1

Ranger Manual

The Ranger is a self-contained, device that provides sensor readings over an LTE-M1 cellular network.
- Powers attached analog (4-20mA / 1-5V) sensor and cellular modem with internal battery
- Dual digital inputs report state, total counts and input frequency. K-Factor configurable for Flow
Totalizing
- SPDT Latching relay for local on/off control
- Configurable from the SignalFire Cloud website signal-fire.cloud
- SignalFire Cloud allows for data visualization, trending and alarming
- Supports MQTT Sparkplug B communication protocol for connection to other servers
- Compact and simple to install and maintain
- Local configuration and diagnostics available using the micro-USB port and the SignalFire Ranger
ToolKit PC software
- Expansion modules for additional I/O (2AI/1DI, Modbus, HART, SDI-12)
- Internal backlog of a minimum of 200 datapoints (200,000 for Rangers shipped 1/27/2022 or later)
in the event of loss of signal. Backlog will be automatically sent when the Ranger reconnects
- Class 1 Division 2 certified

Rev 1.10 SignalFire Telemetry

Specifications
Enclosure Size

Power Source
7.1” tall × 4.6” diameter

Internal Lithium battery pack (SignalFire Part Number: 4DPak)

2
Optional solar or external DC power options also available

Temperature -40°C to +85°C

Rating

Enclosure IP64 rated. Polycarbonate, ½” NPT fitting

SIM Slot 4FF Nano SIM card (LTE Cat M SIM and data plan required)

Local config port Standard micro-USB connector

Analog Input Provides 13/18V,(selectable) to attached 4-20mA / 1-5V sensor. One analog input built-
in. Up to three with additional 2AI/1DI module.

Digital Inputs Two digital inputs. Three with additional 2AI/1DI module. Dry Contact or 30 Volts Max
(push-pull), 2kHz max. Capable of reporting on state change

Relay Output Latching Relay. 2A @ 30VDC, 0.3A @ 110VDC, 0.5A @ 125VAC

Sensor Power Selectable 13V/18V. 60mA max power output

Output

Compliance • Contains FCC ID: 2ANPO00NRF9160 and IC ID: 24529-NRF9160

• PTCRB and Verizon Network Certified
• Certified for use in Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, D areas. Temperature Code
T5 EXi [EXi]
• [UL 121201:2017 Ed.9+R:26Aug2019], [CSA C22.2#213:2017 Ed.3+U1;U2]
• IEC 62638-1:2014 (2nd Ed), EN 62368-1:2014+A11:2017

Model Numbers

Rev 1.10
Table of Contents

3
Specifications .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Hazardous Location Certification ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Connections and Components ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Sensor Connections................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Analog Input ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Digital Inputs ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Relay Output ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8
2AI/1DI ................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Modbus RS-485 ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
HART.................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
SDI-12 ................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Power Options ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Internal Lithium Battery Replacement.............................................................................................................................. 13
Setup ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Mounting and Care ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Junction Box ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Node Status Tile ................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Analog Input Tile ............................................................................................................................................................... 18
Digital Input Tile ................................................................................................................................................................ 19
DIN Flow Totalizer Tile ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
GPS Tile ............................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Digital Output Tile ............................................................................................................................................................. 22
Relay Control ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Modbus Tile ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23
HART Tile ........................................................................................................................................................................... 25
SDI-12 Tile ......................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Historical Data View .............................................................................................................................................................. 28
Dashboards ........................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Create Dashboards and Data Groups................................................................................................................................ 29
Add data points to Data Group ......................................................................................................................................... 29
Users ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 30
User Settings ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30
User Roles ......................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Rev 1.10
 4
User View .......................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Adding Users ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Alarms ................................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Alarm Views ...................................................................................................................................................................... 33
State .................................................................................................................................................................................. 33
Configure Alarms............................................................................................................................................................... 34
Alarm Groups .................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Reports .................................................................................................................................................................................. 37
Updating Ranger Firmware ................................................................................................................................................... 38
Single Ranger Firmware Update ....................................................................................................................................... 38
Bulk Firmware Update ...................................................................................................................................................... 38
Technical Support and Contact Information......................................................................................................................... 40
Revision History .................................................................................................................................................................... 40

Rev 1.10
Hazardous Location Certification

The Ranger is rated Class 1 Division 2 non-incendive when powered by its internal battery pack
or its internal DC-DC converter. The HCSolar unit is not C1D2 certified so it is for general purpose
5
areas only.

WARNING: EXPLOSION HAZARD. DO NOT REMOVE OR REPLACE COMPONENTS UNLESS

POWER HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED OR THE AREA IS FREE OF IGNITIBLE CONCENTRATIONS.
AVERTISSEMENT : RISQUE D'EXPLOSION . NE PAS RETIRER OU REMPLACER LES
COMPOSANTS QUE L’ALIMENTATION EST DÉBRANCHÉ OU ZONE EST LIBRE DE
CONCENTRATIONS IGNITIBLE.

WARNING – EXPLOSION HAZARD Substitution of components may impair

suitability for Class I, Division 2
AVERTISSEMENT - RISQUE D'EXPLOSION. La substitution de composants peut rendre ce
materiel inacceptable pour les emplacements de classe I, division 2

WARNING – EXPLOSION HAZARD Do not disconnect while circuit is live unless area
is known to be nonhazardous
AVERTISSEMENT - RISQUE D'EXPLOSION. Ne débranchez pas lorsque le circuit est en
direct , sauf si la zone est connue pour être nonhazardous

WARNING – All wiring methods must be in accordance with the NEC

AVERTISSEMENT - Toutes les méthodes de Essorez doivent être en conformité avec la NEC

WARNING - EXPLOSION HAZARD. Do no remove or replace while circuit is live

unless the area is free of ignitable concentrations.
AVERTISSEMENT - RISQUE D'EXPLOSION. Ne pas enlever ou remplacer pendant que le
circuit est vivant à moins que la zone soit exempt de concentrations ignitibles.

WARNING – EXPLOSION HAZARD. Do not remove or replace lamps, fuses or plug-in

modules (as applicable) unless power has been disconnected or the area is free of
ignitable concentrations.
AVERTISSEMENT - RISQUE D'EXPLOSION. Ne retirez ni ne remplacez les lampes, les
fusibles ou les modules enfichables (le cas échéant) à moins que l'alimentation ait été
coupée ou que la zone soit exempte de concentrations inflammables.

Rev 1.10
Connections and Components
STATUS LED
- The STATUS LED (green) will flash 3 times on a successful data transmission to the server
6
ERROR LED
- The ERROR LED (red) will blink 3 times to indicate that an attempted data transmission failed

Check-in Button
- If this button is pressed the Ranger will blink the Green or Red status LED 3 times to indicate the status
of the last transmission to the server. If the Checkin button is pressed and held for more than 1 second,
the Ranger will take readings from the attached sensors and send the readings to the server.

MicroSD Card Slot

- The MicroSD card is for future use, it is not yet implemented and should not be installed

SignalFire Expansion Module

- The SignalFire Expansion Module slot is used for additional sensor support. Available expansion cards
are 2AI/1DI, Modbus, and HART.

Check-in

Ranger Internal components

Rev 1.10
Sensor Connections

GND

GND
AIN
A_PWR

NC
COM
NO
DIN1
DIN2

Screw Terminal Connections

Analog Input
The analog input provides 13V/18V (selectable in software, see page 11) to the attached sensor. The analog
input can operate in either current (4-20mA), or voltage (1-5V). The input mode must be set by the slide switch.
Slide the switch up to Volts for a voltage input, or down to mA for a current input.

4-20mA Wiring Diagram

A_PWR

A_PWR
COM
DIN1
DIN2
GND

GND
AIN

COM
DIN1
DIN2
GND

GND
NO
NC

AIN

NO
NC

DC
- +
+ -
4-20mA Transmitter
4-20mA Transmitter

Sensor powered by Ranger Sensor powered by external source

Rev 1.10
 8
1-5V Wiring Diagram

A_PWR

COM
DIN1
DIN2
GND

GND
AIN

NO
NC
-
Vout
+
1-5V Sensor

Digital Inputs
The digital inputs (2 total) can be dry contact or voltage (must be push-pull, 30 Volts max). Be sure to connect
the ground bus from the module to either the ground of the voltage pulse device or the dry contact.

Relay Output
The Ranger has a single latching SPDT relay which may be controlled remotely from the server or by using the
Ranger’s internal relay control logic

Rev 1.10
Expansion Cards
The Ranger has the option of being ordered with daughter cards to expand the I/O capabilities. Currently,
four expansion cards are offered: the 2AI/1DI, Modbus, HART and SDI-12cards. If the expansion cards are
installed separately after first purchasing the Ranger without them, the expansion cards must be enabled
using the Ranger ToolKit.
9

Ranger with a 2AI/1DI installed

2AI/1DI
The 2AI/1DI card provides the Ranger with two (2) additional analog inputs, and one (1) additional digital input.

These inputs operate the same as the analog and digital inputs of the base model. The analog inputs can be set
to 4-20mA mode or 1-5V mode via onboard switches. When installed, additional input configuration tiles will
become available on the unit’s SignalFire Cloud configuration page. An optional junction box provides for easy
wiring to multiple sensors.

Rev 1.10
 10
Modbus RS-485
The Modbus card provides the Ranger with the ability to read a Modbus sensor over two-wire RS-485.
Follow the diagram below for wiring the Modbus expansion card to a sensor. Sensors can be powered
off the Ranger’s onboard analog sensor power output. Like the analog sensor, its voltage is set in the
Ranger configuration tile (see page 11). The Ranger can provide up to a total of 60mA at 18V for all
attached sensors. If more power is needed, or to conserve battery life, it is recommended the sensors be
powered with an external DC source. Follow the wiring diagram below for integrated and externally
powered options.

The attached sensors need to each have a unique Modbus ID.

RS-485 Wiring Diagram

Sensor powered by Ranger Sensor powered by external source

Rev 1.10
 11
HART
The HART card provides the Ranger with the ability to power a HART transmitter and read its
variables. The HART sensor should be wired to the Ranger’s HART terminals as shown below. Note
that the HART card also has 1 digital input available.

The system can supply up to 18V to the sensors and then read the HART data from each sensor. Due to the
250Ω series resistance, every additional sensor will draw 4mA in multi-drop mode, dropping the output voltage
by 1V. For example, if 4 HART devices are connected the total loop current will be 16mA, resulting in 4V being
dropped across the 250Ω load resistor in the SignalFire node. If the Ranger is configured to output 18V, this
leaves 14V available to power the sensors.

If using an external power source, remove the jumper from the HART card. It is recommended to place a 250Ω
resistor in series with the source unless the supply already has a series resistor, to ensure proper HART
communication across the bus. It is up to the operator to ensure that the resulting voltage of the source minus
the drop across the series resistor meets the minimum voltage requirements of all attached sensors.

The attached sensors need to each have a unique HART ID. If their ID’s have not been set up before connecting,
they can be set up through the Ranger ToolKit.

HART Wiring Diagram

Sensor powered by Ranger. Sensor powered by external source.

Jumper is on. Jumper is off.

Rev 1.10
 12
SDI-12
The SDI-12 card provides the Ranger with the ability to read from SDI-12 sensors. The SDI-12 bus
contains three lines, Power (12V), Data, and GND. Across multiple sensors, these three lines must be
connected in parallel, such that all the Power lines are connected together, the Data lines are all
connected together, and GND lines are connected together.

If the Ranger is powering the sensors, it can provide up to 60mA at 12V for all attached sensors. It is up to the
operator to ensure this limit is not exceeded. If the sensors are powered externally, the Power terminal of the
SDI-12 card must still be connected to the positive power terminal of each sensor and the external voltage
source.

The attached sensors need to each have their own unique SDI-12 ID. If their ID’s have not been set up before
connecting, they can be set up through the Ranger ToolKit.

SDI-12 Wiring Diagram

Sensor powered by Ranger Sensor powered by external

power supply. Positive
terminals connected

Rev 1.10
Power Options

Lithium Battery Pack (4DPak)

13
The internal lithium battery pack is the default power source for the ranger, simply plug the battery pack into
the Ranger PCB battery connector to power the Ranger on.

DC-DC converter
In situations where DC power is available, the Ranger can be ordered with an internal DC-DC converter that
accepts 9-36VDC from an external source. The DC-DC converter is installed in the battery compartment of the
Ranger and has a pigtail cable to connect to the Ranger PCB. Simply connect your DC power source to the
“GND” and “Vin” screw terminals on the converter to power on the system.

HC-Solar System
SignalFire offers a solar system that consists of a bracket containing a solar panel and integrated battery and
solar charger assembly. The solar system is connected to the Ranger PCB using the battery connector.

Internal Lithium Battery Replacement

Battery Packs can be changed with the node in place.

1. Unscrew the cover from the base.

2. Unplug the battery from the PCB, by depressing the locking clip on the connector.
3. Loosen the three screws that attach the circuit board assembly to the base. Do not remove the two
screws that attach the antenna assembly
4. Remove/replace battery
5. Re-install circuit board assembly. Do not overtighten the screws
6. Connect the battery to the main PCB battery connector.
7. Install the enclosure cover.

Rev 1.10
Setup
Devices purchased with the SignalFire Cloud service come with a pre-installed SIM card. Customers
will require a login to access the SignalFire Cloud server (signal-fire.cloud). Fill out the request form
here: https://signal-fire.com/lte-m1-cellular-products/cloudregister/ to setup your company site.
14
Adding the Ranger to your SignalFire Cloud Group
1. Plug in the battery so the Ranger can connect to the cellular network

2. Verify that the Ranger is connected to the cellular network by pressing the “CHECKIN” button on the
device and observe 3 strobes of the green status light.

3. Login to the SignalFire Cloud with your account login/password

4. From the Home page click “Add Device”

5. Enter the Ranger serial number and click “Claim”. The serial number is located on the bottom of the
Ranger with a format of “RA” followed by 6 numbers. (e.g. RA123456)

6. A message will be sent to the Ranger to claim it to your group account

7. Within approximately one minute the device will connect to your account, and you will be automatically
redirected to the device status page

Rev 1.10
Mounting and Care
The Ranger unit comes with an integrated ½” NPT fitting with leads for connection to the 15
sensors. It is important to mount the Ranger so it is vertically oriented with the NPT fitting facing down.

Junction Box
The Ranger can also be purchased with a junction box to make wiring more convenient. Shown below are the
Ranger and Junction Box assembled, as well as the interior of the junction box. The inside cover of the junction
box contains a wiring color-code guide.

Rev 1.10
Ranger Settings
Select a Ranger from the list on the Home tab to see the device status, sensor readings and settings.
The detail display is organized as a “tile” view with each tile representing a specific input or function.
Each tile with configurable settings has a “Configure” button that will bring up the related settings.
16
Node Status Tile

The Node status tile contains general information about the ranger and allows setting the Ranger system
parameters.

Force Report
Causes the Ranger to take a new sensor reading and send the data to the server on its next “ping” interval.
This can take up to 40 seconds.

Node Name
The Node name is a user configurable string used to easily identify the Ranger.

Report Interval
The setting controls the interval at which the Ranger will apply power to the attached sensor and forward the
sensor readings to the Cloud. Clicking on “Settings” will open up the Fast Reporting Interval window.

Rev 1.10
 17

The Ranger can be configured such that if certain inputs cross a threshold, the Ranger will temporarily update
at an increased rate. Fast Reporting can trigger when one or all conditions are met and can stay on for the
entire time the input(s) are above the threshold, or a set time. In the above example, if Analog Input 1 goes
above 8mA, the Ranger would begin reporting its sensor values every 60 seconds, for 3,600 seconds (1 hour).

Sensor Voltage
Sets the output voltage applied to the analog sensor output. It is user configurable to 13V or 18V.

Sensor on Time
Configures the amount of time the Sensor Voltage is applied to the sensor prior to taking the reading.
This needs to be long enough for the attached sensor to power on and stabilize, but should be
minimized to optimize battery life. If the Ranger is not powering a sensor or if the sensor is powered
externally, set this value to 0.

Flow Measurement
By default, the digital inputs report input state (open/closed) and input frequency. Optionally one or both
digital inputs can be configured for Flow Measurement Mode. This is used for connection to a flow meter with
a pulse output and allows the user to configure a pulse k-factor and see the flow rate and total in volume units.

The analog inputs can also be used for flow measurement, where a current/voltage corresponds to a flow rate.
The Ranger can sample the analog input at the report time only and do a rough approximation of a flow total
by assuming that the flow rate stays constant between report samples. Note that there will always be some
inaccuracy when using an analog input for flow totalization. A digital pulse it recommended whenever possible
for best accuracy and low power operation.

Rev 1.10
 18
The Alarm Group ID
This defines which alarm group will receive alarms from this device. Each user configured in the Users
tab can be assigned an alarm group number. Any users with a matching alarm group will receive
alarms from this Ranger. Multiple alarm groups may be entered separated by commas and all groups entered
will receive alarms.

Offline Alarm
The Ranger will send an alarm if the device is offline for more than the configured ‘Offline Threshold’ setting.

Release
If the Ranger has been added to the wrong group and needs to be claimed under a different group, the Ranger
can be released through the Release tab of the “Configure Node” window.

Analog Input Tile

The Analog input tile displays the details for the analog input, including scaling and alarms. If the 2AI/1DI
expansion card is installed, “Sensor A” and “Sensor B” on the card will appear as their own Analog Input 2 and
Analog Input 3 tiles, respectively.

Analog Mode
This will display the input mode (4-20mA of 1-5V) that is set by the slide switch on the Ranger.

Scale Units
This is a user definable string to identify the engineering units.

Rev 1.10
Scale Low / Scale High
The scaling allows the user to span the analog sensor. The Scale low is the sensor value at 4mA/1V
and the Scale High is the sensor value at 20mA/5V.
19
Alarm Thresholds
The analog input supports a high and/or low alarm threshold. This threshold is configured using the
scaled engineering units. If the configured threshold is crossed and the alarm is enabled, a SMS
and/or email message will be sent to each user in the alarm group of the Ranger.

Digital Input Tile

There is a Digital Input tile for each of the two digital inputs, unless they are configured for Flow Mode. If the
2AI/1DI expansion card is installed, it will appear as its own Digital Input 3 tile.

Reset Counter
Selecting this check box and click apply will zero the input cycle count.

Report on Change
If selected, the Ranger will report any changes on state of the input to the Cloud within 2-seconds
rather than waiting until its next scheduled report.

Rev 1.10
 20
DIN Alarm
The Ranger can send an alarm when the DIN opens, closes or on any change.

DIN Flow Totalizer Tile

If a digital input is configured for Flow Mode, the flow totalizer tile will replace the default Digital Input tile.
When in flow mode the Ranger will display the flow rate and total flow volume. The Average Flow is the
average flow rate over the configured Ranger Report Interval, while the Instantaneous Flow rate is the flow rate
calculated over the 2 seconds immediately before the report.

Flow K-Factor
Enter the number of pulses per unit volume that the flow meter outputs. The volume pulse units can be
selected.

Volume Units
The Volume Units is used to select the volume units to use to for the flow rate and total volume calculations.

Timebase Units
The Time base units select the time units for the flow rate calculations.

Set Flow Total

This allows the user to set or reset the total volume measured. Click the checkbox then enter the volume.

Rev 1.10
 21
GPS Tile

The Ranger has an internal GPS receiver/antenna to provide location data to the server. The Ranger requires a
clear view of the sky for the GPS functionally. GPS will often not work inside even if the Ranger is near a
window.

A GPS update may be triggered on demand, or an automatic location update interval between 1 and 12 hours
can be configured. For an on-demand location update, click the “UPDATE” button. Note that an initial “cold”
GPS fix may take up to 5 minutes.

While the GPS receiver is active commands sent to the Ranger my take up to 80 seconds to be delivered.

Rev 1.10
 22
Digital Output Tile

The relay output can be toggled by setting the Toggle State switch. The command will reach the Ranger on its
next “ping” interval which can take up to 40 seconds. The Toggle State switch will change to blue and the
OPEN/CLOSED indicator will change once the message has reached the Ranger.

The relay output also has an optional failsafe timer. If this is configured, the relay will go to the open (failsafe)
state if the Ranger loses connection to the server for the configured time.

Relay Control
The digital output on the Ranger can be configured to energize and de-energize based on its other inputs. This
control logic is run locally in the Ranger and does not depend on cellular connectivity. First, the “Relay Control”
field should be Enabled. The trigger logic can be entered by specifying which input to control the relay from,
and then specifying which values of that input energize and de-energize the relay.

If the relay is being triggered from multiple inputs, the user can select whether all the triggers need to be true
(Boolean AND), or any of the triggers need to be true (Boolean OR). The Minimum Energize Time field
determines the amount of time the relay, once energized, will stay on even if the de-energize condition
becomes true.

Rev 1.10
 23
Modbus Tile

If the Ranger has the Modbus expansion card installed, users can configure the Ranger to read Modbus
registers from any attached sensors. To set the RS-485 communication parameters and configure Modbus
reads, click on the “Configure” button on the Modbus tile.

Use the top portion of the menu to configure communication parameters. These settings must match all the
sensors on the RS-485 multidrop network. The default configuration is shown in the figure above.

The Ranger can read up to 32 datapoints from up to 8 connected devices. To add a new register read, click on
the ‘+’ button. Each line needs to be specified with a Tag Name, and point to a Modbus Slave ID, register type,
register address, register data type (INT16, UINT16, INT32, UINT32, INT64, UINT64, FLOAT, DOUBLE, or BIT), and
read/write access. The register can also be tagged with units if needed. Click Apply to send the changes to the
Ranger.

Rev 1.10
 24
The Ranger can read individual bits of a 16-bit register. This can be useful for bitmask registers where
each bit position represents a flag/status alarm. To select the bit, change the Type to “Bit Pos” and
then the bit position number. Bit Pos 0 reads the
Least Significant Bit, and Bit Pos 15 reads the Most Significant Bit of a 16-bit register.

To select lines for deletion, click on the trash can icon at the end of each line, and then click on the “Delete
Rows” button to delete all the rows selected.

Once the registers have been set up as desired and applied, click “Exit” to return to the Ranger’s main
page. The registers and their values will appear in a table below, where they can be organized in ascending
or descending order by clicking on each header. The Modbus register configuration can also be done
locally using the Ranger ToolKit.

Clicking on the slider for “Enable View History” will add that register to
the historical data view at the bottom of the page. Clicking on “Modify”
will bring a pop-up to configure alarms, or to do a register write to set a
Modbus value in a register. Every register can be individually set up with
Low and High alarm thresholds. Click “Apply” to save alarm settings for
each register.

Clicking on the slider for “Enable Custom Tile” will make that metric
viewable as a tile similar to the analog and digital inputs.

Rev 1.10
 25
HART Tile

If the Ranger is configured with a HART expansion card, the HART tile will show up on its Cloud page. Clicking
“Configure” on the HART tile will open a window that allows you to choose which devices the Ranger will read
from by HART ID.

As per HART protocol, the Ranger can read one device at HART ID 0, or up to 15 devices in multi-drop mode
addressed 1 through 15. Note that if the Ranger is supplying power, each sensor requires an additional 4mA,
and will drop the output voltage by 1V. The Ranger cannot supply more than 60mA total to all connected
sensors (including 4-20mA/1-5V analog).

Once the Ranger is set up to read HART transmitters, their variables will appear above the trend graph as
shown below.

Clicking on the slider for “Enable View History” will add that variable to the trend graph. Clicking on “Modify”
will create a pop up that allows the user to set a custom name, and trigger alarms from that variable.

Rev 1.10
SDI-12 Tile
26
If the Ranger is configured with the SDI-12 expansion card, the SDI-12 tile will appear on its Cloud page. Click
on “Configure” to set up the values for the Ranger to read. To add a line, click on the “+” button, and specify
the value name, sensor address, SDI-12 request, and which position of the response to read in. To remove a
line, click on the trash can icon followed by clicking “Delete Rows”. Hit Apply to set the lines, and the Ranger
will begin reading the values specified in the table.

Rev 1.10
Once the Ranger begins reading, the values will appear on the Ranger’s page, below the tiles and
above the historical trend view. Click on the “Modify” button to set up High and Low Alarms.
Click the slider on “Enable View History” to have the value show up in the graph below.
27

Rev 1.10
Historical Data View
The server maintains a database containing the historical data view of all reported readings. The data
may be viewed as a graph or a table view. Select which data values to display and the time range to
view. The selected data for the configured time interval may be exported to a .csv file by clicking the
28
“Export” button.

Default View
A user can configure the default trend view they which to see when they open the view for a Ranger. Simply
configure the desired data to display and the desired default time display and click the “Set as Default” button.
This view will be saved and be the default view for your account for that Ranger device.

Rev 1.10
Dashboards
Users can create custom dashboards that can display data from multiple Rangers on a single 29
dashboard. Within each dashboard users can create groups to logically group data views. To create or edit a
dashboard the user must have “Dashboard Admin” rights on their account.

Create Dashboards and Data Groups

1. select the “Dashboards” menu item, then click “Manage Dashboards” and then click “add a Dashboard”
and enter a name for the custom dashboard and click the “rename” button to save.
2. Click the “+ Add Data Group” button to create your first data group and click the edit button to edit this
group.
3. Name the data group and click the “rename” button to save. Each dashboard can have multiple data
groups

Add data points to Data Group

In each data group users can add data points one at a time or in bulk.

To add a single data point, click the “Add Data Point” button. From here select the Ranger, metric and then the
display type. The options for display type will vary depending on the metric type. Options include the Device
tile which mirrors the tiles on each Ranger detail page, additionally there are other simple data views like a
gauge, tank alarm status icon, or value display.
Each tile will have a title bar indicating the Ranger name along with the Ranger connectivity status.

If you want to add the same data point from multiple Rangers to a data group, click the “Bulk Add Data Points”
button. Select multiple Rangers in the select device list by holding the Ctrl key. Once one or more Rangers is
selected, a list of common metrics will be displayed in section. Select a metric then select the display type and
click Save to Data Group to apply changes.

Rev 1.10
 30

Example of bulk adding datapoints

Users
To have access to your company’s Rangers, you will need a SignalFire Cloud account user login.
Contact your company’s Cloud user admin to set up your account. If your company does not have an
account and you are performing first time setup, complete the form at https://signal-fire.com/lte-m1-
cellular-products/cloudregister/ to request a new user account group.

User Settings
Once logged in, select your username in the upper right to change your user settings. Enter your contact
phone number and/or email address and enable Alarms to have alarm notifications sent to you. Enable billing
to receive reports on which Rangers are about to expire and need to have their Cloud subscription renewed.
After making changes (highlighted in yellow), click Save or Undo to apply or revert the changes made.

Rev 1.10
 31

User Roles
All users in the group can view any Ranger, but their ability to change settings can be restricted by their
user roles. There are five user roles: User Admin, Device Admin, Alarm Admin, Alarm Ack, and Report
Admin.

User Admin – Can add, edit, and remove users in the user group, including changing other users’
permissions. The User Admin cannot view anyone’s password, but they may reset the password for a user
who forgets theirs. It is recommended to restrict the number of users with this permission to as few
people as possible.

Device Admin – Can add, edit, and remove Rangers in the user group, toggle the relay output and
initiate firmware updates. Note that device admins can change any settings in any Ranger without
restriction.

Alarm Admin – Can configure just the alarm settings for Rangers and users.

Alarm Ack – Can acknowledge active alarms.

Report Admin – Can add, edit, and remove automated reports.

Dashboard Admin – Can create and edit custom dashboards. All users can view created dashboards

Power Chart Admin – Can create and edit Power Charts. All users can view Power Charts

Rev 1.10
 32
User View
A list of users in the group can be viewed by clicking on the Users icon in the top menu. User Admins
will be able to edit any user by clicking on the “Edit User” button. This will bring up the same User
Settings as shown above, with an additional option to delete the user.

Adding Users
User Admins may add additional users in the User view by clicking Add User in the upper right-hand corner. Fill
in the fields, configure permissions, and click “Create”. A window will pop up with a temporary password for the
new user once complete. It is recommended that an email address is used for the username so it is unique.

Rev 1.10
Alarms
The SignalFire Cloud provides a robust and flexible system that allows users to be notified by email
and/or text message when a specified metric from a Ranger enters and clears an alarm state. The
alarms can be set up so only certain users get alarms for certain Rangers with the alarm group
function.
33
To enable an alarm on an account with the Alarm Admin role, go to the Ranger, click “Configure” on the tile for
the metric that you’d like to trigger an alarm on, and set its alarm threshold through the Alarms tab. The
screenshot below shows the Configure window for Analog Input 1. If Analog Input 1 goes below 6mA or above
18mA, an alarm notification will go out to every user subscribed to this Ranger’s alarms. A user with Alarm Ack
permissions may acknowledge the alarm to signal that the alarm and/or its cause have been taken care of.
Unacknowledged alarms can be seen accumulated in the upper right-hand corner of the Cloud page.

Alarm Views
Clicking on the Alarms button in the top bar will open a table of all alarm trigger events. The list of events can
be sorted in ascending or descending order by any of the display columns by clicking on the column name.

The Alarm Status view contains the current state of the alarm system, while the Alarm Journal contains a history
of all alarm events. Both the status and journal alarm tables can be exported to a csv file.
The upper-right hand corner of the table contains a gear icon, sort icon, and search icon that help
filter and find alarm triggers. The gear icon is used to enable/disable the display columns used for
ascending/descending sort. The sort icon is used to filter alarms by their cleared/acknowledge state. The search
icon is used to search alarms by keyword in any of its enabled columns. For example, if there is a Ranger
named “Tank 6R” and the name column is enabled, typing in “Tank 6R” will show all alarm events from that
Ranger. Hovering the mouse over a line will show a icon. Clicking on it will reveal a detailed view for that
alarm.

State
Ranger alarms, once triggered, can be in one of four states: “Active, Unacknowledged”, “Active, Acknowledged”,
“Cleared, Unacknowledged”, and “Cleared, Acknowledged”. Active means that the alarm still meets the alarm

Rev 1.10
 34
trigger criteria, while Cleared means it no longer does. Unacknowledged means that the alarm has not been
dismissed by someone with Alarm Ack privileges, while Acknowledged means a user had seen and
acknowledged the alarm.

For example, a digital input set to flow mode may have an alarm set to trigger when the average
flow rate goes above 15 gallons/sec. When that threshold is first crossed, the alarm will appear in
the Alarms table as “Active, Unacknowledged”. If the average flow rate goes down to 12 gallons/sec,
the state will change to “Cleared, Unacknowledged”. Once an Alarm Ack user acknowledges the
alarm, the state will change to “Cleared, Acknowledged”. In other words, the inputs control the
Active/Clear state, while users control the Unacknowledged/Acknowledged state.

To Acknowledge an alarm, a user with the Alarm Ack user role must click on the alarm and click
“Acknowledge” in the bottom right corner. A user may alternatively select “Shelve”, which prevents the
alarm from triggering for a time period.

Configure Alarms
Users may also edit alarm settings by clicking on “Configure Alarms” in the tab list of the Alarms page. This
view shows all possible alarm sources on all possible devices in the user group. The interface on the right side
can be used to filter which devices, input types, and alarm groups show up in the table. This interface provides
a convenient way of modifying alarms across multiple rangers and multiple types of alarms.

For example, clicking on Select Devices will pull up a list of all devices available. Select the Rangers to filter by
and click “Select” to add it to the list. Hold the Ctrl key as you click to select multiple at a time, or the Shift key
to select a range. Once you have all the devices you’d like to see on the Included Devices list, click View
Selected. Click “Clear Filter” to view all devices again.

Rev 1.10
 35

To change a field, double click the field, enter the desired value, and then press the Enter key. Fields that
have been edited but not set will be highlighted yellow. Clicking cancel will undo the yellow highlighted fields.
Once all fields have been edited as needed, click the green Apply button in the upper-right hand corner. The
yellow highlighted fields will change to green to indicate the changes have been set.

For a digital input, if the setpoint column is checked off that means the alarm will trigger when that input is
Close or logic 1. For analog alarms, it sets the high or low threshold value depending on if it’s a High Alarm
type or Low Alarm type.

The Deadband column changes the Clear threshold for an analog alarm. As an example, if the high alarm level
is 4,000, and the deadband is 200, after the analog input has gone above 4,000 and activated the alarm, it will
have to go below 3,800 for the alarm to clear. Similarly, if the low alarm is 2,000 and the deadband is 200, the
input will have to go above 2,200 to clear an active low alarm. This setting is useful to prevent multiple alarms
when a reading is at the alarm threshold.

The Delay column adds a countdown timer to the alarm that starts once the threshold has been crossed. If the
input stays past the threshold for entire duration of the Delay countdown, the alarm becomes active and alert
messages are sent out. However, if the Ranger reports a reading below the threshold during that countdown,
the timer is reset, and the threshold must be crossed again for the countdown to start again. The Delay value
should be greater than the Ranger’s report interval so there’s at least one new reading before the countdown
ends.

The Delay timer takes the Deadband value into consideration. Consider the previous example where the high
alarm threshold is 4,000 and the deadband is 200, but now there is a 120 second Delay. Once the Ranger
reports a reading above 4,000, a 120 second countdown begins. If the Ranger reports a reading of 3,900 before

Rev 1.10
 36
the timers hits 0, the alarm still activates because it’s within the deadband. If it instead goes to 3,700, the timer
is reset and the input has to go back above 4,000 for the Delay timer to count down again.
Alarm Groups
When alarms are triggered, the Cloud sends messages out to users based on alarm groups. Click
on the “Configure Groups” button in the upper-right corner of the Alarms tab to edit user and Ranger
alarm groups. Only users with Alarm Admin privileges may edit settings here.

New users and newly added Rangers will be assigned to the Default Alarm Group, which cannot be removed or
renamed. To add a new group, click on the “+ New” button in the Groups tab, and then rename it in the Name
field. To select which Rangers you’d like to have in the group, click on the Configure button, check off the
desired Rangers, and click Apply.

To add a single Ranger to multiple groups at once, go to the Rangers tab, click on the Ranger, check off the
groups to add it to in the panel on the right, and click Apply. When any of that Ranger’s alarms become active
or clear, the Cloud will send messages to every user in the groups the Ranger is a part of.

To edit each user’s group, click the Configure button to bring up a list of all users. You may then one-by-one
edit which single group a user is assigned to. Users may only be assigned to a single group.

Rev 1.10
Reports
The SF Cloud has an automated reporting function that can send either a snapshot of data or a
historical csv data dump to a group of recipients on a schedule.
To create a report, go to the Reports tab and then click on the “Add Report +” button and set the report
filename and display name. Next select the type of report which can be either a snapshot or history
37
report. The enabled checkbox enables the report to run automatically on the configured schedule.

Snapshot reports can be sent out up to 4 times a day, while history reports support daily or weekly data.

Change Recipients allows you to configure one or more email addressed that the reports will be sent to
Change Columns is only valid for snapshot reports and allows the user to device up to 6 columns of data
Change Devices allows the user to select which set of Rangers the report could contain.

Note that history reports generate one .csv file per selected Ranger containing all historical data for that
Ranger. If multiple Rangers are selected one .csv file for each Ranger will be included in a .zip file.

Rev 1.10
Updating Ranger Firmware
Rangers support Over the Air (OTA) updating of firmware. The Signal Fire Cloud Platform has tools
built in to help you do this.
38
Single Ranger Firmware Update
On the Node Status of any Ranger, if there is an applicable firmware update available and the Ranger is online,
the tile will display a button allowing you to upgrade the Ranger’s firmware:

Upon clicking the button, the Bulk Firmware update page will be brought up with the target device pre-
selected for receiving an update. You may review the list of nodes eligible for a firmware update to go through
with a bulk firmware update.

Bulk Firmware Update

If you have multiple Rangers, you can update one or more of them at the same time using the Bulk Firmware
Update tool.

On the home page, click the Update Firmware button:

Rev 1.10
 39
You will see a screen which lists the Rangers in your group, along with their current firmware version,
and any available firmware version. You will also see buttons to review Release Notes for the latest
firmware version available.

You can select one or more Rangers to update simultaneously, and then click the Update Selected button to
begin the OTA firmware update process.

You will see each step of the firmware update process:

You will also see the status of recently updated Rangers:

If you trigger a firmware update and it doesn’t complete successfully within 10 minutes, you will get a message
that the firmware update failed. This can happen if the Ranger loses power during the update or if the
download of the firmware software over the air fails. You can try again by selecting the checkbox again. There
are many fail-safes in place to ensure that firmware updates will not leave the Ranger in an inoperative state.

If there is more than one person in your organization logged into the Signal Fire Cloud platform, you
will be able to see firmware status updates that others perform in real time.

Rev 1.10
Technical Support and Contact Information
SignalFire Telemetry
140 Locke Dr., Suite B
40
Marlborough, MA 01749
(978) 212-2868
[email protected]

Revision History

Revision Date Changes/Updates

1.0 11/12/19 Initial release
1.2 1/27/20 Added section on GPS
1.3 1/31/20 Added detail about linking Ranger using its serial number
1.4 4/24/20 Updated to reflect changes to the SignalFire Cloud
1.5 5/29/20 Updated to reflect changes to SF Cloud and C1D2 certification
1.6 7/21/20 Added 2AI/1DI and Modbus expansion cards
1.7 5/26/21 Added HART, SDI-12, Fast Reporting, Relay Control, Ranger junction box, updated
Cloud screenshots
1.8 7/30/2021 Added support for bitmask registers, new alarm settings, reports
1.9 11/30/21 Minor formatting edits, added detail on history reports, added detail on new
dashboard section
1.10 3/3/22 Added OTA firmware information and rearranged mounting instruction pages.
Updated screenshots and paragraphs to match the current cloud updates.
Simplify user guide for claiming devices.

Rev 1.10