In the Heatic Wireless Sensor System (explained in detail here), sensors form a mesh network that continuously relays data to the Hive (gateway). The Hive acts as the central node, transmitting thermal data to the cloud via Wi-Fi, cellular, or Ethernet. Once in the cloud, our algorithms process the raw thermal signals into accurate occupancy detections.
Key Terms and Definitions
Network ID:
A numeric identifier (0–9999) that defines the local mesh network a device belongs to. A sensor can only transmit data through a Hive if both devices share the same Network ID.
MAC Address:
A 48-bit hardware identifier burned into the network adapter of each sensor. Used to identify devices on a local network, it is not globally unique and should not be relied on for cross-network identification.
Serial Number:
A unique identifier assigned during manufacturing. It is used primarily for tracking and managing individual devices. The Hive uses its Serial Number for identification on the Butlr platform.
Device Identification in the Butlr System
- Sensors display both a MAC Address and Serial Number on their product label.
- Hives display only the Serial Number on the label.
- In Butlr software, sensors are identified by MAC Address; Hives are identified by Serial Number.
Important: These identifiers are hardcoded at the hardware level and cannot be modified.
Network ID Usage and Pairing
- Each device is pre-configured with a default Network ID (Sensor: 1229, Hive: 9999) from manufacturing.
- For deployments, each Hive should be assigned a unique Network ID, and only sensors with the same Network ID can pair with that Hive.
- Sensors can be paired via the Hive’s built-in screen or using Butlr Workbench.
To check if a sensor is on the default Network ID:
- Switch it on—its LED will flash yellow if it's using the default ID.
- If the LED flashes blue instead, reset the sensor’s Network ID to default by pressing the reset button (see instructions here). Once reset, follow the pairing steps here to connect the sensor to the Hive.
Avoid assigning the same Network ID to multiple Hives in the same location.
If multiple Hives share the same ID, nearby sensors may pair with the wrong Hive, causing data overlap or transmission issues.
Viewing Network ID and Grouping in Butlr Studio
In Butlr Studio, click on a connected Hive to open its settings panel.
- The Network ID is shown in the panel.
- Toggle "Highlight Paired Devices" to visually display all sensors connected to that Hive.
Comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.