FAQ: Workplace+ Solution Accelerator

Q&A section for the most common questions in the Workplace+ Solution Accelerator

Workplace+ Starter Kit

What is the Workplace+ Solution Accelerator?
1. It’s a full HW + SW solution with access to:
  1. Applications: Sensor Map, Reporting
  2. Insight tools: Data visualisation, rule engine
  3. Integration tools: APIs, Webhooks, Message Broker
What do I get with the Workplace+ Starter Kit?
1. The Workplace+ Solution Accelerator is a ready-to-use application to roll out at a business customer and get them started. It will serve you to gain the fast insight of your workplace environment behaviour patterns.
2. It offers the Simple “availability” view app for residents + Advanced dashboard for facility managers + Easy setup in 60 minutes + In-house applications (Sensor map & Reporting).
What is the content of the kit?
1. 1x LoRa Gateway, 5x Desk Devices, 1x Eye Device, 1x Environment Device, 1x Sound Device.
2. We will be updating the Kit content to adapt to other business needs and requirements.
Where should I start to install and configure my starter kit?
1. We have created the Workplace+ Solution Accelerator Welcome page where you can see the step-by-step instructions of the installation process along with the video tutorials.
How can I get support for this solution?

1. If you’re a business customer, contact your reseller from which you bought the solution.
2. As a reseller, you can access support through ACMP service.

ALSO IoT Platform (Ground)

What is a Ground?
1. Grounds are distinct areas of the ALSO IoT Platform that groups relevant IoT resources together, allowing for easier access management, delegation and separation of concerns.
2. A ground allows people with common interest to build and share their IoT devices, assets and data either internally within a team, externally to a selected audience or publicly with everyone.

How can I sign up to the ALSO IoT Platform?
1. You have to contact your reseller and purchase the subscription for the Ground.
The device activation code is not working:
1. Please re-enter the code in all the CAPITAL letters.
2. If it still doesn’t work, reach out to your reseller for the support.
Where can I find a reseller or partner for the Workplace+ solution accelerator?
1. To find a reseller in your country please go to also.com website.
Is the account created automatically for me once I bought it?
1. After the purchase, you’ll receive the confirmation email with the link to complete your account creation.
How long is the data available on my Ground account?
1. As long as the subscription is active the data will be present in the Platform.
Where can I see my account details?
1. At the upper right corner, click on your account image, then click on Settings. Herein, you can change your password, see the Ground subscription details and authorised clients.
How many devices can I have in one Ground?
1. You can add as many devices as you want in a Ground, but the basic billing plan allows you to add up to 50 devices. Any additional device will be charged extra.
2. As a best practice, we suggest that a Ground is used to host devices which are related to each other (e.g. all devices from a single office floor, office building or devices for a specific use case).
How can I buy more Grounds, if the one I have is not enough?
1. You can contact your reseller to sell you more Grounds.
How can I change my account Password?
1. Go to the upper right corner, click on the account image, then on Settings > Account Settings, type in your current password and chose the new one (type and re-type)
How can I get started using the Ground in the best way?
1. Follow the detailed 6 steps of data visualisation in the ALSO IoT Platform. You will find everything you need to get started,
2. Also, we have created the Smartphone Demo tutorial where you can quickly explore the power of ALSO IoT Platform only by connecting your smartphone and send the sensor data to the platform. Rest assured that your data are end-to-end secured with us.
How can I visualise the device’s data?
1. Follow the descriptive guidelines plus video tutorial about Pinboard management in ALSO IoT Platform to help you get going with this important step.
Device is powered on, but I can’t see the data:
1. Check the DEBUG log and if any data were parsed from the LoRa GW
2. If nothing is coming in, reach out to the support by contacting your reseller

Multitech Conduit AEP - LoRa Gateway

Where can I find the quick setup guide for the Multitech Conduit LoRa gateway?
1. You can find the quick setup guide here
2. Also, more information about this gateway is on Multitech’s product page
Where can I find the datasheet for the Multitech Conduit LoRa gateway?
1. It is located here (for Europe)
2. But you can also visit the product page for other regions (Japan, Australia, North America)
Is the LoRa Gateway pre-configured once it's set up?
1. The Mutlitech gateway is pre-configured to connect to the Loriot network
How to connect the Gateway to Loriot (LoRa network)?
1. In case of mis-configuration or if you want to preform the configuration by yourself, we are preparing the document for this purpose.
How to install antennas and cables?
1. Screw the white (flat) antenna to the plug with the WiFi label
2. Screw the black (round) antenna to the plug of the AP2 module
3. Insert the provided LAN cable into the E-NET port
4. Screw the original power adaptor and plug-in the device into the electrical outlet
How to know that the gateway is correctly connected?
1. Booting the gateway can take up to 5 minutes. It is up and running when the LED “STATUS” on the front of the gateway is blinking
How to revert the LoRa gateway and set it back to the pre-configured settings
1. You need to press the RESET button on the front of Multitech Gateway for more than 5 seconds and less than 30 seconds
2. Note that if you hold it more than 30 seconds, you will revert the Multitech Gateway on factory settings and loose all the previously configured user settings!
3. The best practice would be to hold the RESET button for about ~10 seconds
How to reset the LoRa gateway to the factory settings?
1. CAUTION: Setting the device back to factory defaults removes ANY user changes previously saved on the device including:
  1. Custom Applications
  2. User Defined Defaults
  3. Node-Red Applications
  4. All user configuration changes that deviate from factory defaults
2. System Reboot -Short press (less than 5 seconds) — the system just reboots
3. User Defined Defaults – Long press (5 to 30 seconds) — the device configuration changes to user defined defaults and it reboots. ***CAUTION: The Factory Defaults are used if User Defined Defaults have not been previously set. See Factory Defaults.***
4. Factory Defaults — Extra long press (greater than 30 seconds)– the device configuration reverts back to factory defaults.
  1. CAUTION: Setting the device back to factory defaults removes ANY user changes previously saved on the device including:
  2. Custom Applications
  3. User Defined Defaults
  4. Node-Red Applications
  5. All user configuration changes that deviate from factory defaults

Workplace+ Devices (Desk, Eye, Environmental, Sound)

What can I do with the Desk device?
1. This is an advanced indoor environment sensor that measures desk occupancy and is designed to be mounted under a desk or a table. It also measures indoor temperature, humidity, light intensity, and motion.
What can I do with the Eye device?
1. Eye device is an advanced room occupancy and indoor climate sensor that measures temperature, humidity, light intensity and occupancy. It triggers occupancy upon the movement, but also by detecting the body heat pattern.
What can I do with the Environmental device?
1. Environmental device is an advanced indoor climate sensor that measures CO2 levels, temperature, humidity, light intensity and motion. The motion sensor can be used for the presence monitoring systems.
What can I do with the Sound device?
1. Sound device is an advanced indoor environment sensor that measures indoor sound pressure levels (peak and average), temperature, humidity, light intensity and motion. The motion sensor can be used for the presence monitoring systems.
How long does the battery last?
1. Up to 10 years, depending on the sample interval, transmit interval, environmental factors, etc. You are welcome to use the manufacturer's online battery life calculator.
How to change the Device’s interval of sending data?
1. You can use the “Sensor settings” app from the Google Play or use this one for the iOS phones. Then, scan your device with the smartphone's NFC tag and change the settings.
Under which battery voltage does the device stop working?
1. When it comes to battery life, it is a little hard to say exactly how long the battery will last. It depends on the settings, environment, temperature, radio reception and how often you send a package. Under 2.7 V different internal sensors stops to work.
Can I use the devices in other areas than in Europe?
1. Yes, these sensors are compatible with the global markets and you can connect them to any LoRaWAN® network.
2. Supported channel plans: US902 – 928, EU863 – 870, AS923, AU915 – 928, KR920 – 923, RU864 and IN865.
Does your devices work with TTN, Loriot, Actility or other LoRaWAN network providers?
1. Yes. These devices are compatible with any LoRaWAN® network provider as well as private LoRaWAN® networks.
2. To set up the connectivity between the LoRa Gateway and the LoRa network service provider (NSP), read the guidelines in the Multitech Conduit AEP section.
Why does the device work even though the battery is removed?
1. Our devices are equipped with two super capacitors. This increases battery performance but will also give power to the device up to a couple of hours after the battery is removed.
Why doesn't the device start?
1. If the device is not starting even though you have inserted the battery, it could be one of these three things
  1. You may have a wrong type of the battery. It should be 3.6 V Lithium battery (AA14505, Li-SOCI2),
  2. No power in the battery,
  3. Battery inserted the wrong way,
2. We are testing radio performance, sensors, current consumption, NFC on all sensors in our final test so faulty devices should not pass the final test. But if you still are having problems, please contact your reseller for the support.
Can we write our own application for Android for changing settings on your sensors?
1. Yes. All our sensors use plain text mode for NFC communication. You can use regular NFC application for writing reading sensors or write your own. See NFC Settings Specifications manufacturer's documentation for more information.
Can I get the Desk Device Manual?
1. The Desk Device operating manual is located at the manufacturer’s website
Can I get the Eye Device Manual?
1. The Eye Device operating manual is located at the manufacturer’s website
Can I get the Environmental Device Manual?
1. The Environmental Device operating manual is located at the manufacturer’s website
Can I get the Sound Device Manual?
1. The Sound Device operating manual is located at the manufacturer’s website
Can I get more information about Sensor Devices installation, configuration and behaviour?
1. The operating manual is located at the manufacturer’s website
What is an optimal placement for these devices?
1. The manufacturer also provides the Best Practice Guide to help you place and use devices.
Can I get some general overview of all ERS devices?
1. Yes, here is the Product series info document to assist you with different types of ERS devices.
Why should I buy more devices?
1. More devices will allow you to cover extra meeting rooms, desks, toilets or other common places you'd like to monitor.
Where can I purchase more devices?
1. You have to contact your reseller that will order more devices of your choice through the eCommerce web shop.
How can I add my devices to another Ground?
1. If you have been using the sensor devices on one ALSO IoT Ground, you can simply delete them from that Ground and assign them on another one which is under a different account.
2. Use the activation codes provided to automatically add the desired devices to the new Ground.

Note: here is the manufacturer's ERS’s FAQ document for these devices

Application & Integrations

How do I create a Pinboard?
1. There are two ways you can visualise your data within the Pinboard page:
  1. The faster and easy way, afterwards still editable
  2. The more complex way, but much more customisation is possible
What is the easier way to create a Pinboard?
1. Go to the desired Device
2. Click on the “+” button on the upper right corner
3. Click on “Create pinboard”
4. Choose which assets you want to place on the Pinboard
5. Click on CREATE PINBOARD button
6. Your Pinboard is now created
7. Note: you can add the particular Assets to the Pinboard by clicking on the three dots next to the Asset’s last update time and click on “Pin to board”
How can I visualise data in a more personalised way?
1. Click on the PINBOARDS tab on the left sidebar
2. Click on the + NEW PINBOARD button
3. Choose the name for the new Pinboard
4. Click on the CREATE button
5. Now click on ARRANGE PINBOARD button
6. Click on the “New pin” button to start adding the desired Assets
7. Note: you can add as many Pins you want to the Pinboard, and also in the different types and sizes
What is the difference between easier and more customisable way of creating a Pinboard?
1. Easier Pinboard creation allows you to get an immediate Pinboard with wanted Assets, while the more customisable one allows you to add an Assets of your choice, type and size from the very start
Is there a tutorial which can help me to create a Pinboard?
1. Yes, we have a dedicated article in our Learning Centre under the step #3, which thoroughly explains the creation and management of the Pinboard.
What it means to share the Pinboard?
1. You can share your Pinboard with others so they also have the insights of the sensor’s data, without the need to buy the ALSO Ground subscription.
How can I share the Pinboard?
1. When in you Pinboard, just click on the SHARE button at the upper right corner and then on the CREATE SHARED LINK button.
2. You’ll get the link to either share this Pinboard with the people of your choice or even to embed it in some other website
3. there is a dedicated article in our Learning Centre under the step #4, which explains how to share the Pinboard
What is a Virtual Asset?
1. Virtual asset has no link to the physical device, but holds higher-value knowledge, usually calculated as a result of on-cloud processing. Examples are the coloured pins to describe the temperature levels, battery status in colours, etc.
2. You can find much more information about the Virtual Assets in this article within our Learning Centre.
How can I create a simple rule?
1. Go to the RULES tab in the ALSO IoT Platform
2. click on a + NEW RULE
3. Drag one or more devices from the DEVICES to the TRIGGERS block
4. Choose one or more Assets you want to operate with
5. Drag one of the elements from the COMPONENTS to the ACTIONS block
  1. choose what you want to do with the chosen Asset (e.g. make a comparison)
  2. choose which action you want to perform in regards to the previous step (e.g. notify via web and email)
6. Click on CREATE RULE
Do you have some video tutorial for the rule creation?
1. Yes, a rule creation is more explained in the video tutorial in our Learning Centre, under the step #5
How do I create a Sensor Map
1. Go to the APPLICATIONS tab in the ALSO IoT Platform
2. Click on the “Sensor Map” tile
3. If you’ve never created the Sensor Map, click on CREATE SENSOR MAP button on the left side
4. If you’ve already have one or more Sensor Maps, then click on the large orange “+” tile on the right side
5. Choose the image of your choice for the Sensor Map (you can drag-and-drop it or browse it locally on your computer/laptop)
6. Click anywhere on the picture area to add the pin related to your Device’s Asset
  1. Choose a Device from which you want to pin the desired Asset
  2. Then choose the very Asset and related states colours
  3. Click APPLY
7. You can SAVE the Sensor Map (only for you) or SAVE AND PUBLISH (to share it to your colleagues, friends, etc.)
  1. otherwise, you can delete this Sensor Map at the bottom left trash can icon
Is there a more extensive and visual tutorial for the Sensor Map?
1. Yes, we have a dedicated article in our Learning Centre, which thoroughly explains the creation and management of the Sensor Map.
Can I integrate my Device’s data with other platforms?
1. Yes, we already use IFTTT platform over webhooks to make integrations with Twitter seamlessly and interactive
2. Also, there is a Zapier Webhooks integration with Microsoft Outlook that can be quite helpful in creating events in the Outlook calendar
3. Furthermore, use the Microsoft Teams integration with our IoT Platform, which is perfect for companies using Office 365 suite
Where can I find more information about integration between IFTTT and Twitter?
1. We created an article in our Learning Centre to assist you in making this integration successful
Where can I find more information about integration between Zapier and Microsoft Outlook?
1. We have a dedicated article in our Learning Centre under the step #6, which explains the integration between our Platform and Zapier Webhooks
Where can I find more information about integration between ALSO IoT Platform and Microsoft Teams?
1. We created an article in our Learning Centre to assist you in making the integration between your Ground and MS Teams channel seamless.
What is the Webhooks limit?
1. You can use unlimited number of webhooks in the ALSO IoT Platform
Device API for building your own application
1. Developers can use HTTP(S) API to access and modify resources. It is currently being used by Maker website and mobile applications, and developers are welcome to use it for their own projects.
2. You can use AllThingsTalk API Postman collection to create IoT device or application which uses our platform services.

Hardware malfunctions

Why doesn't the device start?
1. If the device is not starting even though you have inserted the battery, it could be one of these three things:
  1. Not the right type of battery. It should be 3.6 V Lithium battery. AA14505, Li-SOCI2.
  2. No power in the battery.
  3. Battery inserted the wrong way.
2. We are testing radio performance, sensors, current consumption, NFC on all sensors in our final test so faulty devices should not pass the final test. But if you still are having problems, please contact your reseller for the support.
Device is powered on, but I can’t see the data:
1. Check the DEBUG log and if any data were parsed from the LoRa GW
2. If nothing is coming in, reach out to the support by
  1. contacting your reseller if your’e a business customer (end-user)
  2. raise a ticket through ACMP Support Portal (if you’re a reseller)
The Device’s PIR (LED) is blinking orange all the time. What to do to fix this?
1. First, open the back lid and re-insert the batteries. It’s good to check if battery is not depleted.
2. Orange blinking means that a device is trying to connect to the LoRa network. If it's only one device and the others work, there is probably something wrong with the configuration of the that device. If other devices have this problem as well, there is probably something wrong with the configuration of the LoRa gateway.
3. For the device settings, read the device’s configuration using the NFC app and check if the keys are the same as on the ALSO IoT Platform.
4. For more information about ERS devices, Please check out the ERS manual here.
The LoRaWAN Gateway STATUS LED blinks intermittently, but no data on the ALSO IoT Ground
1. Firstly, perform a simple restart: plug the power cable off for around a minute and put it back into the electrical outlet. Monitor if after around 7 minutes STATUS LED is blinking intermittently again and if data arrived at your Ground.
2. If the gateway failed to connect, contact the ALSO support team using ACMP account and a Support Portal.
The Multitech Gateway can’t connect to the network
1. Check if your IT admin approved the IP traffic for the port where the gateway is connected to,
2. If gateways still doesn’t connect, set the static IP address in Multitech’s settings:
  1. use the SSH to connect to the gateway’s IP address assigned by DHCP
  2. login to gateway using the credentials provided by ALSO support team
  3. Click on Setup (left sidebar) > Network Interfaces
  4. Click on the pen icon on the right side assigned to eth0
  5. Choose LAN as a Direction and “-” as Bridge options and write the needed parameters for the static IP address
  6. Click Submit and then Save and restart on the left side to confirm these changes and reboot the gateway.
3. If your gateway still doesn’t connect, contact the ALSO support through your ACMP account and in the Support portal.