Validation System Goes Wireless

Many critical industries, such as pharmaceutical or biotech, require monitoring and validation of the consistently maintained temperature and humidity in warehouses, chambers, refrigerators and/or freezers. Traditional techniques of collecting the data involve wiring to a central collection site or manually transporting either the host or the data logger to transfer its contents. Real-time data transfer using wireless radio frequency (RF) mesh technology simplifies data collection and allows easy verification of the status at critical times.

GE Sensing's Kaye RF ValProbe wireless validation system uses proprietary 2.4 GHz mesh technology to obtain data from up to 100 remote nodes. Mesh technology allows direct transmission to a base station or transmission through other nodes if the direct path has a weak signal to ensure data delivery. This automatically implemented alternative ensures the message always gets through. Encryption protects data transmitted between nodes and the base station. The system's software enables regulatory-compliant text and graph reports, without downloading data to a separate spreadsheet program. With the ability to store up to 10,000 samples per sensor, if RF communication is not possible, critical data is not lost and can be transmitted when RF signal integrity is restored.

The unit's internal relative humidity (RH) sensor has a range of 10 to 95 percent RH with an accuracy of 2 percent RH. In addition to sensing an internal temperature range of -20 to 60C with an accuracy of 0.5C, an external sensor can be used to provide a temperature range of -200 to 200C with an accuracy of 0.1 to 0.3C. An option allows a node to read 4 to 20 mA or 0 to 10V outputs from other sensors, as well as contact switch inputs. Under average usage, the node batteries last about two years. If the unit samples every minute, 8,000 hours (333 days) of battery life can be expected.