Congratulations on your new NEX Portable!
In this article, we are going to cover what you need to know to get started.
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Installation
Depending on the kind of NEX Portable, your installation will vary. However, in general the steps to follow are the same.
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You will need the help of a qualified Electrician for installation of a NEX Portable. |
- Find a suitable, secure place for your NEX Portable to be left. The Portable will need to be able to read from the sensors or meters it is being installed with from this location. If you have energy monitoring, the Portable will need to be next to the distribution board.
- Deploy the sensors around the area. Ideally, these should be put roughly at eye level, not on the ground. Additionally, try to have them in places that are unlikely to be in anyone's way.
If you have a power meter, you will need to connect it to the relevant distribution board. We provide a quick install guide for each of our power meters - have a qualified electrician follow the relevant installation steps for each meter. Check the documentation for the energy meters included in the portable, or see our guides here:.
Panel Expand title Power Meter Guides Filter by label (Content by label) cql label = "power-meter-guide" - Take the two 3G/4G antennas completely out of the box, and then feed the antennas' wires back through the glands on the side of the box. Connect the antennas' wires into the 3G/4G USB dongle. Try and mount the antennas in a way to ensure they receive the best reception possible.
- Check that no wiring is loose, and that all components are properly connected.
- Plug the power supply in, and plug the other end into the back of the Portable box.
- Turn the power on, and check that the devices power up correctly.
- Wait 5 minutes, and then log into https://cloud.nexdata.net.au/site/login on your phone. Check that the Controller has communicated with the system recently by clicking on 'Controller' on the side bar, and looking for the controller and when it last communicated. If it has communicated in the last 5 minutes, then the controller is currently running.
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Later on in the day, or the next day, we recommend checking the online data coming in to ensure the controller is sending good data for all of the points. This prevents big headaches down the road, when you've been collecting months of data but one of the temperature sensors or power meters weren't correctly working. |
Accessing Data
Accessing your data is relatively simple. Simply navigate to the NEX login portal : https://cloud.nexdata.net.au/site/login
After using your supplied username and password to log in, you can navigate around Sites and Controllers on your Account. By visiting the Controllers page, and clicking on a specific Controller's tile, you can view that Controller, its details, as well as its attached Devices and Data Points using the tabs on the page. Want to easily access a group of Data Points? Create a Chart using the Chart page, add the Data Points you want, and then click 'Create'.
You can now view this Chart any time you like, and add it to your Site or personal Dashboard.
Troubleshooting
The portable or a device inside the portable isn't turning on
- Turn the power supply off.
- Check the power cable is properly plugged in at both ends.
- Check that each individual device has its power properly wired in, and that the wires are not loose.
- Turn the power supply back on.
- If problems persist, contact NEX Support.
My data isn't appearing
When data doesn't seem to be filling in, this could be caused by the Controller being unplugged, or from a poor internet connection. Some good things to try would be
- Restarting the NEX Portable box. You can do this by turning the box off, waiting 5 minutes, and then turning the box back on again.
- Check the lights on the NEX Portable 3G/4G Dongle (if applicable). If the lights are green and blue, there shouldn't be any issues. If the lights are red, or not on at all, then you may have an issue with your 3G/4G dongle.
- Contact NEX Support, and quote the NEX serial number.
My TCX2 sensor values are weird
If you are seeing weird or bad values for your sensors, such as -50 or -20 degrees celsius on temperature sensors, then this could indicate either a TCX2 program issue or a wiring issue. To fix this issue, you should perform these steps in order:
- Ensure these values are still being read on today whilst everything is powered up and installed correctly.
- Identify which sensor(s) are giving a weird value, and which input this corresponds to on the TCX2.
- Check that the wiring is tight at both ends - both into the TCX2's inputs and at the sensors terminals.
- Check that no changes have been made to the TCX2's programming or wiring. If changes have been made, this may require different wiring and/or different jumper settings on the bottom of the controller.
- Check the NEX serial number on the box.
- Contact NEX Support for further assistance, and quote the NEX serial number.
Upgrading or changing the configuration
To upgrade or change the configuration on the Portable box, it is generally best to firstly contact NEX support. We can help step you through any required action needed to complete the change or upgrade.