Room Alert 11E Firmware Release Notes Room Alert 11E Firmware v4.0.0 Released 27 April 2012

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

v4.0.0

April 27, 2012

• Added support for all modern web browsers. The Room Alert web interface should now be fully functional in all web browsers, including IE8/9, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and others that conform to modern web standards. With full support for Chrome and Safari, the web interface can now also be viewed in mobile devices running Android and iOS.
• Added support for the new ‘Push’ technology for use with Device ManageR. Previously, Device ManageR would query the device for sensor values at defined intervals. If the device was installed at a remote location, this could cause additional configuration steps because of firewalls that might be in place between locations. The new ‘Push’ technology allows users to configure Room Alert to proactively send sensor updates to Device ManageR at regular intervals. Since Room Alert will be sending data out to Device ManageR, firewall configurations can typically be simpler since outgoing connections are usually allowed. In addition, if Room Alert detects an alarm condition, it will immediately send an update to Device ManageR, regardless of the interval setting. This allows for more immediate notification of alarm conditions that is no longer tied to the Discovery Interval configured in Device ManageR. Please contact AVTECH for additional details about this exciting new feature.
• Updated the core embedded operating system and network drivers. This should improve the communication between our Room Alert devices and high end network switches to improve interoperability.
• Added support for the JSONP protocol. This makes it much easier for users to incorporate sensor data from Room Alert devices into their own web pages without the challenges previously posed by cross-domain scripting restrictions.
• Updated the sensor output to conform to valid JSON formats.
• Added the ability to configure the date format displayed on the web interface and in email notifications to allow for customization in different international locales.
• Improved the way time is displayed in email notifications to more fully conform to the RFC standard.
• Added timestamps to the trace output to make it easier for our Technical Support team to identify the timing of certain background activities to facilitate quicker resolutions.
• Modified the way the Device Name is handled so the Serial Number is used as the default Device Name when factory default settings are reset.
• Resolved an issue that could allow a Device Name to be configured that was one character longer than supported.
• Improved the verification performed before saving sensor labels to be sure invalid characters cannot be used for sensor labels.

v3.4.1

October 3, 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 the time displayed in email alert notifications to be off by one hour depending on Daylight Savings Time settings.
• Improved the formatting of the ‘getdata.htm’ file so that it now passed full JSON validation.

v3.4.0

February 8, 2011

• Added the ability to query the currently configured sensor labels via SNMP.
• Resolved an issue that could prevent TFTP from being disabled when selected from the telnet menu.
• Resolved an issue that could cause inconsistent temperature readings to display when the current temperature was between -1.0C and 0.0C.

v3.3.0

December 28, 2010

• Added a new feature that allows the Room Alert 11E 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.
• Added the ability to disable periodic Gratuitous ARP packets from being sent.
• Resolved an issue that caused some MODBUS registers to return invalid values.
• Updated the MODBUS documentation to match the register values reported by Room Alert 11E.
• Resolved an issue that could cause email timestamps to display incorrectly with Daylight Savings Time enabled.

v3.2.3

May 4, 2010

• Added switch sensor initialization checks to prevent false alarms from being sent when the unit first boots.
• Added the ability to configure the number of scans that should elapse before a switch sensor state triggers an alert. This helps prevent false alerts caused by rapidly changing switch sensor inputs.

v3.2.2

November 23, 2009

• Resolved an issue that caused the device type and version number to be displayed on the Status screen instead of the Device Name as in previous versions.

v3.2.1

November 12, 2009

• 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 the web interface to stop responding and require a reboot if repeated authentication attempts failed when accessing the Settings screen.

v3.2.0

August 10, 2009

• Modified the way the ‘EHLO’ command is sent to mail servers so it uses the local IP address instead of the ‘From’ address. This is more consistent with what most email servers expect and should prevent periodic SMTP timeouts.
• Added the Device Name to the subject of email alerts that are sent, making it easier to identify which device the alert was sent from for customers with multiple devices.
• Added the ability to configure the ‘sysContact’ SNMP value via the SNMP Settings screen.
• Added the ability to configure the ‘sysLocation’ SNMP value via the SNMP Settings screen.
• Added support for Modbus. Users can now query the Room Alert 11E for sensor information via Modbus, allowing easy integration with SCADA applications.
• Configured the ‘sysName’ SNMP value to report the Device Name. This was previously blank.
• Modified the ‘sysDescr’ SNMP value to report the device type and version. This previously reported the Device Name.
• Improved the progress bar used on the web interface when settings are saved.
• Resolved an issue that prevented the device password and sensor labels from being reset with factory default settings.

v3.1.2

April 8, 2009

• Added the ability to modify the port used for HTTP requests. This was previously hard-coded to use port 80.
• Added support for the ‘/mobile.txt’ URL which will return a properly formatted text-only sensor status return that is easily viewable from devices with smaller screens.
• 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 could cause the Status page to not load properly if values of -6C or lower were displayed.
• Resolved an issue that could cause SNMP Traps to be interpreted incorrectly by some SNMP managers.

v3.1.1

January 12, 2009

• Resolved an issue that could cause a periodic reboot to occur on devices with a large number of consecutive web interface requests.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the time displayed in email messages to be off by one hour depending on the daylight saving time setting.

v3.1.0

December 23, 2008

• Changed the default MTU to 1024 instead of 1400. This should reduce the occurrence of network connectivity issues with some managed switches and VPN connections.
• Added a MTU option to the Network settings so the MTU can be set to whatever is appropriate for the network it is connected to.
• 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.
• Added the ability to use the SNMP Community that is defined in the SNMP section of the Settings with SNMP Traps that are sent.
• Added the ability to define and save the default refresh interval of the Status page via the Advanced section of the Settings.
• Added additional error checking to SMTP requests to better diagnose email sending issues.
• Resolved a display issue with the Sensors section of the Settings screen.

v3.0.3

September 23, 2008

• Added support for displaying the ‘Heat Index’ value in Celsius in addition to the default of Fahrenheit.
• Added a timeout check to the SMTP sending function so a communication loss with the mail server does not cause the unit to stall while waiting for a response.
• Modified the SMTP sending function so it quits if authentication fails instead of continuing with an attempt to send an unauthenticated email if email authentication is enabled.
• Added support for AM/PM time display in email alerts.
• 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 prevented ‘512’ and ‘1024’ from being entered as valid MTU settings.
• Resolved an issue that could cause SNMP and TFTP functions to still respond even when configured as ‘Disabled’.

v3.0.2

June 19, 2008

• 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.
• Added a status message when sensor labels are saved so a blank web page does not display before the ‘Saving…’ progress bar.

v3.0.1

May 28, 2008

• Resolved an issue that could cause the Room Alert 11E to show up as an unknown device in Device ManageR.
• Combined the Email Server IP and Domain Name fields into a single field in the SMTP Email Settings Screen. It will now automatically determine whether an IP address or a domain name was entered and use the appropriate method to send the email.
  • This previously caused an issue if a user entered a local IP address for their mail server and also added a domain name. In this situation, Room Alert 11E would attempt to resolve the IP address from the domain name instead of using the configured local IP address.
• Improved the validation of IP address fields in the Settings screens to prevent invalid IP address entry.
• Resolved an issue with values entered in the ‘Adjust’ field in the Sensor Settings being rounded too low on each save.

v3.0.0

March 20, 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.
• 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 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’.
• 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.
• Resolved an issue that caused sensor values and thresholds returned via SNMP to be in a non-standard table format with an OID that did not end in ‘.0’. This has been corrected so all OID SNMP values now end in ‘.0’. Be sure to update any MIBs used for SNMP monitoring after applying this firmware update.

v2.8.2

December 21, 2007

• Resolved an issue that caused the SNMP ‘sysObjectID’ variable to report the incorrect value. This now correctly reports ‘1.3.6.1.4.1.20916.1.3’.
• Added the MAC address and device type to the ‘/getData.htm’ output page.
• Added an alias so ‘/getdata.htm’ returns the same page as ‘/getData.htm’.

v2.8.1

November 5, 2007

• Resolved an issue that could cause Digital Temperature Sensors to stop updating if the temperature dropped below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Digital Temp/Humidity Sensors were not affected.
• Improved support for modifying the MTU network setting.
• Added the ability to modify the TCP port used for trace output.
• Changed the default tracing port to ‘911’ instead of ‘87223’ so it is within the valid TCP port range.

v2.8.0

August 23, 2007

• 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 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’.
• Added the ability to modify the SMTP port used for email via the Telnet configuration menu.
• Added an option in the telnet interface to configure the Ethernet speed and duplex and the MTU size.
• Added an option to return sensor values in a two digit format instead of the default four digit format when queried via SNMP. This option can be configured through the Telnet configuration menu.
• Reduced the time required to generate an alarm for switch sensors.
• Resolved an issue that could cause Sensor2-1 to not appear when the sensors were queried via SNMP.

v2.7.7

August 17, 2007

• A network driver provided by the chip manufacturer was found to cause a reboot loop condition under certain circumstances when settings were saved from the Settings applet. We worked with the manufacturer to resolve this issue and have included the updated network driver in this version.
• Added additional verification code to be sure the timezone offset is within an acceptable range. Users who previously had a timezone selected on the Advanced tab of the Settings applet should verify that the correct timezone is selected after installing this update.
• Added additional verification code to be sure valid IP addresses are entered on the Network tab of the Settings applet.
• Added additional verification code to be sure a valid DHCP Name is entered on the Network tab of the Settings applet.
• Improved SNMP performance through memory and code optimizations.

v2.7.5

August 2, 2007

• 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 87223. This tracing information can be saved to a file that can be sent to AVTECH Support by executing the command ‘telnet 87223 -f C:\RA11E.tra’, replacing with the IP address of the Room Alert 11E and modifying the file path if desired.
• Resolved an issue that could cause humidity values to be calculated incorrectly. This could cause the reported humidity readings to appear to ‘spike’ periodically resulting in false alarms.
• Improved the error checking code so incorrect readings from sensors caused by EMI or other interference will be filtered and ignored.
• 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 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.
• Improved the performance of the web interface by modifying the way dynamic pages are generated.

v2.7.0

June 15, 2007

• Added Heat Index monitoring.

v2.6.0

May 3, 2007

• Improved the accuracy of the humidity sensor calculation.
• Added an option in the telnet interface to configure the Ethernet speed and duplex and the MTU size.
• Resolved an issue that could cause the humidity reading to stop updating for higher humidity readings.
• Resolved an issue with email notifications that caused email not to be sent if the mail server sent telnet control characters to Room Alert 11E.

v2.5.4

January 22, 2007

• Added a ‘SMS Format’ option to the Email tab in Settings. This will send shorter email messages formatted specifically for mobile devices such as phones and pagers.
• Resolved an issue with email messages that could cause an email error to occur after multiple email messages were sent.
• Added a feature that disables the web interface while firmware updates are in progress to help prevent incomplete firmware updates.

v2.5.3

December 22, 2006

• Improved email alert messages so they include additional information regarding what caused the alert to be triggered.
• Resolved an issue with Internet Explorer 6 and 7 that caused the settings password to not be accepted. Other browsers were unaffected.
• Added a progress bar to the settings applet to indicate when the device is saving settings or rebooting.
• Modified the field validation for the email tab to allow email addresses with extra periods (.).

v2.5.2

November 1, 2006

• Resolved web interface issues introduced with the release of Internet Explorer 7.
• Added a ‘Help’ screen to the web interface that provides quick access to various support resources.
• Improved the Sensor Loading function on the Status screen to retry if the initial connection fails.
• Removed the ‘X-Priority’ header from email messages and added an extra line break before the body text to resolve an issue with certain mail servers.
• Resolved an issue with the Telnet interface that caused both input and output to be echoed twice.
• Resolved an issue with the field verification on the Email tab that prevented the contents of the field from being deleted.

v2.5.1

October 6, 2006

• AVTECH Device Discovery Utility v2.5.2 or higher *MUST* be used to install this update.
• Modified the Time Server IP field to load the default NTP Server IP address if an invalid address is saved.
• Increased the size of the ‘Return Address’ field and modified the field filter on the Email tab so email addresses up to 42 characters may be entered.
• Improved the email validation function to allow email addresses with uncommon domain names.
• Resolved an issue that caused email alerts to only be sent to the first recipient if multiple sensors were in an alarm state.
• Modified the Network tab on the Settings screen to notify the user if the network settings have changed and prompt them to reload the page at the correct IP address.
• Added a ‘Reboot Unit’ option to the telnet interface to allow users to remotely reboot the unit through a telnet session.

v2.5.0

October 2, 2006

• This is a major update of the Room Alert 11E operating system. AVTECH Device Discovery Utility v2.5.2 or higher *MUST* be used to install this update.
• As a result of this update, any custom sensor labels will have to be reconfigured. All other settings will remain intact.
• Increased the memory available for the web interface which will result in increased responsiveness.
• Increased the size of the ‘Return Address’ field on the Email tab so email addresses up to 42 characters may be entered.
• Modified the ‘Recipients’ field on the Email tab. Multiple email addresses can now be entered in a single field and separated by a semi-colon. If an email address had previously been entered in the ‘Email Recipient 2’ field, it should be re-entered in the new field.
• Added support for Dynamic DNS. The name of the device should now be registered as the hostname on the DHCP and DNS servers if the network is configured to allow this.
• Improved the Alarm engine to reduce repetitive alarms. The temperature or humidity will have to return one (1) degree below the defined threshold before the alarm will be cleared. This prevents alarms from being set and cleared repetitively if the current temperature or humidity is very close to the threshold defined.
• Resolved an issue that caused the Settings page not to display after entering a valid password.
• Added a ‘Help’ menu option that provides links to support resources on AVTECH.com and lists the available Technical Support contact methods.
• Added the data and time the alert was generated to the body of email alerts.

v2.0.1

March 9, 2006

• Resolved an issue that caused the humidity sensor high and low readings to be reversed on some sensors.
• Improved the response of the Status page to make initial page loads more reliable.
• Added a version number display to the Status page. Clicking the version number will check to see if an update is available from AVTECH.com.
• Resolved an issue with humidity sensor thresholds.
• Added support for floating point alert thresholds.

v2.0.0

February 7, 2006

• Added the ability to syncronize the time via URL (http://IP of device/cmd.cgi?a=SyncTime). When the URL is called, Room Alert 11E will use current NTP settings to update the current date and time.
• Major updates were made to the ‘Status’ page.
  • Only the sensor data is updated on refresh to greatly increase refresh speed.
  • Custom refresh rates can be specified to update the sensor data.
  • Users can choose to display all sensors or only connected sensors.
  • Users can choose to display Fahrenheit or Celsius temperature values.
  • The thermometer graphic was enhanced for realism and now displays a different scale for Fahrenheit and Celsius values.
• Improved the alert cleared functionality to only clear an alert after the temperature is at least one degree above or below the defined threshold. This greatly reduces multiple alerts caused when the current temperature hovers close to a defined threshold.
• Added a link to the ‘About’ page to connect to AVTECH.com and check for firmware updates.
• Improved the NTP feature to try to obtain the network time before logging sensor data if the time has not been set yet. It will attempt to obtain the network time up to 5 times. This is in addition to obtaining the network time when TemPageR boots and should eliminate an issue where the time is not obtained if TemPageR boots before the NTP server in the event of a power loss.
• Improved the Alarm engine to reduce repetitive alarms. The temperature will have to return one (1) degree below the defined threshold before the alarm will be cleared. This prevents alarms from being set and cleared repetitively if the current temperature is very close to the threshold defined.
• Modified the ‘Network’ tab to only save static IP settings if a valid Gateway and Subnet Mask has been specified.
• Resolved an issue that caused incorrect status icons to be displayed when certain alarm thresholds were defined.
• Edited some text and default field values in the Settings applet.

v1.1.0

November 4, 2005

• Added Date and Time support to display the current date and time on the Status screen. This includes support for Daylight Saving Time (DST).
• Added the ability for users to specify their own Network Time (NTP) server to obtain the current time and date.
• Improved the Settings Applet layout to display consistently and prompt the user on invalid entries.
• Resolved an issue with humidity thresholds that caused some thresholds to be evaluated incorrectly.
• Resolved an issue with the Settings password that caused pages not to display in some cases.

v1.0.3

September 26, 2005

• Modified the ‘ROOMALERT11E.MIB’ file to support HP Systems Manager (HPSIM).
• Resolved an issue that caused SNMP traps to be sent at rapid intervals for humidity alarms.

v1.0.0

• First official release of Room Alert 11E firmware.