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Testing a sensor and a controller

Finding a sensor is not the same as knowing it works. Before it starts watching, Bhairava Sense confirms that each controller and sensor really responds.

Testing a controller

A controller test answers one question: does the controller reply when asked? If it does, it is switched on, reachable on the network and ready to be asked about its sensors. If it does not, nothing connected to it can be confirmed either.

Testing a sensor

A sensor test goes a step further. Bhairava Sense asks the controller for the sensor's current reading and looks at what comes back. Two things matter:

• Does an answer come back at all? A sensor that is disconnected or damaged may produce nothing.
• Does the answer look right? You know the room. If a cold room reads as warm, or an outdoor sensor reads as freezing in summer, something is wrong, and you will notice.

Why test before watching

A sensor that was wired up in a hurry, or that was named wrongly, can look perfectly normal in a list. Testing now means the green you see later is a green you can trust.

If a test does not pass

• Check the basics. Is the equipment powered, and is the laptop on the right network?
• Test again after a minute. Some equipment is slow to answer.
• Check you have the right sensor. A reading that looks odd is sometimes simply a reading from a different sensor than you thought.
• Ask the person who looks after the equipment. They may know that it has been switched off or removed.