Businesses in many different industries rely on backup batteries to supply power to key services in the event of power failure. Regardless of how the main power fails, if a backup battery is in place, service can continue as normal. When there isn’t one in place, or the backup battery isn’t functioning correctly, total service breakdown can ensue. Disruptions are caused, customers are angry and expensive on-call maintenance teams are sent out to fix a problem of which they have only been alerted to hours after it initially manifested. A decade ago, there was little companies could do if their backup batteries were out of power. There was no way of knowing the state of the battery until the service broke down. And by that time it was already too late. But with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), companies can now use smart devices to monitor backup battery power levels and take action when required to keep services running smoothly.
TURN TO THE IOT TO AVOID NEEDLESS POWER FAILURES
With help from the loT, businesses can ensure that key services can run uninterrupted. This is because organizations can find out the power levels of backup batteries and perform the necessary maintenance services to make sure that services to customers are not affected. With the installation of a simple device, business executives and maintenance crews can take huge strides towards eliminating power-related service failure. A backup battery monitor is a small, wireless and remote device that can be attached to virtually any battery on the market. The device monitors the power levels of the battery in question and sends data back to a cloud-based online dashboard where it can be organized and used by maintenance teams.
By using the Sigfox network—the world’s leading Internet of Things connectivity solution—the monitoring device can send messages to the cloud cost-effectively and efficiently. This has two benefits. Firstly, monitoring devices can be attached to every backup battery business-wide for a relatively small cost. Secondly, the amount of power used is so minimal that the battery of the monitoring device itself lasts for several years before it needs replacing. What’s more, the battery life is so predictable that replacements can be scheduled months in advance to ensure no loss of service.
PREVENT KEY SERVICE FAILURE IMMEDIATELY
As soon as the device detects an issue with the backup battery, it will send a notification immediately to the online dashboard. The dashboard, in turn, will send an alert to maintenance crews in the form of an SMS or email. As a result, maintenance teams can take or schedule the necessary action as required. If something is urgent, it can be handled straight away. If not, it can be scheduled for later. Only one dashboard is needed for teams to get a complete overview of the backup batteries that they need to manage. This makes for an easy-to-use, intuitive system that maintenance teams can use from day one.
EMPOWER YOUR MAINTENANCE TEAMS
Previously, maintenance teams had to be on-call practically every hour of the day to fix issues if power levels dropped. With backup battery monitoring, this is a thing of the past. As well as offering a complete overview of every battery under surveillance, the dashboard will also store diagnostics data whenever an issue occurs. This means that technicians can understand what has gone wrong and why before they head on-site to fix the issue. This doesn’t just make for a more efficient repair service, it makes for a cheaper one, too. Ultimately, the devices enable teams to transition from a reactive approach to maintenance to a proactive approach. Instead of being called out whenever a failed backup battery has caused a service to stop completely, maintenance teams can take the necessary steps to ensure that backup batteries never fail again.
