiFi 49 Airplane Mode 51 Replacing the Batteries 51 Technical Specifications 52 ...

Page 4: ...y problems with refrigeration units l For the bad quality of the monitored goods if any l For incorrect readings if the device was used with a low battery l For consequential loss Battery Life The batteries in the VFC400 WiFi are designed to power the device for up to 3 months in case of a power failure provided l fresh batteries from a reputable manufacturer are used l data are reviewed on the di...

Page 5: ...mmary of up to the last 30 days today and 29 days previous the wireless and cloud connection states At set intervals the VFC400 WiFi uploads these data to your Control Solutions Online cloud account where they can be viewed analyzed and shared with others or downloaded for further analysis Logged temperature data can also be viewed on any PC by plugging the unit into a computer s USB port via a mi...

Page 6: ...nt can be checked by inspecting the statistics history on the logger s display or in more detail via your LogTag Online cloud account In addition a red Alarm LED shows if an alarm event has occurred Sensors The VFC400 WiFi will accept any sensor from the ST100 product range up to 3m length Communication The VFC400 WiFi offers two means of downloading data 1 Via the built in Micro USB socket and co...

Page 7: ... You can use any probe of the ST100 series l for configuration a PC running Windows 7 or later and Control Solutions VTMC version 3 installed l a 5V 5W USB power supply to power the unit permanently via the USB socket Optional Items In addition to the above following items are useful accessories l 2 x AAA batteries as a backup if main power fails For optimum performance we recommend Lithium Iron D...

Page 8: ...wnload page l configure the unit using Control Solutions VTMC l connect the VFC400 WiFi to your wireless network using the LogTag Online Connection Wizard l complete the device setup in LogTag Online including associating the VFC400 WiFi with a location On site Once you have completed this process you can take the logger to the location where it will be installed and l connect external power l con...

Page 9: ...wo AAA backup batteries 1 Remove the screw from the rear compartment lid 2 Remove the lid exposing the battery compartment 3 Insert the AAA batteries in the correct orientation as shown The polarity is marked inside the battery compartment 4 Replace the rear cover and the screw 5 Press any button to turn on the display ...

Page 10: ...the protective cap from the logger s USB socket and plug the Micro USB end of the cable into the socket Plug the other end of the cable into a USB socket on your computer and wait for the drivers to be installed l Slot the logger into the interface contacts facing down and towards the rear of the interface l From the menu click LogTag Configure Control Solutions VTMC will display the contents of y...

Page 11: ...e Time start The logger will start taking temperature readings at the date and time you specify local time You cannot combine a date time start with pre start readings or the start delay function Alarm Configuration Options The VFC400 WiFi can display an alarm if either of the configured alarm trigger conditions have been met This is indicated on the display by showing the Alarm Indicator and the ...

Page 12: ...is triggered the corresponding delay time but not any others resets to zero and alarm processing starts again The alarm processing for all other alarm delays is not affected Therefore accumulative or consecutive alarms will re trigger if the alarm conditions are met again and the Alarm Indicator and the Day Alarm Marker will be shown even if any previous alarm was cleared Clearing an Alarm does no...

Page 13: ...g or hiding gridlines l showing or hiding alarm threshold lines l creation of the data list For detailed information about each parameter please read the section about Configuring a LogTag for logging in Control Solutions VTMC s User Guide or press F1 for help These settings only apply to the files generated when plugging the VFC400 WiFi directly into a PC Settings for the appearance of online rep...

Page 14: ...arameter please read the section about Configuring a LogTag for logging in Control Solutions VTMC s User Guide or press F1 for help Wireless and Network Connection Settings The VFC400 WiFi s wireless connection parameters are set up on the WiFi Settings tab Select Leave wireless and network settings unchanged if you are only changing the logging parameters but want the VFC400 WiFi to connect to th...

Page 15: ...ainst your account l enables you to create an account with Control Solutions Online or sign in if you already have an account l allows configuration of wireless and network parameters of your VFC400 WiFi You can find detailed information about the LogTag Online Connection Wizard in its online help at http www vfcdataloggers com lto The LogTag Online Connection Wizard starts after the logger has be...

Page 16: ... test the Wizard establishes a connection between the VFC400 WiFi and the LogTag Online cloud server When completed successfully the screen on the right shows Please refer to the section about Troubleshooting on page 22 for reasons why the cloud server connection can fail The VFC400 WiFi is now ready to be deployed ...

Page 17: ...xternal sensor The VFC400 WiFi accepts any ST100 sensor Plug the sensor into the socket located at the bottom of the device as shown below For stationary applications we strongly recommend you connect a power supply see Powering the VFC400 WiFi Remove the protective cap and insert the USB connector Note that the wider part of the connector is oriented towards the rear of the product ...

Page 18: ...y appear in LogTag Online if you have allocated a place where the data can be stored In LogTag Online this is called a location and associating the logger with this location is called attaching the logger Unlike other loggers uploaded via one of the wireless interfaces a VFC400 WiFi does not generate files on Control Solutions Drive You can find more information about locations device registration...

Page 19: ...This symbol shows the status of the last connection to the wireless network WLAN If the circle shows a tick the VFC400 WiFi s last connection to the wireless network was successful When USB power is supplied the VFC400 WiFi remains connected to the WLAN This symbol is shown when the last connection to the wireless network was successful and the device is powered by batteries When the VFC400 WiFi i...

Page 20: ...t have been recorded since the last connection to the cloud server l close the connection This will give you immediate feedback if the logger s wireless and network settings were configured correctly To initiate the connection test press and hold the FN and REVIEW MARK buttons simultaneously for approx 6 seconds During this time the Upload arrow symbol on the display blinks Release the buttons whe...

Page 21: ...ion process The Cloud and WLAN symbols remain to indicate that the last connection was successful The Devices page in LogTag Online will be updated with the last connection time If the wireless or cloud communication fail WLAN or Cloud symbols may show a cross Please refer to the section about Troubleshooting on the next page for further details This connection test is performed automatically ever...

Page 22: ...he access point The VFC400 WiFi has attempted to connect to the wireless network but was unsuccessful It will take up to 60 seconds for this icon to show l the configured network is temporarily unavailable or out of range Try to scan for available networks using a different device such as a laptop or cellphone This will verify if the network is currently transmitting l the network password has not...

Page 23: ... cloud server This can have a number of different reasons which include the following l No DHCP server found on the network You may have set up the VFC400 WiFi to use DHCP but your network does not offer DHCP connections Please discuss this with your network administrator and run the LogTag Online Connection Wizard again selecting Advanced Setup l No IP address or DNS server configured Please re r...

Page 24: ...ng started or since the values were last manually cleared Main Temperature Data This shows the last recorded temperature while the VFC400 WiFi is recording Once the logger has stopped nothing will be displayed Backup Battery Low A battery test is performed every 24 hours The battery low symbol will appear if the VFC400 WiFi s backup battery is low and requires changing Please discuss this with you...

Page 25: ...the current time l time remaining to start of logging with a delayed start l duration for example of an alarm The time indicators identify which of those is displayed l If the word TIME is shown the time value represents the current time in hours and minutes 24 hour format l If the word DELAY is shown the time value represents a start delay in hours and minutes l If the word DURATION is shown the ...

Page 26: ...he time the unit operates without external USB power Running the VFC400 WiFi solely without an external supply is possible but not recommended as it will deplete the AAA batteries in around 2 to 3 months and also shorten the life of the secondary backup battery The rate at which battery power is used largely depends on the signal strength of the wireless network signal with a weaker signal drainin...

Page 27: ...ng any button following is shown on the display o The Recording state indicators show if the unit is recording stopped ready or configured for a delayed start o The Backup Battery Empty symbol is shown The internal secondary backup battery will power the logger s essential functions l the internal clock still runs l temperature values are being recorded at the configured intervals l the red alert ...

Page 28: ... three tone sounder will temporarily turn off when you are reviewing data and in Low Power mode Real Time Clock The time shown on the recording display is linked to the logger s internal real time clock A day change occurs when the display time rolls through midnight i e 00 00 which triggers the statistical data to be finalized for the day and a new day to be started when the next reading is taken...

Page 29: ...tart After configuration for a push button start the current time and READY are shown together with the Backup Battery Status symbol The power symbol is shown when the unit is connected to a USB power supply WiFi and cloud connection symbols are also shown with a tick if the VFC400 WiFi successfully connected to the wireless network directly after configuration with Control Solutions VTMC Press th...

Page 30: ...i starts recording when it reaches 0 00 The WiFi connection symbol is shown with a tick if the VFC400 WiFi successfully connected to the wireless network directly after configuration with Control Solutions VTMC As with a regular push button start without delay the VFC400 WiFi will perform a Connection Test as soon as the recording has started To check the connection before the delay value has elap...

Page 31: ...rm At 1 49pm 20 minutes later l The temperature has remained above the upper alarm threshold and has now triggered an alarm event l The alarm symbol is shown to indicate an alarm event occurred l The day marker for the current day is shown l The alarm event is immediately uploaded to LogTag Online where it will show as a notification alert on the dashboard and trigger notification emails or SMS me...

Page 32: ...y 10 1 week and 3 days Day 11 1 week and 4 days Day 12 1 week and 5 days Day 13 1 week and 6 days Day 14 2 weeks Day 15 2 weeks and 1 day Day 16 2 weeks and 2 days Day 17 2 weeks and 3 days Day 18 2 weeks and 4 days Day 19 2 weeks and 5 days Day 20 2 weeks and 6 days Day 21 3 weeks Day 22 3 weeks and 1 day Day 23 3 weeks and 2 days Day 24 3 weeks and 3 days Day 25 3 weeks and 4 days Day 26 3 weeks...

Page 33: ...leared To clear an alarm press and hold the START CLEAR STOP button After approx 2 seconds the cross will be replaced with the tick Release the button when the tick appears The normal recording display is shown The alarm will not be cleared if you l release the button before the appears In this example the paused function was activated and the paused symbol is shown on the display For more informa...

Page 34: ...h and data listings CH1 CH2 How long PAUSED is displayed depends on when between readings you press the button It will show longer if the button is pressed just after the logger takes a reading but shorter if you press the button just before For example if you configure a logging interval of 10 minutes and 2 paused readings the time PAUSED is shown could be as short as 10 minutes but as long as 20...

Page 35: ...During Recording VFC400 WiFi User Guide 35 If the sensor was disconnected for a complete day the minimum and maximum statistics for that day will show on the display and in the list ...

Page 36: ...it started logging and displays them below the last recorded temperature These values can be reset any time while the unit is recording but not once the unit has been stopped To reset the values follow this procedure l Press and hold the REVIEW MARK button l After 1 second the number values alternate with dashes after 4 seconds the dashes remain on l Release the buttons within 2 seconds The values...

Page 37: ...s generated l The maximum temperature recorded today was 4 8 C l The paused function is enabled Pressing the button again displays the current day s minimum statistic l still flashes as the same day s data today are being displayed l Today no temperature values were recorded below the lower alarm threshold and no alarm event was generated l The minimum temperature recorded today was 1 4 C Yesterda...

Page 38: ...tatistic from two days ago l The flashes to indicate that the data being displayed are from two days ago l Two days ago recordings above the upper threshold were recorded indicated by the upper alarm threshold marker l The duration was 1 hour 20 minutes which was shorter than the allowed period so no alarm event was generated l The maximum temperature recorded on the day before yesterday was 11 5 ...

Page 39: ...5 C Data from 7 days ago After pressing the button twice skipping the minimum statistics for day 6 the maximum statistic from seven days ago is displayed l The flashes to indicate that the data being displayed are from seven days ago l Seven days ago recordings above the upper threshold were recorded indicated by the upper alarm threshold marker l The duration was 5 hour 30 minutes l An alarm even...

Page 40: ...y 9 1 week and 2 days Day 10 1 week and 3 dasy Day 11 1 week and 4 days Day 12 1 week and 5 days Day 13 1 week and 6 days Day 14 2 weeks Day 15 2 weeks and 1 day Day 16 2 weeks and 2 days Day 17 2 weeks and 3 days Day 18 2 weeks and 4 days Day 19 2 weeks and 5 days Day 20 2 weeks and 6 days Day 21 3 weeks Day 22 3 weeks and 1 day Day 23 3 weeks and 2 days Day 24 3 weeks and 3 days Day 25 3 weeks a...

Page 41: ...il the symbol disappears then release the button within 2 seconds STOPPED is shown permanently on the display and the logger will no longer take readings The last recorded temperature is now no longer shown but minimum and maximum trip values remain The logger will not stop if you l release the button before the symbol disappears l keep holding the button after STOPPED remains permanently on until...

Page 42: ...iver will always be installed even if Control Solutions VTMC is not present on the computer 4 USB Composite Device Driver This driver signals that multiple devices are involved when plugging in a VFC400 WiFi If you have configured the VFC400 WiFi to generate files these will be created every time you plug the logger into the USB port While the file creation takes place the display shows bUSy inste...

Page 43: ... install the free Control Solutions VTMC software CSV files can be opened with a text editor or imported into a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel The file names contain information about the recorded data which is detailed in Interpreting the Data If a logger has only taken pre start readings PDF and CSV files will not be created To retain the logger s generated files please copy them to...

Page 44: ...e PDF file such as generation time date and time formats and the file name which is compiled from information about the data it contains LogTag_ serial_number _ trip number _ file creation date _file creation time _ OK or ALM pdf Logger Information and Configuration These sections show general information about the logger such as serial and model numbers trip number battery status and description ...

Page 45: ...rkers The chart will show marks where the VFC400 WiFi has been downloaded or where an inspection mark has been placed with the START CLEAR STOP or REVIEW MARK button It also shows Paused marks where a button press has prevented readings from being used for statistics and alarm calculations A green circle will be shown where the Min Max values have been manually cleared USB Paused Readings Sensor U...

Page 46: ...ata List File Information The information from the report page is repeated here Recorded Data list The Data list shows a single row for each recorded reading showing the date time and temperature values plus any special events that were recorded against this reading ...

Page 47: ...between this reading and the one before The readings were paused as a result of a button press if the Paused function was enabled The logger was communicating via USB and could not take a reading at the required time The min max readings were reset between this reading and the one before The reading was paused List Legend Shows the symbols for download marks inspections marks paused USB paused and...

Page 48: ...e recorded Each row contains l minimum and maximum for the day l whether or not an alarm was recorded for that day l if the minimum and maximum temperatures were above or below the thresholds l how long temperatures were outside the specifications even if no alarm was recorded l if the logger was inspected in the morning and in the afternoon Page Information Curent page number and total number of ...

Page 49: ...ase the button within 2 seconds The STOPPED symbol will turn off and the logger is now ready to be started again The ability to reset a logger is enabled or disabled in the Advanced Settings tab when configuring the VFC400 WiFi via Control Solutions VTMC Hibernating a VFC400 WiFi When hibernated the logger s power consumption is near zero Hibernating a logger is useful for conserving battery life ...

Page 50: ... show l the text NOT READY l the battery capacity of the AAA batteries if the batteries have been removed the empty symbol will be shown After a few seonds SLP will be shown on the display and the display will turn off The logger reverts to being hibernated A hibernated logger cannot be reactivated via the buttons it must be reconfigured with Control Solutions VTMC ...

Page 51: ... off After removal of the logger from the aircraft airplane mode can be turned off using the exact same procedure l Press and hold the FN and START CLEAR STOP buttons simultaneously l Keep holding the buttons while the Airplane mode symbol on the display blinks l After approximately 6 seconds the symbol stops blinking and turns on permanently Release the buttons Airplane Mode is now turned off and...

Page 52: ...cification as detailed in EN12830 1999 Shock l Withstands shock specification as detailed in EN12830 1999 l Withstands 5 drops from 1m onto smooth concrete floor without loss of function or calibration EMC compliance l EC EMC directive EN 55024 2010 Immunity l EC EMC directive EN 55032 2015 Emission l 47 CFR Part 15 Subpart B unintentional radiator as a Class A digital device as defined in section...

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