Tehama Wireless Submetering Solution Quick-Start Guide

This document provides an abbreviated list of steps to setup a Tehama Submetering system, from hardware power-up to DCAP commissioning.

Step 1: Installing the CIT (Configuration and Installation Tool)

Step 2: Configuring the DCAP (Data Concentrating Access Point)

Step 3: Setting up the Site Information 

Step 4: Setting up the DCAP

Step 5: Powering-up the MDTs and Repeaters

Step 6: Commissioning the DCAP using the CIT

Step 7: Wiring MDT to Meter

Step 1: Installing the CIT (Configuration and Installation Tool) 

The CIT software tool runs on all modern versions of Microsoft Windows (XP/Vista/7/8/10). Depending on the version you have, extra Microsoft components may need to be downloaded from the Internet. The setup program will automatically perform the download and installation of these components if required.

Items needed:

• PC with Internet access

Steps:

1. Contact Tehama for a link to the Tehama CIT software. Or follow the link as provided in the documentation accompanying the DCAP.
2. Run the downloaded program and Follow the prompts to install the program. Click yes if prompted by Window’s to allow this program to proceed.
3. Follow the prompts to install the program. Upon completion, the CIT icon will appear on your desktop. The CIT will check for updates every time it is launched and automatically update the program when updates become available.

Step 2: Configuring the DCAP (Data Concentrating Access Point)

This step configures the Internet settings for the DCAP and lets you set unique passwords for remote access.

Items needed:

• PC with CIT tool, connected to a local LAN
• For the DCAP, physical access to an Ethernet port of your local LAN (or the Tehama Wireless CellConnect cellular modem)
• DCAP with power adaptor, Ethernet cable, and USB cable

Steps:

1. Power up the DCAP with the supplied power adaptor.
2. Screw in the DCAP antenna that came with the unit.
3. Attach the supplied USB cable to your computer and to the DCAP. If this is the first time attaching a DCAP, Windows may respond with a “Found new hardware” message. Follow the prompts to let Windows download the driver software. The PC needs to be connected to the Internet during this step.
4. Attach the DCAP to the local LAN (or the already powered Tehama Wireless CellConnect cellular modem) with the supplied Ethernet cable.
5. Double click the CIT icon on the desktop or Choose Start | Programs | Tehama | Tehama Commissioning & Installation Tool (CIT) to launch the CIT tool.
6. From the Main menu, choose DCAP | DCAP Configuration via USB.
7. Click ‘OK’ that you want to proceed.
   
   
8. Click on the ‘Refresh’ button to load communication data. The COM Port field will be automatically populated with the correct serial port.
   
   
9. In the Ethernet Configuration section:
   • The DCHP (Dynamic IP Address) is the default Address Mode
   • If a static IP is required, select static for the Address Mode, fill out the extra fields, and then click on the ‘Save these Fields to DCAP’ button to load the changes to the DCAP.
10. In the My SQL Password Configuration section: •
    • Enter the Passwords that you want to use for both users. Clicking on the ‘Enter Defaults’ button will fill the fields with the factory default passwords. This is provided as a convenience if password security is not an issue (for example in an evaluation system).
    • Under Update, click on the one or both check boxes to select which password you want to update. 
    • Click on the ‘Save these Fields to DCAP’ button to load the password data displayed to the DCAP.
11. Click on the ‘A ReBoot of the DCAP is Required to use Any Saved Fields’ button to reboot the DCAP.
12. Wait for the DCAP Status LED to turn green: the reboot is then complete.
13. Unplug the USB cable. You will not need it again unless you need to change the IP address or the passwords at a future time.

Step 3: Setting up the Site Information

In the window that pops up, click on the “Find the DCAP” button, then once an IP address for the DCAP is found, click on the “Go to Site List” button.

1. In the Tree View tab you will see a site called “yourDCAP” (or “foundDCAP”).
   
   
2. Select it and click on the ‘Edit Site’ button.
3. The site specifications will be pre-populated with the minimum necessary information.
   
   
4. Edit the Site Name from “yourDCAP” to something more meaningful for easy identification.
5. Make sure the MySQL password is the same one you used to set up the DCAP (Step 2.9, if that step was required).
6. Click ‘Save’.
7. Click the ‘Connect’ button to connect to the DCAP. 

Step 4: Setting up the DCAP

In the Configuration Data tab | DCAP View tab | Site Configuration tab, you will see 4 quadrants on the screen. 

1. The DCAP Factory settings quadrant display system settings that are read only.
2. DCAP Site Settings quadrant:
   • Site Name: It is recommended to set the DCAP Site’s Name to the same name you used for the CIT’s Site List entry for this DCAP, though that is not a requirement. Enter a new name or click on the ‘Match DCAP Name…’ button, which opens another dialog box showing you both the CIT Site name and the DCAP’s name (likely empty). Follow the directions to match the two names.
   • Time zone: Select the Time zone from the drop down selection
   • Property ID: An optional field for another site identifier beyond the DCAP Name. If this field is not visible, it may be enabled from The Options menu.
3. Daily Report Email Configuration quadrant:
   1. Setup the Email: To add email addresses to send reports to, right click in the text box and select ‘Add Email Address’. The ‘Send a Report Now’ menu item can be used to generate an immediate email from the DCAP in order to verify that the address entered was correct (and to train your spam filter).
   2. Report Time: Select the time of day you want the report sent.
   3. Click on the ‘Quick Set’ button to enable Daily reports from all the sensor types you are interested in receiving in the Daily report.
4. Alert Email Configuration quadrant: To add email addresses to send alerts to, right click in the text box and select ‘Add Email Address. Click on the ‘Quick Set’ button to enable the most common alerts. Note that this email list is separate and unique from the daily report email list.
5. Important! Save your edits to the DCAP by clicking on the icon in the menu bar, or selecting CIT | Save to | DCAP | Configuration Data from the menu bar. 

Step 5: Powering-up the MDTs and Repeaters

MDT (Meter Data Transciever) and Repeater devices come from the factory in a powered off state. At this point you should power them on so they can start registering themselves with the DCAP that was powered up in the last step.

NOTE: They do not need to be wired to a meter yet. That step is covered at the end of this Quick Start guide.

MDT and original Repeaters in the same sized enclosure: The yellow circle in the photo to the right shows where a purposely hidden button is located on the enclosure. It may take a few times to get the feel of the button, but an LED in the clear window to the right gives you feedback when the button is pushed.

Diversity Repeater: Connect power using the wall transformer and cord. Applying power will cause the repeater to automatically start the registration process. The button is located on the end of the unit near the power supply port. The LED sequence is the same as for MDT and original Repeaters.

1. To turn a unit ON, press and hold the button until the LED starts to blink (about four seconds).
2. After about 30 seconds the LED flash frequency should change from slow to fast. After another 30 seconds or so, the LED will stay solid for 10 seconds than go out. The long flash indicates that the unit is communicating with the network.
3. To turn a unit OFF, press and hold the button again until the LED blips off (about three seconds).

LED Flash indication States when button is momentarily pressed:

1. Connect: Assuming you clicked the Connect button at the end of Step 3, you are now connected to the DCAP. If not reconnect as instructed in Step 3.
2. Get Data: From the menu go to CIT | Load from | DCAP | Monitor Data, or click the icon on the icon bar.
3. You are prompted for how much data to collect. The default of Last 12 Hours is usually sufficient. A longer time period provides a better indication about the health of the network, but takes a longer time to download to the CIT.
   
    
4. The Tehama devices powered up previously in Step 5 will appear in the Network Tree area on the left side of the screen.
   
   * If some do not appear, wait a moment and then click on the icon to get the latest monitor data.
5. Add Devices: Go to the Node View tab within the Configuration Data tab as shown below. Uncommissioned devices are MDTs and Repeaters that have not been added to the site configuration and are marked with a yellow warning symbol to the left of their Radio ID in the Network Tree tab area.
   
   
   
   1. They can be added to the site configuration by either:
      1. Right clicking on a Radio ID and selecting Add This Uncommissioned Device,
      2. Or Click and drag a Radio ID from the Network Topology tab area to an empty RadioID row in the Node View | Location tab.
6. Add Location Data: In the Node View tab, you can add location data as desired. All fields are optional but will help identify and organize the devices.
   
   
7. Assign Meter Information: Click on the Sensor View tab to enter or modify information about each MDT (Count Factor, Units of measure, Meter notes, Serial number of the meter, and Meter Initial Reading).
   When a Meter Initial Reading count is entered, a date/timestamp is automatically recorded.
   
   
8. Important! Save your edits to the DCAP: Click on the icon in the icon bar, or choose CIT | Save to | DCAP | Configuration Data from the menu bar to upload all the configuration and commissioning data to the DCAP. A warning will be issued as a precaution if the DCAP already contains Configuration Data. Click OK to complete the data upload. It is recommended to save this information locally to your PC as a backup by selecting CIT | Save to | PC | Configuration and Monitor Data from the menu.
9. Getting Readings: Daily readings are sent by email and this is the easiest way to get the daily readings. The billing company can also connect to the installed DCAP using its Access Code. Once connected they can retrieve both Configuration data and Monitor data in order to obtain the data for billing from the DCAP.
   Note: The Reports menu can be used to create various reports. A *.csv file containing the readings for the calendar time period retrieved from the DCAP can be created by selecting Reports | Monitor Data | View*. The data in the *.csv file will correspond to the data in the Monitor Data tab | View* tab. (* can be 1, 2 or 3).
10. Saving the site data to your PC: Both the site Configuration data and Monitor data retrieved from the DCAP or edited in the CIT can be saved locally to your PC. This is useful so you have a backup of your site configuration for off-line access to the site’s configuration or to collect a snapshot of usage data. To do this from the menu bar, go to CIT | Save to | PC | Configuration and Monitor Data. 

Step 7: Wiring MDT to Meter

Water & Gas Meters:

The polarity does not matter for connecting to most all Water or Gas meters. These typically use a magnet reed type switch to generate the pulse.

• The Common input (closer to the battery, shown in Green) must go to the common terminal, variously labeled ISOL COM, “-“, or COM…
• The Pulse Input (closer to the top of the unit, shown in White) goes to the pulse output terminal, labeled variously WH+, P1, “+”, or ISOLATED OUTPUT 10/100/1000.

More details can be found on our web site. Look for these two app notes: Application Note “AN102 MDT Wiring Guide” and “AN-102-P Pulse MDT Wiring Guide” 

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