Vacation Should Be Worry-Free

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. Unfortunately, small worries tend to compound and cast a shadow over vacations – especially when homeowners are worried about the state of their homes during their absence. Luckily, sensor systems are becoming increasingly affordable. Common use cases involve monitoring the opening and closing of doors, temperature, humidity, and light levels, as well as movement within the home. The ability to check in on your home whenever you like provides the peace of mind necessary to truly enjoy your retreat.

How do sensor systems work? Sensors exist within small devices which run on batteries. The readings of the sensor are converted into a language like JSON and sent over WiFi or Bluetooth to a Gateway which pushes the data to the backend, or the cloud. The cloud can provide some sort of interface through which users can interact with the data. While most cloud services and Internet of Things dashboards cost a pretty penny, there are ways for you to check your sensor data absolutely free.

uBeac, A Free and Real-Time Service to Monitor Sensor Data.

Before you leave on vacation, head to hook.ubeac.io and follow the instructions to get your unique Hook. By following uBeac’s configuration guides, you can configure your gateways to forward all sensor data to your unique uBeac Hook. Whenever you feel like checking in on your sensors, you can revisit your Hook URL and view the incoming data. uBeac receives HTTP/HTTPS requests and logs forwarded data for inspection. Aside from providing a window to view sensor data, it can be used to inspect, monitor, and debug a browser, client application, or IoT device such as a gateway, edge relay, or beacon.

We think you may find uBeac a useful tool, worth bookmarking. Why?

It’s Reliable

uBeac uses the latest firmware to bring you the best service. Our multi-tier architecture is fast, secure, and adaptive. Our cloud system is more robust than traditional web-hosting and will stand up to millions of requests.

It’s Easy to Use

uBeac is so simple to use. One click takes you to a unique hook which you can input when you configure your gateways, relays, and access points to forward data to the uBeac backend. If that sounds intimidating, our team has put together guides for some of the more popular gateways so that you can get started on your IoT projects without the hassle of trial and error configurations. In addition, any requests sent to your URL are logged instantly. You can make POST, GET, PUT, DELETE, and OPTIONS requests with any header and content. uBeac supports output in JSON, YAML, and XML, as well as in HTML view for in-browser testing.

It Shows You Live, Real-Time Data

uBeac displays real-time data. POSTS appear instantly. There’s no need for you to refresh the page. Clicking on each POST button expands the POST to show all the raw data from your nearby broadcasting devices. It’s incredibly handy to monitor sensor readings remotely. You can revisit your Hook URL from any device and see whether your devices are working and what their readings are. It’s perfect for people who want to check in on their home or office during vacation or while they work remotely.

It’s Free

Free services which refrain from asking for personal data are few and far between. uBeac is free and anonymous.

It’s that simple. No strings attached.

Curious about sensor types? There are hundreds. Here are a few:

Wireless Humidity Sensors

Wireless humidity sensors relate data on the relative humidity of the air within a room or complex. These types of sensors have applications in greenhouses, industrial spaces, museums, and saunas. These sensors are also a good indicator for risk factors leading to mold, mildew, and dust mites.

Wireless Water Sensors

Wireless water sensors can alert you to leaks and floods. These sensors are great in under-counter bathroom and kitchen cabinets. These sensors also detect a lack of water, and can tell you when a container is empty.

Wireless Open/Closed Sensors

Wireless open/closed sensors relay information on the state of doors, windows, cabinets, etc. See if a window or door is open at the moment of checking you hook. Do you have a snack drawer at home? Check to see if it’s been opened by little hands during the day.

Wireless Carbon Monoxide (CO) Gas Sensor

Wireless Carbon Monoxide detectors can prevent serious illness and death due to CO poisoning. All homes should have a Carbon Monoxide detector which sounds an alarm when levels begin to climb, but not all wall-socket detectors work 100% of the time. When they are working, it’s easy to not hear the beep of the alarm. A wireless sensor installed in your own home, the home of your parents, or in institutions, allows you to check in on CO levels from anywhere, using your unique uBeac hook.

Wireless Accelerometers

Wireless accelerometers are primarily used in industry applications. However, there are a few domestic uses. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if your teenager used the car while you were away. These sensors detect tilt, inclination, and motion. Instead of actually installing a sensor, just tell your teenager there is one in there.

Wireless AC Current Meters

Wireless AC Current Meters measure the RMS current of an alternating current (AC) system using a current transformer (CT) that wraps around the “hot” wire of a two wire power system. If you want to check in on your power consumption while away, simply install one of these sensors and have your gateway forward the data to your uBeac hook.

Wireless Light Meters

Wireless light meters and light detection sensors measure the presence and intensity of light in lux (luminescence/unit area), from 0 – 1000 lux (indoor range). These sensors are well suited for light sensitive applications like museum and art gallery light monitoring. If you have a security system set up to automate your lights while you are away, you can check in with uBeac to ensure the system is up and running.

Still reading? If you have an IoT device, and want to start experimenting, check out our free service at hook.uBeac.io

We’d love to hear from you.