Data centre environmental wireless temperature sensor

Unique Daisy Chain Design Enhances Measurement Flexibility and Reduces TCO

Wireless Sensors has expanded the SensiNet Rack Sentry family of environmental monitors with the introduction of the Multi Sense wireless temperature sensor. The all new Multi Sense is designed specifically to help data center operators increase efficiency while maintaining adequate cooling for the increasingly dense power loadings from today's servers and network equipment. The new design was driven by the requirements of ASHRAE's TC9.9 (2011 Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments) which establish "IT equipment air inlets as the common measurement point for temperature and humidity compliance". The Rack Sentry Multi Sense allows placement of sensors where they are needed with the flexibility of wireless operation allowing reconfiguration as needs change.

The requirement for measurements at three points on the rack (low, middle and high) is easily accommodated within the tightest budgets with the Multi Sense's unique "daisy chained" sensor design leveraging a common wireless transmitter with three, field configurable digital sensors connected to the wireless node by industry standard Cat 5 connecting cable of any length. Simply place the sensors where required, snap the CAT 5 cable in place and the SensiNet system takes care of the rest.

"We really pay attention to feedback from our customers" says Wireless Sensors CEO Paul Richards "and this feedback has been directly incorporated into this newest design. Our customers challenged us to design a system that provided granularity, reliability, low installed cost and the flexibility to meet their needs today and in the future. The Multi Sense addition to our industry leading SensiNet Rack Sentry product really brings this requirement to life. This is truly a plug and play system and even allows a customer to reconfigure in the field to support adds, moves and changes. Sensors can be added, deleted or moved in the field by simply plugging them in with Cat 5 patch cables".

The SensiNet Rack Sentry family also includes other measurements such as humidity, insertion temperature probes for duct and chilled water temperatures, contact closures and analog signals. The systems operates as a standalone system or delivers data through a rich suite of communication protocols including Modbus TCP, OPC, ODBC, SNMP and others.