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MonnitSense Newsletter - June 2017
Featured Product

Monnit 2G Cellular Gateways
Lowest Price Ever!

Monnit 2G Cellular Gateways

For a limited time, select models of our industry leading cellular gateways are at the lowest price ever!

Starting at $189 $99

This limited time price applies to select Monnit 2G Cellular gateways for Sprint, U.S. Cellular and International customers.

Monnit cellular (CDMA) gateways are the perfect solution for monitoring locations where existing Internet connections are unavailable or unreliable. But what happens if there is a power failure? Monnit's CDMA gateways are available with an internal rechargeable battery providing up to 24 hours of continued operation in the event of power loss.

Monnit 2G Cellular Gateway Features:
    • Supports up to 100 Monnit wireless sensors
    • True plug & play, no hassles for internet configuration set-up
    • Optional 24 hour battery backup protects against power loss
    • 50,000 sensor message memory
    • LEDs with transmission and online status indicators
    • Remote software upgrade capability

Learn More About This Monnit 2G Cellular Gateway Offer »

In this issue

Web Special
Monnit Web Special
What's New at Monnit

Six New ALTA Enterprise-Grade Wireless Sensors

New ALTA Sensors

We are excited to announce the availability of six new ALTA wireless sensors. ALTA is the leading enterprise-grade Internet of Things (IoT) solution offering four times the wireless range (1,000+ feet, non-line-of-site) and much stronger battery life (10+ years on two AA batteries) of other sensor platforms. ALTA products also use Monnit’s new Encrypt-RF™ bank level security, featuring 256-bit exchange and AES-128 CTR for all data messages.

The six new wireless sensors include:

  • ALTA Wireless Infrared Motion Sensors use infrared sensing technology to accurately detect movements made by people or larger animals within 16.4 ft (5 m) range.
  • ALTA Wireless Voltage Detection Sensors - 500 VAC notify of the presence or absence of electricity up to 500 volts AC.
  • ALTA Wireless Accelerometer – Tilt Sensors display measurements for pitch and roll (0 to 180° -> -180° to 0°).
  • ALTA Wireless Accelerometer - Impact Detect Sensors alert when g-forces are exceeded by a user defined threshold - up to 8 g-force.
  • ALTA Wireless Accelerometer - G-Force Snapshot Sensors activate at a set time interval (defined by user) and measures g-force along X, Y and Z axes.
  • ALTA Wireless Accelerometer - Vibration Meters measure g-force on 3 axis and displays speed and frequency of vibration.

Learn more about ALTA wireless sensors at www.monnit.com/alta or call a Monnit sales representative today.

Monnit System Status Updates

MonnitLink USB
Product Being Discontinued

With the advanced feature set of Monnit's newer USB Pro gateway, we are discontinuing the original USB gateway (dongle version). We will continue to support the original USB gateway in the iMonnit software, however, no more will be manufactured. If you would like to purchase or stock up on this product, we suggest that you act quickly as we have a limited supply left.

To order this product, visit www.monnit.com/Products/Gateways/USB-Gateway/Wireless-USB-Gateways or call a Monnit sales representative today.

Monnit Recent News
Monnit Upcoming Events
Visit Us at Realcomm 2017 in Booth 161
Visit Us at Interop ITX 2017 in Booth 641

What People are Saying

"I have been searching for a temperature monitoring system for our cranberry marsh for a long time. I needed something that I could not only rely on, but also something I could afford. I purchased the industrial Alta version with the premier package and six temperature sensors. After a simple install and calibration, the sensors have been working perfectly. Protecting the plants and fruit from frost is critically important, and Monnit gives me the peace of mind I need, knowing I will be notified when any portion of our cranberry marsh is at its critical temperature. Using the smart phone app, I have the convenience of monitoring my temperatures anywhere that I am. On top of a great product, Monnit's sales team has been extremely helpful with any and all questions I have had. I will not hesitate to do business with Monnit in the future as my business grows."

– Travis Tritz
Hilltop Cranberry

Glimpse of the future

SBC Gateways

Take a look in our crystal ball to see what the future holds at Monnit

Monnit's development team is hard at work developing new products for our customers. One of the new products in development is an Application Gateway - SDK (software development kit). The application gateway will contain a base operating system allowing users to completely customize and configure the way sensor information is processed and handled, providing the ability to create application specific behaviors in a whole new way. If you would like to learn more about this product or be notified when it becomes available, please email us at sales@monnit.com.

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Application of the Month

HVAC Monitoring and Tracking

Remotely Monitor and Track HVAC Systems

Are you monitoring your heating and cooling systems for efficient operation and predictive maintenance? Do you know how often your HVAC system is running and if it is running within its correct specifications? Deviations from specified parameters if left unchecked can cause expensive repairs and downtime.

Using Monnit Wireless Sensors to test, track and remotely monitor your HVAC systems, allows you to maintain efficient operation and schedule maintenance or other actions to avoid the consequences of failure, before the failure occurs. Monnit wireless sensor systems can help you monitor equipment to help you detect issues before they become serious and costly. We recommend using the following sensors to track and monitor the operation of your HVAC equipment.

Wireless Quad Temperature Sensors Monitor multiple temperature points in HVAC units.
Wireless Duct Temperature Sensors Monitor temperatures inside ventilation duct work.
Wireless Activity Timers Monitor run-times of HVAC motors and pumps.
Wireless Accelerometers Monitor vibration levels of HVAC motors and pumps.
Wireless Voltage Meters Monitor voltage to equipment and machinery.

All Monnit wireless sensors come with free basic online monitoring, allowing you to view sensor information anytime from anywhere. Receive instant notifications via email or SMS text if a set sensor condition is met or exceeded.

« Learn More About Wireless Sensor Solutions for Heating and Cooling System Monitoring

Detect HVAC issues before costly failures occur with Monnit Wireless Sensors!

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Attend a webinar to learn how Monnit products and services can help you

Tech Tip of the Month

by The WiSe Guys

WiSe Guys

Monnit Encrypt-RF™ Security
Bank-Grade Security for Your “Internet of Things”

Monnit treats your sensor data in the “Internet of Things” (IoT) the same way your bank treats your money – not a single breach is tolerable – EVER – NOT ONCE! As part of the ALTA IoT Platform, Monnit integrates ECDH-256 (Elliptic curve Diffie–Hellman) public key exchange and AES-128 symmetric key encryption on all sensor data. The more battery-exhausting ECDH-256 encryption is used during initial linking of devices and the more battery-friendly AES-128 encryption is used for all subsequent RF data packets. This combination provides integrators the best of both worlds – – bank-grade security and outstanding sensor battery life (ALTA sensors yield 10-year battery life when powered with 2 AA batteries or 1 industrial lithium battery).

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) built on Monnit’s ALTA IoT Platform provide bank-grade security at every level.

  • Between Sensors & Gateways (ECDH-256 and AES-128 encryption)
  • Between Gateways & Servers (AES-128 encryption plus the gateways are “Purpose-Built Devices” that do not have an OS (operating system) to hijack or add malicious programs to.)
  • Between Servers & Browsers (TLS Encryption)

In a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, 533 enterprise IT decision-makers were surveyed. 76% of the respondents believed their organizations were likely vulnerable to cyber-attacks executed through IoT (src: “The Internet of Things (IoT): A New Era of Third-Party Risk”). Monnit extinguished the threat of cyber-attacks within the architecture of the ALTA wireless IoT sensor platform.

We Ain’t Scared of No Botnets!

A large portion of the IoT headlines are focused the DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks facilitated and propagated by botnets (botnet = a network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge). Remote cameras have been one of the most commonly hijacked device types and are easy prey for IoT hackers – because they often run Linux operating systems that are not properly protected. ALTA sensors are not vulnerable to weak passwords or OS-related breaches. ALTA gateways run on a purpose-built real-time operation system without any external administrative access to the device.

Figure 1. Three Things You Should Learn from the Negative IoT Security Headlines

IoT Security

Security between Sensors and Gateways
(ECDH-256 and AES-128 encryption)


Would be hackers would have better luck finding a needle in a haystack than cracking ALTA encryption keys. Each individual ALTA device uses an embedded TRNG (True Random Number Generator) to achieve a high guarantee of statistical uniqueness for each ECDH key set. ECDH allows any two devices to create unique, link-specific keys between them. ALTA only uses one 256-bit key exchange for every sensor linked to a gateway. No other data is sent using the 256-bit keys. Therefore, would be hackers only have a very small dataset in which to attempt brute force attacks. The ALTA platform provides infinitesimally small key exposure.

128-bit encryption is used for all subsequent RF data packets. This encryption method supports over 50,000 data messages before enough of a dataset is generated to enable brute force optimizations. At 10 minute data intervals, this equates to an entire year of dedicated observation before key exposure becomes slightly more likely (refer to “Birthday Attack” probability, P = 10 ^-18, then 10^-15 after one year –> for the non-techies: the probability of someone finding the key goes from 1 quadrillion:1 to 1 trillion:1). A hacker would have to be physically present within range of the wireless sensor network for one year to get this low probability benefit – dedicated solely to cracking a single key for just one sensor – Ha! To mitigate further the issues surrounding key exposure, integrators can use the ALTA platform to refresh keys once every year. To add to the futility of cracking one link-specific key, no shortcuts can be realized by the exposure of one device’s key. The same work it requires to crack one key will be required again to crack the next.

Security between Gateways and Servers
(ALTA Gateways have AES-128 Encryption and are “Purpose-Built Devices”)


Any device that runs on an operating system is vulnerable to attack. ALTA gateways are “purpose-built devices” that are built for a specific task and do not contain an operating system. Due to the absence of an OS (Linux, Embedded Windows, etc.); ALTA sensors are not vulnerable to weak passwords or OS-related breaches. The ALTA gateways run on real-time “C” code without any administrative access to the device.

Security between Servers and Browsers
(TLS Encryption)


An IoT system is only as strong as its weakest link and communications between servers and browser are every bit as critical to protect as the other layers in the WSN. ALTA IoT networks employ iMonnit software for interfacing between network administrators and sensor networks. The iMonnit interface is secured using TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption. TLS is a protocol that provides privacy and data integrity between applications. It is used for web browsers and other applications that require data to be securely exchanged over a network. Keys are established using standard Diffie-Hellman key exchange.

For more information on using Monnit wireless sensors, visit the support section of our website.

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Monnit Awards - Early 2017

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