Selecting the Right Remote Site Monitor for Your Network
A remote site monitor must have these essential functions:
| Alarm presentation and notification: Send detailed alarm descriptions and correction instructions to NOC and field techs via pager notifications and web interfaces. |
Alarm sorting and analysis: Make sense of alarm cascades with automatic intelligent alarm sorting, filtering, processing, and trend analysis. |
Alarm collection and device management: Don't settle for limited alarm monitoring systems. Get multiprotocol support for every monitoring device in your network, plus discrete alarms, analog alarms, ping alarms, and redundant path reporting. |
Select one of the following options to start evaluating a remote site monitor ...

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"All the remote site monitors I make are backed by my no-risk, money-back guarantee. If you buy my equipment and you're not satisfied for any reason during the first 30 days, simply return it for a full refund. If my product doesn't solve your problem, I don't want you to have it."
- Bob Berry, CEO, DPS Telecom |
Remote site monitor Essentials
Here's a handy checklist of essential features you should look for
in a remote site monitor. Print this checklist out and use it to
rate the remote site monitor you're evaluating. If a system can't
meet these basic requirements, cross it off your list.
Key alarm presentation and notification functions
- Pager and e-mail notifications: Pager and e-mail notifications let your field techs respond to alarms while they're still in the field, speeding repairs and reducing windshield time. Look for a remote site monitor with SMS support, which can send detailed alarm notifications to alpha pagers, cell phones, and PDAs.
- Detailed alarm notifications: Summary "major/minor" alarms don't give you enough information to make dispatch decisions. Look for a remote site monitor that include detailed diagnostic information in each alarm.
- Alarm correction instructions: Detailed instructions included in alarm notifications ensure that system operators, without extra training, will know precisely what to do and who to call if an alarm happens.
- Web interface: Everybody knows how to use a Web browser. A Web interface makes sure all your field techs can access your remote site monitor, from any computer from any location.
Essential alarm sorting and analysis functions
- Alarm sorting: A large, complex network can create a cascade of alarms. Some are unimportant, but others are critical. Look for a remote site monitor that can automatically sort and prioritize this flood of information for you.
- Nuisance alarm filtering: Even the best NOC staff stops taking alarms seriously if they're bombarded with status alerts, oscillating conditions, and unimportant alarms. Look for a system that filters these out.
- Custom combination alarms: A low battery isn't a serious problem, and neither is a failed generator - but they're pretty serious when the happen at the same time. Look for a remote site monitor that can watch many different alarm inputs and spot critical alarm combinations.
- Root cause analysis: Finding the underlying cause between alarm cascades can take hours of patient detective work. Look for a system that can automatically correlate repeated combinations of alarms.
- History and trend analysis: Identify problem areas and eliminate recurring problems with a system that keeps a complete alarm history that's exportable for trend analysis.
Critical alarm collection and device management functions
- Back-up dial-up reporting: Don't rely on your primary network to bring back alarms. If anything goes wrong with your transport, you'll lose your telemetry data just when you need it the most. Look for a remote site monitor that support dial-up alternate path reporting.
- Multiprotocol support for your existing
devices: Make sure your next remote site monitor collects
alarms from all your existing devices, including your older legacy
gear. You can get rid of all your specialized consoles and
monitor your network from one screen.
- Live analog monitoring: You
can't adequately monitor battery levels, temperature, and humidity
with one-threshold contact closures. Look for a remote site monitor
that support for analog inputs, including live monitoring of actual
analog values.
- Control relays: Many common
site problems, from power outages to high temperature alarms, can
be solved by quickly turning on a generator or an air conditioner.
Remote operation of site devices is the best way to eliminate unnecessary
site visits and it's a lot faster than going in the truck.
- SNMP support and ping alarms: If
you're responsible for both telecom and IP equipment, consolidate
all your monitoring on one remote site monitor.
This is just a checklist of basic functions to look for in a remote site monitor. If you want to find a remote site monitor that
meets and exceeds your requirements, select one of the options below ...