Wireless Temperature and Humidity

monitoring Solution

The Client
Our client is a company that carries out its activities by transferring various types of perishable
goods, such as pharmaceutical products, food products, flowers, etc. This indicates that it is crucial
to maintain a strict temperature and in some cases a humidity regime in the transporting vehicle at
all times to keep the cargo intact.

Challenges
Acknowledging the specifics of the transported goods and indicated transportation and storage
conditions, the client must ensure that such requirements are complied with during the
transportation process from the manufacturer to the end-user. In case any unforeseen situation
occurs, for example, a temperature drop or high humidity in the trailer, this could have both short
and long-term consequences. This includes a drop in revenues, lost contracts, possible fines, and a
damaged company reputation.

Ruptela's Provided Solution

Temperature sensors allow real-time monitoring of cargo temperature and generate reports with
accurate temperature change and humidity information. Temperature sensors are installed in trucks,
trailers, and vans at a certain level from the floor to measure the temperature as close as possible
to the perishable goods. The possibility to measure the temperature outside allows us to evaluate
the risk of products getting spoiled during transportation of cargo to its final destination point.

In case our sensors detect a breach in the cargo temperature regime, notifications are sent to the
responsible people via text messages, email, or direct notifications on the platform, which allow
taking timely preventative actions.

1
Reports
The client is obligated to provide end-to-end temperature reports (the whole cold chain – from the
manufacturer to the end-user) that meet the required standards as proof to the end-user that its
cargo is in good condition. The report is generated in a dedicated 3rd party platform, collecting
temperature data from each node, and sent to the TrustTrack platform using API. Automated reports
of each vehicle's temperature data per trip are generated automatically according to the template
and the set period.

2
Events
The client can create different types of events depending on their needs. For example, they can
create an event that will inform them by SMS, email, or a system notification when the temperature
reaches a defined limit.

3
Control and Prevention
The average value of the transported cargo is around 3000-4000€. From a fleet of 183 vehicles and
areas, the client gets 1 to 10 temperature breach notifications daily. Timely actions help to prevent
~500000€ of possible cargo loss in its value per month, not including fines and damage to reputation.

To ensure system stability, a couple of measures are taken in each vehicle – the sites are installed
with multiple temperature sensors. In a situation when one temperature sensor is damaged or fails,
there is always a replacement in the same freezer compartment:

Truck – 4 sensors (3 inside + 1 outside)

Van – 3-4 sensors (2-3 inside + 1 outside)
Depo – 1 sensor in each working area (Up to 4 temperature)

Each tracker can support up to 5 Bluetooth accessories.

The process of moving the cargo through the cold chain is monitored by a barcode system with a
smart barcode scanner. The warehouse keeper has to scan each cargo box and the scanner sends
data to the 3rd party software with the current location of the cargo and indicates its arrival or
dispatch time.

Result
After the client started using the wireless temperature and humidity solution powered by Ruptela,
the client experienced an increase of the high-value perishable cargo transportation cases from
7% to 32%. The installation time has also decreased by 75%.

4
Devices That Support This Solution

• Pro5

• LCV5

• HCV5

5
Accessories That Can Be Used in the Cold
Chain Solution
The ELA BLUE PUCK T/RHT Temperature
Monitoring Sensor is a long-range temperature, or a
temperature and humidity monitoring wireless sensor.
It is used to measure temperature and humidity in
areas where dust-tight, water-proof, or wireless long-
range solutions are required. The sensor collects the
data and sends it to a tracking device via Bluetooth.

Order code: X00974+X00976 or X00975+X00976

6
Temperature Sensor Installation
You can use this solution both in light commercial vehicles and in trucks and trailers. Below are some
examples of the sensor's location:

The sensor is mounted using a holder sticker, which protects the sensor from shock, vibration and
allows the sensor to be fixed on any surface:

Mounting location recommendations:

• Avoid mounting near thick metal parts, as it may cause reflections and/or attenuation of the
signal.

• Consider that interference with other signals in the 2.4 GHz range may cause loss of data
packets. Try to avoid environments where interference is likely.

• Take moving parts into consideration, such as refrigerator partitions or curtains. They might
damage or dismount the sensor when moved.

7
 • Consider how the cargo might be loaded and positioned. Mount the sensor at the top, as
lower positions are more vulnerable to damage during loading/unloading of the cargo. Also,
from lower positions, the signal might be attenuated more by the cargo itself.

• Consider what temperature you want to measure, as the distribution of temperature may
vary greatly inside the refrigerator. The temperature is usually lower near the outlet and
higher further from it.

• If mounting Bluetooth sensors inside the trailer, a scanning device must also be installed
inside the trailer (i.e. reefer controller’s compartment) in order for this solution to work
reliably.

• If mounting Bluetooth sensors inside the van or truck, scanning devices can also be installed
inside the vehicle’s cabin.

The following image shows the recommended locations for mounting the tracking device in a truck
and truck with a trailer to ensure connectivity with the sensor:

Color Definition
Most favourable location. This placement ensures data accuracy and the proper connectivity with
▭ the sensor.

▭ Not optimal location, as there is more probability for metal obstacles to cause interference.

Unsuitable location, the sensors in the trailer are too far away and the signal may be attenuated
▭ or reflected.

▭ Sensor mounting location suggestions based on the mounting location recommendations above.

8
Tracking Device Configuration
To configure the temperature sensors, you need to upload the configuration file over-the-air, or by
connecting the device to a computer and with help of Device Center, enable Bluetooth settings, add
sensors to the list and save the configuration to the device:

9
By clicking View IO parameters, you will see all of the enabled Sensors in the list.

10
Testing the Sensors
1. Open Device Center.

2. Click Test Device.

3. Select your device by clicking on it.

4. In the appeared installation tool window click Details in the GNSS & Network section.

You can test if your data is coming successfully from the sensor via Device Center installation
assistant tool. Follow these steps:

If the Bluetooth status is green, the tracking device is receiving data from the sensors and other
Bluetooth accessories.

11