AlertWerks Monitoring Solutions

The Black Box AlertWerks Environmental Monitoring System

The Black Box AlertWerks environmental monitoring system is a network-based system that continuously surveys equipment status in real-time. By combining a centralized gateway with an array of intelligent sensors, AlertWerks gives managers the ability to detect and respond to environmental threats before they escalate. This system is specifically designed to monitor high-value assets and restricted areas, such as data centers, server rooms, and manufacturing floors. AlertWerks aims to prevent catastrophic downtime, asset damage, and security breaches with proactive risk management.

System Architecture and Core Features

AlertWerks is built around a scalable architecture consisting of a central gateway hub and various connected intelligent sensors.

The hub, or remote monitoring device, acts as the central brain, connecting directly to the network via an Ethernet cable. It monitors sensors and provides an interface for remote viewing, configuration, and alerting. These hubs are highly adaptable, with several models offering connectivity options.

AlertWerks supports wired and wireless deployment. For smaller or rack-based installations, models like the Black Box EME161A-R2 AlertWerks ServSensor Plus offer four dedicated RJ45 sensor ports for standard Ethernet wired sensors. For larger or geographically dispersed sites, the Black Box AW3000 Wireless Gateway supports wireless sensors. The AW3000 simplifies installation where running new cables is impractical or impossible. General features that define the AlertWerks category include:

• Real-Time, Remote Monitoring: Users can remotely check the status of all connected sensors via a web interface and view the health of distributed equipment.
   
• Scalable: The use of dedicated expansion hubs enables users to extend monitoring capabilities beyond the physical ports on the main gateway — the gateways support as few as a dozen to hundreds of sensors on a single network.
   
• Intelligent Alerting: The AlertWerks system has multiple alert mechanisms, including email, SMS (via external modem), and SNMP traps. IT administrators are instantly notified when a user-programmed threshold, such as temperature or pressure, is breached.

Comprehensive Sensor Selection

The true versatility of the AlertWerks system lies in its exhaustive range of sensors, capable of monitoring virtually any real-world parameter. Environmental monitoring is the primary application, focusing on hazards that can destroy expensive IT and industrial equipment. The types of sensors include:

• Temperature and Humidity: Sensors, such as the Black Box AlertWerks EME1LCD dual Temperature/Humidity Sensor, are critical for server racks to detect overheating and cooling failures that cause thermal shutdown.
   
• Airflow: Dedicated airflow sensors are used to measure ventilation and fan function, particularly inside sealed cabinets and racks, to detect blockages or failures.
   
• Liquids: Water sensors, including rope leak detection systems, provide early warnings of plumbing failures or flooding in areas such as raised floors, basements, and equipment rooms.
   
• Voltage and Current: AC and DC voltage sensors monitor power quality and detect power degradation or loss.
   
• General Purpose I/O: User programmable digital I/O and dry contacts monitor the status of various industrial equipment and output analog alerts.
   
• Security: Motion sensors, smoke detectors, and door/window contact sensors provide a layered security system. These sensors generate alerts when unexpected movement or unauthorized entry occurs.
   
• Audible and Visual Alerting: Devices like the combined EME1SS-005 Siren and Strobe Light sensor provide immediate, local warnings supplementing electronic notifications.

Industries That Benefit Most

The AlertWerks system is a vital investment for any organization where environmental stability and security have a direct impact on business continuity. Industries that benefit profoundly from this technology include:

• Data Centers and Server Rooms: Preventing downtime caused by overheating, humidity-related corrosion, or power failures, which can cost thousands per minute.
   
• Telecommunications and ISPs: Monitoring remote network closets and relay stations for environmental threats and unauthorized access to maintain service reliability.
   
• Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals: Ensuring the safe storage of temperature-sensitive vaccines, medications, and lab materials in refrigerators and freezers.
   
• Manufacturing and Industrial Automation: Overseeing HVAC systems, generators, chillers, and industrial equipment in control rooms to guarantee optimal performance. The Modbus/RS-485 interface present on many hubs enables integration into existing industrial control networks.
   
• Finance and Banking: Securing physical assets and critical transaction infrastructure within server rooms and vault areas.

By providing remote monitoring and management for HVAC systems, security equipment, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs), and industrial machinery, the AlertWerks system ensures you maintain operational control 24/7. It delivers the visibility and immediate alerting required to maximize efficiency, improve compliance, and significantly enhance physical security. An AlertWerks deployment translates directly into substantial cost savings by reducing energy waste from overcooling, minimizing repair costs, and safeguarding critical data.

Configure AlertWerks to Your Needs

Protect your critical assets from environmental and security risks. Contact a Westward Sales expert today to design a Black Box AlertWerks solution tailored to your facility's exact monitoring requirements.