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The Serial Interface

Open the Serial Interface and Modem Setup dialog to select the interface type, its mode and to set the parameters of the serial interface.

You can use the serial interface either as signal in-/output for controlling external devices (e.g. alarm bell and light using a relay), for transferring data via a modem or mobile phone, as a web terminal for controlling/monitoring machines or to retrieve data from one of the supported weather stations.

Note: This feature is not available for Web and Basic models.

Selecting the Operating Mode

Select how you would like to use the serial interface in the Operating mode drop-down box:

Operating Mode Description
Data The serial interface operates as as terminal or as enhanced signal in-/output
Modem The serial interface is connected to an analog or GSM/GPRS modem.
Weather The serial interface is connected to a weather station.
Off The serial interface is deactivated.

Notes:


The Data Operating Mode

In the Data operating mode, you can use the camera as web-based data terminal for controlling, monitoring and remotely maintaining machines or to control other devices via the enhanced signal in-/output.

Parameter Description
Mode
Terminal and Logger Mode

The camera can be used for monitoring and controlling production machines, heating systems and other devices equipped with a serial interface.

Note:
The integrated web terminal is only activated after the camera has been rebooted.

I/O Mode The three remaining pins are available as signal in-/output. Open the Signal State dialog if you would like to configure this option.
Auto Mode The camera will switch modes depending on the action it is currently executing (e.g. update buffer, set signal output, etc.).
Speed Select the data transfer speed supported by your modem.
Bits Number of data bits per character.
Parity Type of check for a transferred bit sequence:
N No checks are performed.
E The sequence is checked for an even number of single bits.
O The sequence is checked for an odd number of single bits.
Stop Bits Required number of stop bits
Flow-control
None Flow control is deactivated.
If you are not sure which type of flow control your modem supports, do not change this setting. The factory default setting is Off.
crtscts Hardware flow control
Note: Xon/Xoff is currently not supported.
Echo Certain devices do not repeat the string that has been sent. For this reason, this string cannot be displayed in the web terminal. Set the Echo parameter to On in order to display the strings sent.
End of Line The end-of-line character varies between devices. Select the correct line end character(s) for the device used:
None No line end character(s) are being added.
LF Line feed
CR Carriage return
LFCR Line feed/carriage return
CRLF Carriage return/line feed
Buffer Size All incoming characters are stored in a buffer prior to being displayed in the web terminal. Set the buffer size (max. 100 kByte).
Timestamp If you set this parameter to On every line is preceded by a timestamp.

The Modem Operating Mode

In the Modem operating mode, the camera can communicate with analog modems or GSM devices in order to establish data connections.

Note: As modems and GSM devices strongly vary in their use of AT commands, it is recommended that you have the manufacturer's documentation ready when setting the following parameters.

Parameter Description
Speed Select the data transfer speed supported by your modem.
Flow-control
Off Flow control is deactivated.
If you are not sure which type of flow control your modem supports, do not change this setting. The factory default setting is Off.
crtscts Hardware flow control
Note: Xon/Xoff is currently not supported.
Modem Type
Analog Analog telephone modem
GSM GSM model (mobile phone with data transfer, e.g. Siemens MC35, Nokia 30)
Null Null modem
A null modem is a special RS232 cable that has certain pins connected in a manner that a modem connection is simulated. In this cable, certain (at least the send and receive pins) or all pins are cross-connected.
Modem Mode
In You can dial into the camera using the modem.
Out The camera can dial out, e.g. for transferring images to the Internet.
In/Out You can dial into the camera or the camera can dial out.
Note: Only one channel is available so that dialing in and out does not work simultaneously.
Termination Reboot If you set this parameter to On, the camera will reboot every time after it has dialed out. This means that the internal image storage is deleted and local network connections are interrupted.
Note: It is recommended to use this setting only if the camera does not send images frequently.
Dial Timeout The maximum time the camera should wait for a connection to be established.
Modem Init out Enter the AT commands that your modem needs for initializing an outgoing call. Precede each quote character by a backslash (\").
Modem Init in Enter the AT commands that your modem needs for initializing an incoming call. Precede each quote character by a backslash (\").
Modem disconnect Enter the AT commands that your modem needs for terminating a call. Precede each quote character by a backslash (\").
Phone number Enter the telephone number that you want the modem to use for dialing out.
Dial Mode
Tone The selected numbers are transferred as tones. This is the factory default setting.
Pulse The selected numbers are transferred as pulses. This is an old-fashioned method.
No The dialing method preset by the manufacturer is used.
IP Address Camera The IP address used by the camera. If you do not enter an IP address, the factory default IP address is used.
IP Address Peer The IP address that is assigned to the device dialing in. If you do not enter an IP address, the factory-preset IP address (172.16.23.202) is used.
IP Address Outgoing Gateway When having dialed out successfully, the called device transmits the IP address of the gateway. The IP address entered here must not be identical to either the camera's IP address or a local address. If you do not enter an IP address, the factory-preset IP address (172.16.23.202) is used.
Authentication Select the authentication protocol of your choice to be used when establishing a connection. Other than PAP, CHAP encodes the user name and password prior to transfer. The factory default setting is PAP.
Note: Both parties need to use the same protocol.
Camera Login User name and password used to dial into the camera. Enter the password twice.
Remote Login User name and password used by the camera for dialing out. Enter the password twice.
Idle Time If no data traffic is recognized for the period of time set here, the camera terminates the connection.
Echo Interval Period of time after which the camera checks whether the connection has been interrupted.
Recommended value: 10 seconds.
Echo Fails Number of retries checking for interruptions. The connection is terminated when the selected value has been reached.
PIN PIN code for using the GSM card. If no PIN is necessary, leave this box empty.
Warning: Entering an invalid PIN may result in a locked GSM card!
PIN delay Period of time that the camera waits after the PIN has been entered.
Recommended value: 15 seconds.

The Weather Operating Mode

When operating in Weather mode, the MOBOTIX camera can poll the data from a weather station and it can display and archive the data.

The current software version supports the weather stations from Reinhardt System- und Messelektronik GmbH and the "Vantage Pro" family of weather stations from Davis Instruments.

Parameter Description
Weather Station Select the weather station type.
Speed Select the data transfer speed supported by your weather station.
Flow-control
Off Flow control is deactivated.
If you are not sure which type of flow control your weather station supports, do not change this setting. The factory default setting is Off.
CRTSCTS The camera uses the hardware flow control of the attached device.
Note: Xon/Xoff (software flow control) is currently not supported.
Text

Enter the text to be displayed in the camera image. Enter the corresponding weather variables to display the data from the weather station. In order to display the text in the image, make sure that either the ^S# or the ^s# comment variable has been set in the Text & Display Settings dialog.

Information on positioning the weather variables is contained in the Weather Variables section in this help page.

Rain Conversion Factor The unit of the rainfall amount measured by Vantage Pro stations. Make sure that you are using the proper volume per unit for the rain collector so that the displayed rainfall amounts are correct.
Refresh Interval The camera actively polls new data from the weather station at the interval set in this parameter. Set this parameter to Off if the weather station sends its data automatically.
Raw Data Log The camera can record the data from the weather station and can archive the data on an FTP server. Select how many records the camera should archive. Selecting 1 will archive every record, Off deactivates this feature.
Raw Data Log Size Set the number of records to collect before uploading the file to the server defined in the FTP profile.
Timestamp The camera can add a time stamp to every data record of the weather station. This allows having precisely timed data even if the weather station itself is not capable of adding timestamps to the data records.
Off The camera does not add timestamps.
on The camera adds a timestamp to every record it records.
FTP Profile Select the FTP profile that should be used for transferring the weather data to an FTP server.
FTP Directory The camera will upload the raw data log file into this directory on the server specified in the FTP profile.

Weather Variables

In order to display the weather variables used in the Text field in the camera image, make sure that either the ^S# or the ^s# comment variable has been set in the Text & Display Settings dialog.

The Text field of the Text & Display Settings dialog should also be used to set the vertical position of the data in the image (e.g. by using the ^gx,y; placeholder):
^g0,3;^S2 shows the weather station's data left-aligned, starting in the third row from the top on two lines with white text color and the default background color (the data from the serial interface is always left-aligned).

Note: Unlike the other variables, the weather variables cannot be used in other dialog boxes (E-Mail Profiles, FTP Profiles, etc.).

Weather Variable Description Reinhardt
(Parameter)
Vantage Pro
$(meteo.barometer.mmhg)
$(meteo.barometer.inhg)
$(meteo.barometer.mb)
$(meteo.barometer.hpa)
Barometric air pressure in millimeters of mercury (mmhg), inches of mercury (inhg), millibar (mb) or hectopascal (hpa). X
(DR)
X
$(meteo.bartrend)
Barometric trend: "/" rising, "//" rising fast, "-" stable, "\" falling, "\\" falling fast. - X
$(meteo.tempin.c)
$(meteo.tempin.f)
$(meteo.tempin.k)
Inside temperature in degrees Centigrade (c), Fahrenheit (f) or Kelvin (k). X
(TK)
X
$(meteo.tempout.c)
$(meteo.tempout.f)
$(meteo.tempout.k)
Outside temperature in degrees Centigrade (c), Fahrenheit (f) or Kelvin (k). X
(TE)
X
$(meteo.tempextra1.c) - $(meteo.tempextra7.c)
$(meteo.tempextra1.f) - $(meteo.tempextra7.f)
$(meteo.tempextra1.k) - $(meteo.tempextra7.k)
Seven additional temperatures in degrees Centigrade (c), Fahrenheit (f) or Kelvin (k). - X
$(meteo.tempsoil1.c) - $(meteo.tempsoil4.c)
$(meteo.tempsoil1.f) - $(meteo.tempsoil4.f)
$(meteo.tempsoil1.k) - $(meteo.tempsoil4.k)
Four ground temperatures in degrees Centigrade (c), Fahrenheit (f) or Kelvin (k). - X
$(meteo.templeaf1.c) - $(meteo.templeaf4.c)
$(meteo.templeaf1.f) - $(meteo.templeaf4.f)
$(meteo.templeaf1.k) - $(meteo.templeaf4.k)
Four leaf temperatures in degrees Centigrade (c), Fahrenheit (f) or Kelvin (k). - X
$(meteo.humin)
Relative inside humidity in percent. - X
$(meteo.humout)
Relative outside humidity in percent. X
(FE)
X
$(meteo.humextra1) - $(meteo.humextra7)
Seven additional relative humidity values in percent. - X
$(meteo.moistsoil1.hpa) - $(meteo.moistsoil4.hpa)
$(meteo.moistsoil1.cb) - $(meteo.moistsoil4.cb)
Four ground humidity values in hectopascal (hpa) or centibar (cb). - X
$(meteo.wetnleaf1) - $(meteo.wetnleaf4)
Four leaf humidity values from 0 to 15. - X
$(meteo.windspeed.ms)
$(meteo.windspeed.km)
$(meteo.windspeed.knots)
$(meteo.windspeed.mph)
Wind speed in meters per second (ms), kilometers per second (km), sea miles per hour (knots) or (land) miles per hour (mph). X
(WG)
X
$(meteo.avgwindspeed.ms)
$(meteo.avgwindspeed.kmh)
$(meteo.avgwindspeed.knots)
$(meteo.avgwindspeed.mph)
Average wind speed of the current measurement interval in meters per second (ms), kilometers per second (km), sea miles per hour (knots) or (land) miles per hour (mph). X
(WD)
X
$(meteo.windpeak.ms)
$(meteo.windpeak.kmh)
$(meteo.windpeak.knots)
$(meteo.windpeak.mph)
Highest wind speed of the current measurement interval in meters per second (ms), kilometers per second (km), sea miles per hour (knots) or (land) miles per hour (mph). X
(WS)
-
$(meteo.winddir.grad)
$(meteo.winddir.de)
$(meteo.winddir.en)
Wind direction in degrees (grad). Usually with North = 0  degrees, increasing in clockwise direction or in eight steps when using German (de: N,NO,O,SO,S,SW,W,NW) or English (en: N,NE,E,SE,S,SW,W,NW) abbreviations. X
(WR)
X
$(meteo.avgwinddir.grad)
$(meteo.avgwinddir.de)
$(meteo.avgwinddir.en)
Average wind direction in the current measurement interval in degrees (grad). Usually with North = 0  degrees, increasing in clockwise direction or in eight steps when using German (de: N,NO,O,SO,S,SW,W,NW) or English (en: N,NE,E,SE,S,SW,W,NW) abbreviations. X
(WD)
X
$(meteo.rainrate.mmh)
$(meteo.rainrate.inh)
Current precipitation in millimeters per hour (mmh) or inches per hour (inh). - X
$(meteo.rainday.mm)
$(meteo.rainday.in)
Precipitation of the current day in millimeters (mm) or inches (in). X
(RE)
X
$(meteo.rainmonth.mm)
$(meteo.rainmonth.in)
Precipitation of the current month in millimeters (mm) or inches (in). - X
$(meteo.rainyear.mm)
$(meteo.rainyear.in)
Precipitation of the current year in millimeters (mm) or inches (in). - X
$(meteo.rainfree.mm)
$(meteo.rainfree.in)
Precipitation variable for rain values of a different interval. X
(RD)
-
$(meteo.solar)
Sun shine in watts per square meter. X
(SO)
X
$(meteo.uvidx)
Index value of ultra-violet radiation. - X
$(meteo.sunrise.24h)
$(meteo.sunrise.12h)
$(meteo.sunrise.ampm)
Time of sunrise in 24-hour format (24h), 12-hour format (12h) or 12-hour format with added am and pm indicators (ampm). - X
$(meteo.sunset.24h)
$(meteo.sunset.12h)
$(meteo.sunset.ampm)
Time of sunset in 24-hour format (24h), 12-hour format (12h) or 12-hour format with added am and pm indicators (ampm). - X
$(meteo.bat1)
Current voltage of power supply in Volts. X
(VI)
X
$(meteo.miscvalue1) - $(meteo.miscvalue3)
Additional sensors 1 to 3. X
(ZA,ZB,ZC)
-

Storing the Configuration

Click on the Set button to activate your settings and to save them until the next reboot of the camera.

Click on the Close button to close the dialog. While closing the dialog, the system checks the entire configuration for changes. If changes are detected, you will be asked if you would like to store the entire configuration permanently.

 In order to enable these settings, you need to store the configuration and reboot the camera!

de, en

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