Alarms

The ControlCom Connect alarm system provides real-time monitoring and notifications for critical conditions in your IoT environment, helping you respond quickly to issues and maintain operational integrity.

What are Alarms

Alarms in ControlCom Connect are configurable monitoring rules that trigger notifications when device variables meet specific conditions. They serve as an automated vigilance system for your IoT deployment, continuously monitoring data streams and alerting you when values exceed thresholds or meet defined criteria.

Alarms help you:

• Detect anomalies and potential issues before they become critical
• Respond quickly to changing conditions in your IoT environment
• Maintain operational integrity through proactive monitoring
• Track and analyze patterns of events over time
• Ensure compliance with operational requirements and safety standards

The alarm system is designed to be flexible, allowing you to define precisely what conditions warrant attention and how you want to be notified when those conditions occur.

Alarm Components

The ControlCom Connect alarm system consists of several interconnected components:

Alarms

Individual alarm definitions that specify:

• The device and variable to monitor
• The comparison operator (such as greater than, less than, equal to)
• The threshold value that triggers the alarm
• Description and other metadata

Alarm Groups

Collections of related alarms that:

• Organize alarms by function, priority, or system
• Enable batch configuration of notification settings
• Allow users to subscribe to multiple alarms simultaneously

Notification Subscriptions

User-specific settings that determine:

• Which alarm groups a user receives notifications for
• The notification methods (SMS, email) for each subscription
• User-specific notification preferences

Alarm Events

Records of alarm activations and deactivations that:

• Document when alarms were triggered and resolved
• Store the values that caused the alarm to trigger
• Provide historical context for analysis and reporting

Creating Alarms

To create a new alarm in ControlCom Connect:

1. Navigate to the Administration > Alarms page
2. Click the "+ Alarm" button
3. Select the device that you want to monitor
4. Choose the specific variable to track
5. Select the comparison operator
6. Enter the threshold value that will trigger the alarm
7. Provide a descriptive name and optional description
8. Assign the alarm to an alarm group or set to none if you want it to be standalone
9. Enable logs if you want to keep a record of the alarm events
10. Toggle "Process Past Events" to true if you want to backfill historical alarm data
11. Save your configuration

Comparison Operators

ControlCom Connect supports the following comparison operators for alarm conditions:

• Less Than: Triggers when the variable value falls below the threshold
• Less Than or Equal: Triggers when the variable value is equal to or less than the threshold
• Greater Than: Triggers when the variable value exceeds the threshold
• Greater Than or Equal: Triggers when the variable value is equal to or greater than the threshold
• Equal: Triggers when the variable value exactly matches the threshold
• Not Equal: Triggers when the variable value differs from the threshold

The appropriate operator depends on your monitoring needs. For example:

• Use "Greater Than" for high-limit alarms (such as temperature exceeding safe levels)
• Use "Less Than" for low-limit alarms (such as battery level falling too low)
• Use "Equal" for state-change alarms (such as a boolean value changing to true)
• Use "Not Equal" for deviation alarms (such as a value deviating from a normal setting)

Threshold Values

Threshold values can be configured based on the variable type:

• Numeric thresholds: For variables of type NUMBER (such as temperature above 85.5)
• String thresholds: For variables of type STRING (such as status equal to "error")
• Boolean thresholds: For variables of type BOOLEAN (such as isActive equal to true)

The system automatically validates that your threshold value matches the variable type.

Alarm Groups

Alarm groups help organize related alarms and streamline notification management. Each alarm group can have its own notification settings, allowing for differentiated alerting strategies based on alarm priority or category.

Creating Alarm Groups

To create a new alarm group:

1. Navigate to the Alarm Groups section
2. Click "Create Alarm Group"
3. Enter a name and optional description
4. Configure notification settings:
   • Enable/disable SMS notifications
   • Enable/disable email notifications
5. Save the group configuration

Managing Alarm Groups

You can manage existing alarm groups by:

• Adding or removing alarms from the group
• Updating notification settings
• Activating or deactivating the entire group
• Archiving groups that are no longer needed

Alarm groups provide a hierarchical structure that makes it easier to manage complex monitoring setups with many alarms.

Notification Subscriptions

Notification subscriptions connect users to alarm groups, determining who receives alerts and through which channels.

Configuring Subscriptions

To configure notification subscriptions:

1. Navigate to the Notification Settings section
2. Select the alarm group you want to subscribe to
3. Choose your notification preferences:
   • SMS notifications (requires verified phone number)
   • Email notifications (uses your account email)
4. Save your subscription settings

Notification Delivery

When an alarm is triggered:

1. The system identifies all users subscribed to the alarm's group
2. Notifications are generated based on subscription preferences
3. Messages are delivered via the configured channels
4. Delivery status is tracked and recorded

The notification system ensures that the right people are informed about critical events without overwhelming users with unnecessary alerts.

Alarm Events

Alarm events provide a historical record of when alarms were triggered and resolved. This history is valuable for:

• Troubleshooting recurring issues
• Analyzing patterns and trends
• Documenting incidents for compliance purposes
• Evaluating system performance and reliability

Alarm States

Alarms in ControlCom Connect have two primary states:

Active State

When an alarm is triggered, it enters the active state:

• The isTriggered flag is set to true
• The triggering timestamp is recorded
• Notifications are generated based on subscription settings
• The alarm appears in the active alarms list

Inactive State

When the monitored condition no longer meets the alarm criteria:

• The isTriggered flag is set to false
• The alarm is removed from the active alarms list
• The resolution is recorded in the alarm events history

Best Practices

To get the most out of the ControlCom Connect alarm system:

Alarm Configuration

• Use descriptive names: Make alarm names clear and specific
• Set appropriate thresholds: Avoid false alarms by setting realistic thresholds
• Group related alarms: Organize alarms logically in alarm groups
• Document purpose: Add descriptions explaining what each alarm monitors and why

Notification Strategy

• Prioritize critical alarms: Use different alarm groups for different priority levels
• Avoid alert fatigue: Only subscribe to alarms relevant to your responsibilities
• Configure backup notifications: Ensure critical alarms have multiple notification paths
• Test notification delivery: Periodically verify that notifications are being received

Monitoring and Maintenance

• Review alarm history: Analyze patterns to identify recurring issues
• Adjust thresholds: Fine-tune alarm thresholds based on operational experience
• Archive unused alarms: Keep your alarm list manageable by archiving obsolete alarms
• Document responses: Record how to respond to specific alarms for knowledge sharing

Integration with Operations

• Define escalation procedures: Establish clear steps for responding to different alarm types
• Coordinate with maintenance: Use alarm data to inform preventive maintenance
• Link to documentation: Connect alarms to relevant operational procedures
• Train users: Ensure all team members understand how to interpret and respond to alarms