Strand FAQs

What type of batteries does the Strand use?
sensemetrics recommends using two of the Saft LSH20 D 3.6V batteries. The Strand relies on 2 D-Cell batteries for full autonomous operation.

How long will Strand batteries typically last?
At a reading interval of once every hour the Strand’s batteries will last for approximately 40 months.

What sensor types are supported by the Strand?
Any sensor with a Vibrating Wire (VW) interface

How many vibrating wire sensors can be added to the Strand?
The Strand has 4 interfaces that accept bare lead wires from any Vibrating Wire sensor with optional thermistor. Up to four VW sensors can be connected into a single Strand.

What type of antenna connection does the Strand use?
The Strand uses a female SMA jack.

What is the Strand’s IP rating?
The Strand has an IP rating of IP66.

What is the fastest reading frequency the Strand can take measurements?
The Strand is capable of reading VW sensors as fast as every 5 minutes but can be either modified by the user or dynamically updated based on alert conditions using the sensemetrics application.

How do I get sensor data off of the Strand?
The Strand uses the same low-power wide area mesh network radio as sensemetrics’ Thread broadband edge device. Once sensor data is transmitted to the Thread, the Thread acts as a Gateway device to securely transmit the encrypted data to sensemetrics Cloud.

What connectivity options are provided with the gateway?
The standard Thread broadband edge connectivity device will act as the Strand’s Gateway. This means that intelligent failure enabled Ethernet, Radio and Cellular connectivity is standard to each Gateway device.  

What happens if the Strand loses connectivity to the Gateway? Do I need to go to the field to recover my data?
The Strand has built in store-and-forward algorithms which will store all data onboard until connectivity with the Cloud has been re-established. There is no need to ever go to the field to recover data from your Strand or to manually download data remotely.

Do I need a field device like an Android Tablet to configure each Strand?
No, the Strand is 100% configurable through either the sensemetrics Mobile application or browser based Workspace application.

What network topology does the Strand use?
The Strand uses a mesh based network topology. This means that the Strand can mesh with multiple other Strands but also with multiple other Threads. This provides increased flexibility as well as superior redundancy as opposed to standard Star networks or single Gateway-based network topologies.

What happens if I have to update the firmware on my Strand? Do I have to go out to each device in the field?
No, the strand supports firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates which means that Strand firmware can be updated remotely without having to visit the device in the field.

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