Room Alert 26W Firmware Release Notes Room Alert 26W Firmware v3.5.1 Released 14 September 2011

Firmware for your Room Alert products is available at RoomAlert.com.

v3.5.1

September 14, 2011

• Added a page that displays when a user clicks the ‘Settings’ link that explains the default password and how to enter the username and password into the web browser prompt.
• Resolved an issue that could cause WiSH Sensor packets to be interpreted incorrectly, causing an unusually high number of invalid packets.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the incorrect sensor label to be used for SNMP Traps sent for WiSH Sensor alerts that have cleared.

v3.5.0

August 2, 2011

• Added a button to the WiSH Sensors tab of the Settings Screen that allows users to reset the settings for an individual WiSH Sensor.
  • This was previously only possible via the Telnet menu.
• Added a button to the WiSH Options tab of the Settings Screen that allows users to reset the settings for all WiSH Sensors.
  • This was previously only possible via the Telnet menu.
• Updated the WiSH Timeout field on the WISH Options tab of the Settings Screen so it is consistent with the Telnet menu. The minimum entry allowed for this field is ten (10).
• Resolved an issue that could cause the time printed in email alerts to be off by one hour depending on the Daylight Saving Time setting.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the incorrect Heat Index threshold to be displayed in email alert notifications.
• Resolved an issue with the WiSH Sensor Missed Packets option in the telnet setting configuration so the current setting is retained if the user presses the ‘Enter’ key.

v3.4.2

August 26, 2010

• Resolved an issue that could cause the Heat Index to be calculated incorrectly when the humidity or temperature was too low.
• Added the ability to disable periodic Gratuitous ARP packets from being sent.
• Resolved an issue with the NTP Auto Update feature that could cause it to report that the time was updated successfully when it was not.

v3.4.1

June 9, 2010

• Resolved an issue that could cause certain WiSH Serial Numbers to not be processed properly by the new whitelist and blacklist feature.
• Improved the blacklist feature so it will remove the configuration for any previously configured WiSH Sensor when it is added to the blacklist. This creates space for additional WiSH Sensors to be discovered and added.

v3.4.0

May 27, 2010

• Added a new ‘WiSH Sensor Filter’ feature that allows users to specifically select which WiSH Sensors should be allowed and which WiSH Sensors should be blocked.
  • This is especially useful in environments with multiple Room Alert 26W units in the same room or within the same wireless vicinity.
  • Users can now configure certain WiSH Sensors to associate with one Room Alert 26W and other WiSH Sensors to associate with the other Room Alert 26W.
• Added a new feature that allows the Room Alert 26W to optionally automatically synchronize the date and time with the configured NTP server at regular intervals. Available intervals include 10 minutes, 60 minutes and 6, 12 and 24 hours.
• Resolved an issue that was preventing the 2-digit SNMP option from working on external sensors connected to WiSH Sensors.
• Resolved an issue that could cause an invalid community name to be sent with SNMP Trap messages.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the Heat Index to be calculated incorrectly when the humidity or temperature was too low.
• Resolved an issue that could prevent a valid 0 Volt reading from being applied as the low reading for the Digital Power Sensor.

v3.3.0

December 10, 2009

• Resolved an issue that could cause Digital Power Sensors to report false 0V alarms that would immediately clear. Most of these false readings are now properly filtered out.
• Added additional false alarm checking to all Digital Power Sensor readings.
• Added the ability to configure the timeout value used for email communication on the ‘SMTP Email’ screen in Settings. The default value is 5 seconds and the setting supports values from 1-99 seconds.
• Resolved an issue that could cause Powered WiSH and WiSPR Sensors to incorrectly report a low battery voltage.
• Resolved an issue that caused the ‘Last Packet Received’ time reported for WiSH Sensors to be incorrect in ‘Lost Communication’ alert emails.
• Increased the size of internal variables used for email messages to prevent possible overruns due to longer email messages.
• Improved the formatting of the date and time sent in the headers of email alerts to prevent some email clients from interpreting the date incorrectly.

v3.2.3

May 26, 2009

• Resolved an issue that caused ‘Adjust’ values applied to the external sensors connected to WiSH and WiSPR Sensor to be scaled incorrectly.
• Resolved an issue that could cause an incorrect checksum value on WiSH Sensor packets, causing otherwise valid packets to be discarded.
  • This could cause WiSH Sensors to periodically lose communication or not appear at all.

v3.2.2

April 28, 2009

• Added the ability to modify the port used for HTTP requests. This was previously hard-coded to use port 80.
• Added the ability to modify the URL that is displayed at the bottom of email alert notifications.
  • This allows users to define a WAN IP or DNS name so the link can be clicked and viewed from outside the local network if external access is configured.
• Resolved an issue that caused the Device Name instead of the Sensor Name to be included with Alarm Cleared SNMP Trap messages.
• Resolved an issue that caused the current date and time to be included with WiSH Lost Communication Alarms instead of the last date and time a packet was received from the WiSH Sensor.

v3.2.1

February 23, 2009

• Added the Device Name to SMS formatted WiSH Lost Communication emails.
• Resolved an Internet Explorer issue on the Sensor Settings page. All other web browsers were unaffected.
• Resolved an issue that could cause an error when saving WiSH Sensors with a second digital sensor connected.
• Modified the SMTP email process to recognize the last response code sent instead of the first.
  • This resolves an issue that could occur with some email servers that sent back more data in the response than expected.
• Corrected an issue with decimal ‘Adjust’ values so they are only applied to Digital Temperature Sensors.
  • Digital Temp/Humidity and Digital Power do not use decimal ‘Adjust’ values.
• Corrected an issue that caused ‘Adjust’ values to be applied incorrectly to WiSH Sensors.

v3.2.0

February 17, 2009

• Major improvements made to the processing of wireless packets received from WiSH and WiSPR Sensors. This should result in much fewer dropped packets and improved reliability.
• Improved false alarm checking for Digital Power Sensors.
  • This will result in increased accuracy and reduced invalid spikes that can interfere with accurate high and low values, logging and graphing.
  • This improved false alarm checking will also reduce the number of alert emails sent for invalid spikes.
• Improved the progress bar used when saving setting via the web interface. It is now smoother and more accurately represents the current status of the setting save and device reboot.
• Added the ability to remove or reset WiSH Sensors that are no longer responding by simply clicking the link from the Status page.
  • This will reset all WiSH Sensor information for this single WiSH Sensor, including all labels and thresholds. The link to do this will appear automatically when a WiSH Sensor stops responding or loses communication with the Room Alert 26W.
• Added support for decimal ‘Adjust’ values to be used to calibrate sensor values.
• Added a progress bar to the initial settings page load to allow the settings to be read properly from the device before displaying the configuration page. This should eliminate the occasional error loading settings from the device.
• Added a new ‘WiSH Options’ settings screen.
  • This will allow users to Enable/Disable WiSH Lost Communication Alarms, configure the number of missed packets before a Lost Communication alert is triggered, the number of WiSH Sensors allowed, and the channel that the Room Alert 26W wireless radio operates on.
  • These are settings that were previously either unavailable or only in the telnet configuration menu.
  • Note that the WiSH Channel should not be modified unless directed by AVTECH Technical Support.
• Added an option to the telnet configuration menu to allow users to configure the level of desired false alarm checking when processing switch sensor alarms.
  • By default, a switch sensor needs to be in an alarm state for 3 consecutive scans before triggering an alarm. This is now configurable from 0 to 5 scans before triggering an alarm.
• Resolved an issue that could cause values in the Lost Communication emails to display out of order.

v3.1.1

December 24, 2008

• Resolved an issue that could cause the dates of December 29, 30 and 31 to be calculated incorrectly. These dates should all display properly with this version.
• Addressed an issue that could cause false alarms from Digital Power Sensors that were not connected at the time.
• Corrected a slight pixel offset issue on the Status page that could appear in some browsers.

v3.1.0

November 20, 2008

• Added the device name to alert email notifications so it is easier to determine which device the alert was sent from.
• Added a signal strength output to the Status page and mobile web interface pages. This will show a green/yellow/red scale with the exact signal strength percentage displayed when the cursor is placed on the scale, making it much easier to determine optimal placement for WiSH and WiSPR Sensors.
• Improved the speed of sensor data processing which will result in slightly faster threshold checking and alarm triggering.
• Added an option to the telnet configuration menu to allow users to configure the level of desired false alarm checking when processing switch sensor alarms. By default, a switch sensor needs to be in an alarm state for 3 consecutive scans before triggering an alarm. This is now configurable from 0 to 5 scans before triggering an alarm.
• Changed the default MTU setting to 1024 instead of 1400. This should reduce the occurance of network connectivity issues when connected to managed switches that drop packets that do not match the stated MSS request.
• Added additional error checking to SMTP requests to better diagnose email sending issues.
• Added the ability to save the default refresh rate of the Status page on the Advanced tab of the Settings.
• Added the ability to define the MTU size of network packets on the Network tab of the Settings.

v3.0.3

September 23, 2008

• Resolved an issue that could cause email messages not to send if authentication was disabled.
• Added an ‘Uptime’ value to the trace output as a way to determine how long the device has been powered on.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the unit to stop responding if trace was left running for extended periods of time.

v3.0.2

September 15, 2008

• Updated fields and labels on the Settings screens to be consistent across all screens and options.
• Resolved an issue that could cause Digital Power Sensors to not send alarms if unplugged from main power.
• Increased the maximum voltage allowed for a Digital Power Sensor to 255VAC from 250VAC.
• Added support for displaying the ‘Heat Index’ value in Celsius in addition to the default of Fahrenheit.
• Added support for limiting the number of WiSH Sensors that can communicate with the Room Alert 26W. This is especially useful when multiple Room Alert 26W units are within range of each other so they only communicate with the desired WiSH Sensors.
• Added switch sensor initialization checks to prevent false alarms from being sent when the unit first boots.
• Added an ‘Uptime’ value to the trace output as a way to determine how long the device has been powered on.

v3.0.1

June 23, 2008

• Resolved an issue that could cause Digital Temperature Sensors to display a 32F reading when first connected.
• Resolved an issue that could cause SNMP Traps to fail to be processed due to an invalid SysObjectID value.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the value entered in the ‘Adjust’ field to change values due to incorrect rounding on sequential Sensor Settings saves.
• Resolved an issue that could cause email messages to fail to send if the mail server replies with a long response to the EHLO command. We now check for a 250 response indicating it is ‘OK’ to send and discard the remaining unused message.
• Resolved an issue that could cause email messages to fail to send if the mail server responded with an alternative error code to the EHLO command. We now correctly fall back to using HELO if the initial EHLO attempt fails and returns a code other than the 250 ‘OK’ message.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the humidity reading from a Digital Temp/Humidity Sensor connected to a WiSH Sensor to not be returned via SNMP.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the internal temperature sensor on a WiSH Sensor to not properly trigger alarms when certain thresholds were set.
• Added an option to display the time in the default 24 hour format or in 12 hour AM/PM format. This applies for the display on the Status screen as well as in email alert messages.
• Added a status message when sensor labels are saved so a blank web page does not display before the ‘Saving…’ progress bar.
• Added a new webpage display option designed specifically for mobile devices such as phones and PDAs that required a ‘Content Type’ to be passed with the page data. The new URL ‘http://(IP of Device)/mobile.txt’ will display a text only output of all current sensor data with a Content Type of ‘text/plain’. The URL ‘http://(IP of Device)/mobile’ will still display a text only output of all sensor data without the Content Type header.
• Added an ‘Uptime’ value to the ‘/getdata.htm’ output for future use as a way to determine how long the device has been powered on.
• Updated text displayed in the telnet menu to be more descriptive for some options and to resolve inaccuracies with others.

v3.0.0

May 23, 2008

• Completely redesigned the Settings screen to use HTML forms instead of the Java Applet previously used. This provides a much more user friendly configuration interface that does not require any additional browser plugins to operate properly.
• Modified the way sensor thresholds are saved so they can be entered in the currently configured temperature scale (Fahrenheit or Celsius). Previously, thresholds could only be configured in Fahrenheit.
  • If thresholds were previously configured, be sure to review the Sensors section of the Settings screen after applying the update to be sure all sensor thresholds are configured correctly.
• Modified the way sensor calibration values entered in the ‘Adjust’ field are saved so they can be entered in the currently configured temperature scale (Fahrenheit or Celsius). Previously, the ‘Adjust’ value could only be entered in Celsius.
  • If ‘Adjust’ values were previously configured, be sure to review the Sensors section of the Settings screen after applying the update to be sure all sensor calibrations are configured correctly.
• Modified the Settings authentication to prompt for a password using the standard browser authentication entry display. The username field will *always* be left blank and the password (if configured) should be entered in the password field.
• Increased the WiSH Sensor capacity to support up to fifteen (15) WiSH, Powered WiSH and WiSPR Sensors.
• Added SMTP Authentication capabilities to the email configuration and sending modules. A username and password can now optionally be provided for SMTP Authentication for use on servers that do not allow anonymous SMTP email messages.
• Added the ability to modify the SMTP port used for sending email. This will also benefit users who have mail servers that use alternate ports or do not allow mail submission on port 25.
• Modified the trace output feature to allow the port number to be modified. By default, a port of 143 is used if tracing output is enabled.
• Added a new webpage display option designed specifically for mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs.
  • The new URL ‘http://(IP of Device)/mobile’ will display a text only output of all current sensor data.
• Added support for Email-To-SMS messages. When this option is selected, Room Alert will send email alerts with minimized text content for more efficient display on mobile devices.
• Added the ability for the Heat Index value to be displayed for Temp/Humidity Sensors connected to WiSH Sensors.
• Added an option to display the time in the default 24 hour format or in 12 hour AM/PM format. This applies for the display on the Status screen as well as in email alert messages and logging data.
• Added the ability to configure the DNS Server IP address via the telnet configuration menu.
• Added the MAC Address to the Status screen display to make it easier to identify multiple devices on the network.
• Added a new feature that allows users to send a test email by accessing the URL ‘http://(IP of Device)/cmd.cgi?action=SendTestEmail’.
  • A button is also provided on the SMTP Email section of the Settings screen that will trigger a test email to be sent.
  • Both of these new functions will only work if valid email settings are configured on the SMTP Email section of the Settings screen.
• Added a function to check the return code from a SMTP server on the initial connection instead of after each command. This resolves an issue that could occur if a SMTP server responds with an error code on the initial connection.
• Added a URL alias so sensor data can be accessed in JSON format at both ‘/getData.htm’ and ‘/getdata.htm’.
• Added an option to disable the web interface for use in highly secure environments.
• Added an option to disable TFTP firmware updates for use in highly secure environments.
• Added an option to disable SNMP for use in highly secure environments.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the MTU setting to not be applied correctly, preventing web access over VPN and other secure protocols.
  • MTU settings from 512 to 1400 can now be configured for users experiencing an issue viewing the web interface over a VPN connection.
• Resolved an issue that caused SNMP Trap messages to always be sent with a ‘public’ community string instead of the configured SNMP Community Name.
• Resolved an issue that could cause DHCP Names less than 8 characters long to save incorrectly.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the SNMP ‘SysObjectID’ variable to return an incorrect value.

v2.0.1

January 2, 2008

• Added support for the new Powered WiSH Sensor.
  • The Powered WiSH Sensor includes all of the functionality of the standard WiSH Sensor and uses AVTECH’s 5V Power Adapter, eliminating the need to replace batteries in the future.
• Removed the ‘Channel #’ reference from the WiSH Sensor display on the ‘Status’ page as there are no physical ‘Channels’ assigned as with the wired digital sensors. WiSH Sensors are displayed on the ‘Status’ page in the order that packets are received when the Room Alert 26W unit boots.
• Improved the code used to receive and process data packets received from WiSH Sensors to dramatically reduce the number of missed or incorrectly parsed WiSH data packets.
• Resolved an issue that could cause Switch Sensor alarms to be tripped and immediately cleared if set to alarm on ‘Open’ when the unit reboots.
• Modified the option to disable WiSH Sensor Lost Communication emails to apply to the ‘Alarm Cleared’ email as well when communication is restored with the WiSH Sensor.

v2.0.0

December 3, 2007

• Improved the efficiency of the sensor reading and parsing component.
  • This allows sensor values to be read from the sensors and saved quicker and should help reduce the chances of WiSH Sensor packets being lost.
• Added Heat Index monitoring. Click here to learn more about the Heat Index.
• Added Digital Power Sensor monitoring.
  • Room Alert 26W can now generate alarms for Voltage (V), Current (A), Power (W) and Apparent Power (VA) detected by AVTECH’s Digital Power Sensor.
• Added a ‘tracing’ function to help diagnose issues such as email alerts not being sent.
  • When enabled through the telnet menu, tracing information will now be output to port 911. This tracing information can be saved to a file that can be sent to AVTECH Support by executing the command ‘telnet *IP* 911 -f C:\RA26W.tra’, replacing *IP* with the IP address of the Room Alert 26W and modifying the file path if desired.
• Added the current date and time to Alert Cleared emails, making it easy to see the exact time when an alarm was cleared.
• Added the ability to disable Lost Communication Alarms for WiSH Sensors via the Telnet configuration menu.
• Added the ability to define how many missed WiSH Sensor packets should indicate an alarm condition via the Telnet configuration menu.
• Resolved an issue that could cause switch sensor alarms to be triggered when the unit reboots.
• Added the ability to modify the SMTP port used to send email notifications via the Telnet configuration menu.
• Added the ability to disable email notifications.
• Added a new feature that allows users to reset the high and low values for sensors by accessing the URL ‘http://(IP of Device)/cmd.cgi?action=ResetHighLow’.
• Updated the timezones so now intermediate timezones such as Newfoundland (GMT-3:30) and India (GMT+5:30) are supported.
  • As a result of this change, some users might have to update their timezone setting on the ‘Advanced’ tab after the firmware upgrade. Most should be updated automatically.
• Added an option in the telnet interface to configure the Ethernet speed and duplex and the MTU size.
• Improved the error checking code so incorrect readings from sensors caused by EMI or other interference will be filtered and ignored.
• Added a link to our ‘Live Sales Support’ on the About screen.
  • This makes it easy to speak with one of our Product Specialists regarding purchasing additional sensors or devices.
• Added an option to return SNMP sensor values in 2 digit format instead of the default 4 digit format via the Telnet configuration menu.
• Modified the SMTP engine to resolve the IP address of the mail server each time an email is sent if a hostname is specified.
  • Previously, the IP address was only resolved during the initial boot process.
• Modified the NTP engine to attempt to obtain the network time every 10-30 seconds if it has not yet been received.
  • Previously, the network time would be updated only during the initial boot process.
• Added a Fahrenheit temperature value to the WiSH Sensor SNMP data.
  • Previously, only Celsius values were provided via SNMP for WiSH Sensors.

v1.2.2

May 22, 2007

• Resolved an issue that could cause Temperature Sensors to not appear initially if the temperature is too high.

v1.2.1

May 21, 2007

• Resolved an issue that could cause Temp/Humidity Sensors to not appear initially if the temperature is too high.
• Resolved an issue that could cause alarms not to clear on external Temp/Humidity Sensors.

v1.1.0

January 25, 2007

• Increased the WiSH Sensor capacity to support up to 12 WiSH Sensors.
• Resolved a SNMP authentication issue that could cause the unit to deny all SNMP Query requests with certain community strings.
• Increased the efficiency of setting and reading WiSH Sensor configuration options by reducing the number of flash read/writes required.
• Resolved an issue with WiSH Sensors that could cause alarms for external sensors not to clear properly.
• Added a feature that disables the web interface while firmware updates are in progress to help prevent incomplete firmware updates.

v1.0.1

January 3, 2007

• Added an option to the Email tab of the Settings screen to disable the footer sent with email alerts. This can help reduce the size of email messages and is especially useful when sending email to mobile devices.
• Resolved an issue with the Email tab that prevented complex email addresses from being entered.
• Resolved an issue that caused the Status screen not to display in some versions of Internet Explorer.

v1.0.0

December 1, 2006

• First official release of the Room Alert 26W firmware.