Centaur® Smart Sensor Installation and Internet-of-Crops® Platform Setup Guide

3. Sensor Installation Best Practices

3.1 Mounting Options

Sensors may be installed using one of the following methods:

• Suspended using a cable rope and the Centaur Hanging Mount

• Mounted on walls or silo structures using Centaur® wall or silo mounts

3.2 Placement Guidelines

• Grain storage facilities typically include steel or reinforced concrete, which attenuates wireless signals.

• At least one sensor should be placed near an opening (door, hatch, or window).

• For silos:

  • Place at least one sensor close to an access point.

• For shipping containers:

  • Place at least one sensor near the container door.

• When installed inside metallic structures:

  • Maintain a minimum distance of 15 cm (6–7 in.) from walls.

3.3 Fumigation Sensor Placement

For phosphine monitoring:

• Install sensors 100–150 cm (3–5 ft.) away from the fumigant source.

• This prevents sensor saturation and preserves sensitivity to concentration changes.

4. Battery Life and Sampling Rate Considerations

Centaur® Smart Sensors are designed for autonomous operation over several years without battery replacement, under normal operating conditions.

4.1 Normal Operation Definition

Normal operation is defined as:

• Sampling intervals no shorter than 3 hours

4.2 Best Practices

• Sampling intervals ≥ 3 hours provide sufficient granularity for grain storage monitoring.

• Longer sampling intervals significantly extend battery life.

• Short sampling intervals (for example, 1, 5, or 30 minutes):

  • Reduce battery lifespan

  • Should be used only for testing or special scenarios

Battery replacement must be performed in collaboration with Centaur-certified technicians or representatives.

Any breach of the device enclosure or seals voids the warranty.

5. Repeaters and Network Extenders

5.1 When to Use Repeaters

Repeaters are required when:

• Monitoring large facilities

• Wireless signals must exit heavily shielded structures

• Sensors are distant from the gateway

Repeaters should be distributed between sensors and the gateway, typically just outside the storage structure.

6. Repeater / Extender Activation

6.1 Activation

1. Press the repeater’s activation button once.

2. Confirm activation:

   • Two audible beeps indicate successful activation.

6.2 Repeater Models

• Pressing an already active momentary button produces three beeps.

• A single beep confirms deactivation on both models.

Once activated, the repeater is ready for placement.

7. Internet-of-Crops® Platform Access

7.1 Logging In

1. Navigate to the Internet-of-Crops® platform login page.

2. Enter the username and password provided by Centaur.

8. Dashboard Overview

8.1 Dashboard Purpose

The Dashboard provides a high-level overview of:

• Assets

• Activities

• Processes

Shortcuts appear automatically once these items are created.

9. Managing Your User Profile

9.1 Accessing Profile Settings

1. Click the person icon in the top-right corner.

2. Select Profile.

9.2 Changing Your Password

1. Enter your current password.

2. Enter and confirm your new password.

3. Click Change to save.

Store credentials securely for future access.

10. Devices Section Overview

Navigate to Devices to manage gateways, sensors, and network status.

10.1 Devices Page Layout

The Devices page contains three vertical sections:

1. Gateways List

   • Displays all All-in-One Cellular Gateways linked to the account

2. Monitoring Network List

   • Displays sensors and their communication status

3. Control Panel – Network Status

   • Displays real-time scanning and connection results

10.2 Gateway Status

• A green flashing indicator confirms that the gateway is online and communicating with the platform.

11. Setting Up the Wireless Sensor Network

11.1 Start Scanning

1. Go to Devices.

2. Click Start Scanning.

During scanning mode:

• Sensors wake more frequently

• The gateway discovers new sensors

• Sensors discover each other

• The mesh network self-organizes

11.2 Best Practice

• Activate sensors close to the gateway before final deployment.

• This ensures successful discovery and network formation.

12. Sensor Status Indicators

During scanning and normal operation, sensors display the following states:

12.1 Troubleshooting Communication Issues

• Add repeaters or extenders where needed.

• Any Centaur® wireless sensor can temporarily function as a repeater if required.

13. Exiting Scanning Mode and Setting Sampling Period

1. Click Stop Scanning.

2. Select the desired sampling period (1 minute to 4 hours).
   

Recommendation:
Use sampling intervals longer than 3 hours for standard deployments.

14. Viewing Sensor Data and Starting Monitoring

• Use Live Feed to view real-time sensor data.

• Click Start Monitoring to begin data collection under an Activity or Process.
  

15. System Architecture Overview

15.1 On-Site Hardware Layer

• Centaur® Smart Sensors

• Repeaters / Extenders

• All-in-One Cellular Gateway

15.2 Cloud Platform Layer

• Data visualization and graphs

• Sensor readings

• Analytics, predictions, and estimations

• Alerts and notifications

• Configuration and management tools

This layered architecture ensures reliable data collection on-site and advanced processing in the cloud.

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