When connecting an IoT sensor, you map the sensor's fields to the attributes of the correct device, or Spot. The selected sensor type determines which fields need to be mapped, and the DevEUI identifies the sensor. Check both the Spot and the sensor identifier carefully before connecting them.
These instructions apply to the browser interface.
Prerequisites for connecting a sensor
The IoT integration must be allowed for the organization and enabled. Setup creates an integration account, and the visibility of the Spot's IoT functions depends on this account existing. Ask your administrator to check the setup if the function is missing. See also the prerequisites for enabling the integration.
You must have permission to view the Spot and edit its folder. Permission to view the Spot's details alone is not sufficient to connect a sensor, edit mappings or remove the connection.
The required attributes must exist on this particular Spot. The sensor type's fields determine which attributes you can select. If the type requires a tag, attach a tag to the Spot and save it before connecting the sensor. The tag number and the sensor's DevEUI are different identifiers. Attaching a tag is described in a separate guide.
Open the connection form
- In the browser menu, open Assets and content → Assets, devices, tools and select Default table.
- Find the Spot using the search field in the Name column and click its name. Also check the folder to make sure you select the correct device. For more information on searching, see searching for Spot details in the browser.
- Open the Basic info tab in the Spot's details. At the top, next to the Name field, select Connect the IoT sensor.
If the Spot already has a connection, Connected IoT sensor appears in place of the button, along with the sensor type and DevEUI. In this case, edit the existing connection as described below.
Select the sensor type and map the fields
- Select the sensor type from the Select a sensor list. This displays the fields for that type on the form. If you change the type before saving, the mapping fields are recreated and you must select the attributes again.
- Enter the sensor's DevEUI. The form accepts exactly 16 characters: digits 0–9 and letters A–Z or a–z. Spaces and punctuation are not accepted. Copy the identifier from the sensor's details; a format accepted by the form does not by itself confirm that the identifier belongs to the correct sensor.
- For each sensor field, select the correct Spot attribute in the Select an attribute field.
- Check the type, DevEUI and all mappings. Select Connect the IoT sensor at the bottom of the connection form.
All mapping fields for the sensor type must be filled in. A text sensor field can be mapped to a text or number attribute. A number sensor field can only be mapped to a number attribute. For example, a numeric temperature field requires a number attribute on the Spot that is intended for temperature. Also check that the field's meaning and any unit match the sensor data.
A field that uses a tag automatically receives the internal identifier of the Spot's tag. The mapping is locked: you do not select a measurement attribute or enter the number printed on the tag. If the Spot has no tag, you cannot select a sensor type that requires one.
If a suitable attribute is not shown, check that it has been added to the Spot and that its type is compatible with the sensor field. Complete and save the Spot's details first, reopen the Spot and only then start connecting the sensor. Attribute configuration is covered in the guide to creating attributes.
Confirm that the connection was saved
After a successful save, the connection form closes and you receive a success notification. Close the Spot's details and reopen the same Spot: after saving, the IoT information area may remain hidden in the current view.
Check the sensor type and DevEUI under Connected IoT sensor on the Basic info tab. Open the connection form using the pencil icon next to the information and also check the saved attribute mappings.
A saved connection alone does not indicate that the sensor has sent a new measurement or that a Spot attribute has been updated. The connection form does not show measurement values or their measurement times. Do not interpret a value already on the Spot as a new measurement based solely on the success notification.
Change mappings or replace the sensor
Click the pencil icon next to Connected IoT sensor. You can change the attribute mappings and save them using the form's Save button. The sensor type and DevEUI are locked in this form. The tag field's mapping remains automatic.
Replacing the sensor or correcting an incorrect DevEUI requires removing the old connection and creating a new one:
- Check the current sensor's DevEUI in the edit form and make sure you are on the correct Spot.
- Select Delete at the bottom of the form and confirm the deletion.
- After successful deletion, close the Spot's details and reopen them. Check that the old connection has been removed.
- Select Connect the IoT sensor and configure the new sensor and its mappings.
Deletion removes the sensor's connection information from Spotilla. It does not delete the Spot itself, its attributes or their saved values, or reset them. Deletion also sends deletion requests to the external integration service. This action does not establish that the physical sensor has been switched off or that all external data and measurements have been deleted.
Check Lora network data
On the Basic info tab, select Lora network data next to the connected sensor's information. The table is retrieved using that DevEUI.
The Read at column shows the network record's timestamp. LrrRSSI is displayed in dBm and LrrSNR in dB. These describe the radio connection, rather than, for example, temperature or humidity measured by the sensor. The table also shows other technical network data.
The network record's timestamp does not confirm that the mapped attribute has been updated or that its value is current. The view also does not indicate how often measurements are updated. If you need confirmation that measurements are arriving, ask your administrator or your Spotilla contact to check the sensor's data transmission.
If connection or deletion fails
The button or pencil icon is missing. Ask your administrator to check that the IoT integration is enabled, that the integration account exists and that you have permission to edit the Spot's folder.
The form does not allow you to save. Check the sensor type selection, the DevEUI's 16-character format and all attribute mappings. A tag must be saved for a type that requires one.
The service reports an error. Connection and deletion also require a successful response from the external integration service. Reopen the Spot's details and check the current connection before trying again. An error message alone does not confirm that no stage of the process has already succeeded. To help investigate, provide the correct Spot's details, the sensor's DevEUI and the error message.