
How WE use our ControlByWeb products
There are many ways our products can be used. As we look around our building we realize that we are using our products in a variety of ways, so we decided to make a quick list and share how WE use our products. There are MANY other uses and applications for our products but here are some of the things that we are doing.
Security
Door Locks
We use X-310 modules to control the locks on our doors. They are programmed to automatically unlock our main doors during normal business hours. We also use them in conjunction with key fobs to provide employee access after hours. In addition, we can unlock or lock the same doors anytime by using our CBW Mobile app.
Door Sensors
If a door opens after-hours, our X-310 units will send us an alert via text message.
Parking Lot
A loop detector senses when cars enter our parking lot. It is connected to an X-301™ unit which counts and logs activity and sends out text notifications whenever cars enter after hours.
Motion Detectors & Lights
When motion is detected after-hours, security lights are activated while the security cameras capture the intruder and notifies us via text/email.
HVAC
HVAC Control
Each of the HVAC systems in our building is controlled by our X-300 Advanced Web-Enabled Thermostat which provides automatic scheduling for energy efficiency and allows us to remotely adjust temperatures using our CBW Mobile app.
Irrigation
Irrigation Control and Monitoring
With our SmartStorm™ Web-Enabled Irrigation Controller we control and monitor our sprinkling systems over the Internet. Each station has programed run-times which are optimized for the particular sprinkler types and plant needs in each zone. The irrigation firmware allows us to automatically back off watering times during cooler months. It also works with rain sensors to prevent watering when its raining.
Weather
Weather Station
We built a weather station tower with various meteorological sensors which connects to our X-320M™ Weather Station Controller. It allows us to monitor temperature, humidity, heat index, dew point, rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, wind chill, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and UV Index from anywhere. It provides all of this information in a beautiful display that can be viewed from any browser. In addition, the X-320M will upload our data directly to CWOP, Wunderground, and WeatherBug Backyard, without using a computer!
Technical Support
Support Alerts
Each time an email question comes to our technical support account, one of our servers automatically opens a support ticket and sends commands to WebRelay devices to turn on lights which tell our technicians that customers need help. White lights are turned on for new tickets and colored lights are used to indicate new questions on an existing ticket. These lights alert technicians when they are not in front of their computers so customers get the best support.
Product Testing
Product Testing
For production testing, we built several custom bed-of-nails testers. These testers use a variety of our products to automatically apply signals to inputs and to measure key voltages, currents, and signals on newly built circuit boards. Custom software runs on a computer that controls and communicates with the ControlByWeb devices in the testers. This allows us to quickly and thoroughly test each product we manufacture.
In addition, some of our employees are using our products for personal projects ...
Home Automation
Light Controller
Some of our employees use our products to control lights both inside and outside their homes. Even if they are on vacation, they can use our CBW Mobile app to turn lights on/off.
Garage Door Controller
With one input and one relay, WebRelay™ is ideal for remotely controlling garage doors. We connect the input to a sensor on the door to tell us when the door is opened or closed and we connect the relay contacts across the existing pushbutton that controls the door.
Thermostat
Of course we are using our X-300 for home & office thermostat uses! Like all of our products, the X-300 has a built-in web server which doesn't rely on a server in the cloud, so we can access the X-300 directly from our local network even when our Internet connection is down. In addition, the X-300 also provides additional features such as scheduling, and logging. We can look directly at log files and see every time the X-300 calls for heat. This gives us an opportunity to optimize our settings for our house/building and get the cheapest and most efficient energy costs!
Sprinkler Controller
Our SmartStorm™ Web-Enabled Irrigation Controller works great for many different irrigation applications, so we use it at home as well as at the office.
Water Monitoring
One of our Engineers is also the president of a local canal company. He uses three, modified X-300 modules to work with a shaft encoder to collect real-time data from three solar-powered gauge stations on the Blacksmith Fork Providence/Millville canal. The stations employ float driven digital shaft encoders to measure the depth of the water flowing through a calibrated weir. Wireless, broadband modems provide communication with the Internet, and the measurement data is transmitted every 15-minutes.
Pet House Controller
One of the more unique applications is exhibited by Dave, our CEO. He uses several ControlByWeb products to monitor and control a small room in his garage where the family cat (Sadie) sleeps. Sadie has a heated bed (winters in our area can be very cold) and an X-300 turns the heat on when the temperatures get cold, and off when the temperatures get warm. The X-300 also controls a small heater which keeps Sadie's water from freezing in the winter. Also an X-301 turns on a small light in Sadie's house when the room gets too dark, but it turns the light off late at night. The intention in using these devices isn't to spoil the cat, but rather, to spoil the family and make it very easy to care for Sadie.
We are continually discovering new ways to use our products both in-house and for our customers. We are confident that whatever your Internet control needs are, ControlByWeb products offer a reliable solution!
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