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Understanding your Flowie data

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Once you’ve installed your sensors, you’ll need to sign in and register them on the Alert Labs Dashboard. From the moment they're registered, we'll be keeping an eye on your property and will let you know if there's anything of concern. So you never have to look at the Dashboard again, if you don't want to...

... but if you're like us and love playing with minute-by-minute data, here are some things that you should know.

 

Click to jump ahead to any section

 

Basics

  • Log in to the Alert Labs Dashboard.
  • Your properties will be listed on the main page
  • Click on the location you'd like to view
  • A summary of your sensors will be shown
  • Click on the usage tile, temperature, or sensors for more details
  • Property power is only listed on the summary page, either saying "on" or "off", depending on whether your sensor is receiving wall power

 

Water Usage

  • The interactive bar chart at the top contains all of your water flow data
  • There are several different ways to view this information:
    • Use the Day, Week, Month, Quarter, and Year views in the top left to target your date range
    • Choose between volume and cost to get a better understanding of your use
    • Flip between Day, Hour, and Minute views to decide how detailed you'd like to get
    • Zoom in and out further by using the + and - options beside the date range selector
  • Viewing data by the minute, allows you to know your usage well enough to pick out appliance patterns. See below for popular water patterns
  • Underneath the bar chart is a 30-Day summary of your water use, including
    • Usage in liters
    • Approximate cost
    • Percent on time, which lets you know the percentage of the last 30-days that your water was in use 
    • How many person's worth of water your property is using, based on national average per person use
    • Usage pattern by day of the week
  • These summaries show how actual use compares to average or expected use:
    • Compare the actual number of people on your property against the number estimated by the summary
    • Having water running 10%-30% of the time is typical for a household; what's your % on time?
 30D_Summary.jpg
  • The usage patterns chart is also interactive
  • This visual representation breaks down your trends by time of day and days of the week
  • A written recap is also provided
  • This visually represents what our system uses as your typical behaviour so we can flag unexpected usage
  • The "% on time " graph lets you know the percentage of your day that your water is running
  • This summary is based on your last week of use, so it may differ from the 30-Day summary above
  • A typical household has water usage 10%-30% of the time
  • A written recap is also provided
 Dashboard_Water-OnTime.jpg
Dashboard_Water-Occupancy.jpg
  • The final graph reveals estimated occupancy
    • using national per person averages, we show how many "people's worth" of water your household is using, by day of the week
  • This summary is based on your last week of use, so it will differ from the 30-Day summary above
  • See if you can beat the per person national average!

 

Recognizing Water Patterns

Most properties have predictable periods of disuse: overnight or when school and work hours overlap. Although every household is unique, it's common to see your highest use during morning routines and around dinner time.

While viewing by-the-minute data, some facilities and appliances can be identified by their general shapes (and confirmed by the knowledge of your usage). Below are some distinct patterns you can look for in your water usage graph:

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Temperature

Temp.jpg
  • These two interactive graphs are separated by Temperature (top, in degrees Celcius) and Humidity (bottom, in %)
    • The conditions inside are further separated into internal (dark green) and external (light green)
  • There are several different ways to view this information:
    • Use the Day, Week, Month, and Quarter Year views in the top left to target your date range
    • Flip between Hour or Day views to decide how detailed you'd like to get
    • Zoom in and out further by using the + and - options beside the date range selector
  • We monitor your indoor and outdoor temperature, to make sure your pipes aren't at risk of freezing during winter weather

 

Events

  • A summary of Events is accessible from the navigation bar at the top of the page (bell icon)
  • The Events page shows the start and stop times for events that have taken place on your property
    • If a listed event is coloured yellow or red, a moderate or severe event is still happening
    • If the line isn't highlighted and has an End Time, the event is over
 mceclip0.png

Sensors

  • Check on the power, signal, and connection status of your sensors
    • 'Power' will let you know if your sensor is plugged in, needs power, or running on battery
    • 'Signal' lets you know the cellular reception strength where your sensor is set up. As long as there is at least one full circle, your signal is good. If there are any issues, the status will change to 'low' or 'weak'
    • 'Last reported' should say "Recently" unless a connection issue has prevented a regular data update
  • The sensors page can help you set up your antenna
  • Click on the listed sensor to view details and submit installation or calibration photos for review

 

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