Watchman is a WiFi-enabled indoor device and reads logs every minutes. Logs are sent to pp-Code portal every hour unless there is sudden change in the temperature (+/-5F) due fire/freeze/else (and log is sent immediately):
If you plan to run the unit on a power bank, we suggest to budget for:
Thanks to one of our customers (Mark Smith), his team performed power consumption testing (on regular unit) and shared their results:
We are constantly improving. And we would like to give option to our existing customers to benefit from the latest features (with out having to re-buy).
Contact us at tech@pp-code.com for details.
By Tuan Pham posted at github: https://github.com/neofob/pp-code-metrics
By Peter Gitta (adapted from the original 'Shelly1 switch' code by Scott Grayban ):
Please find the driver and info here. Also posted at Hubitat community form.
By Alex Ford:
For those interested in using Watchman with HomeKit and are using homebridge, the plugin is available at:
By John Beale
BASH (Linux) script to retrieve temperature and humidity readings every minute directly from the unit on LAN:
Question: I have a mesh WiFi network. What is recommended approach to connect Watchman to it?
Answer: Most mesh WiFi implementations broadcast the same WiFi name for both 2.4G and 5GHz (and allow device to connect to either based on it's ability). Watchman (alike many IoT device) does not have the ability to negotiate (the compatibility) and hence will not work with it.
It is recommended to configure a guest WiFi (at 2.4G only) on your mesh WiFi router and connect Watchman with the guest WiFi. The downside is that you will not be able to use "Real Time Reading (local)" feature (on the App) from a device that is connected to your main WiFi network (by default, main and guest WiFi can't inter-communicate).
Question: What does "HalfOn" mean?
Answer: HalfOn means that your Watchman is, though, connected to your WiFi, it is not able to reach Internet. It is likely due to week WiFi signal, loss of internet service at your site or some firewall policy on your router.
Question: How to reset the unit to factory default?
Answer: Restart (i.e. unplug and plug it back) your Watchman. Then using a tablet/mobile, connect to ppC_noInternet_xxxxxx network, under WiFi settings. Go to web browser (Chrome/Safari is preferred) and type 192.168.4.1/reset in URL field and hit enter.
Question: How do I change WiFi settings of the unit ?
Answer: Simply re-perform the setup. The new WiFi information will overwrite the old ones.
And you do not need to reset the unit to factory default to change WiFi settings.
1) Restart your Watchman (i.e. unplug, wait for 10 second plug back)
2) If you have an Android phone, please use our App "Watchman Online" and click on "Setup". Otherwise proceed as following:
Using a tablet/mobile connect to ppC_noInternet_xxxxxx network, under WiFi settings [PC might not let you connect to this network]
(we recommend “Forget” your WiFi network)
2a) Go to web browser (Chrome/Safari is preferred) and type 192.168.4.1 in URL field and hit enter. If page does NOT show up, please check if your tablet/mobile is still connected with ppC_noInternet_xxxxxx SSID (you might need to “Forget” your WiFi network, if you have not)
2b) Input SSID (i.e. your WiFi network name) and password (of your WiFi network) and press “Connect” (wait for 10sec – please be patient with it)
2c) As you see “success” message – you are all set (kit will auto-restart in a minute).
Question: What do I need to do if I take my Watchman to a different location?
Answer: You will need to connect your Watchman with new locations' WiFi (same steps as listed above). You do NOT need to re-register / re-activate your unit on the portal. If you prefer, you may change the name of the location (on the portal) by going to "WiFi Watchman -> MANANGE-WATCHMAN" page and edit by using the pencil icon.
Question: I am using WiFi extender. Will Watchman connect to it?
Answer: It may or may not connect to WiFi extender (based on the extender make and model).
If your WiFi extender has same WiFi credentials as your WiFi router/gateway, we suggest to bring Watchman near to your WiFi router and connect to its WiFi. Once done, you may unplug it and plug it at your desired location (where you are running WiFi extender). Since WiFi credentials are same, your Watchman will auto-connect with WiFi extender.
Please note that Watchman does not support 5GHz (you need 2.4GHz WiFi signal).
Question: How do I run external probe into my freezer?
Answer: There are multiple ways, however, one option is to leverage water drain hose if exists. Please click here for an example.
Question: Is registration on pp-Code portal a must to use Watchman?
Answer: No, it is not. You can directly access your Watchman logs (using API calls) either locally or remotely (requires port forwarding).
Question: What type of information is required for registration?
Answer: Registration only requires a valid email address (so that proper email alerts can be set up). Telephone/mobile number is optional unless you opt-in to receive SMS alerts.
Question: What information is gathered during Watchman activation?
Answer: Watchman unit is mapped to a location. In order to display the logs in location's time zone, you will provide nearest city name to allow pp-Code portal determine the time zone of your Watchman's location.
You will also name the location such as: basement, bedroom 1, shed, server room 10 etc. Input field is google-map assisted in case you want to use the address as name of the location. Please note it is not a requirement to use the address. You may choose to simply name it or use partial address. As long as it is uniquely named, it works.
Question: I just activated my Watchman and I only see 1 or 0 in the log page. Where are my actual logs?
Answer: System sends 1st log (1 and 0s) just after a Watchman is activated. Your actual (location) logs will appear with in 15min to an hour.
Question: What type of communication Watchman does on the network?
Answer: Watchman, once connected to your WiFi, has the following external communications:
- HTTP calls to pp-Code portal to send the location's data that Watchman collects. So that it is available on your log page. It works like a browser, similar to Chrome/Safari on your other devices (e.g. tablet, laptop etc). It only sends the data that it collects which is: temperature, humidity, gas level (if your unit has it) and count of active-devices (if Party-Detect feature is enabled)
- Syslog message (Watchman unit health and event logs) to our syslog server.
- Message to NTP clock server (on the internet) to clock itself.
Watchman does not perform any internal communication unless you have enabled Party-Detect feature. In this case, it sends "ping" to connected devices on the LAN (to help determine the number of active devices).
Question: We have a firewall on the premises. What ports that needs to be opened for Watchman to operate?
Answer: Please ensure the following are open for your Watchman:
- UDP port 5544 (for syslogs) to logsrv.pp-code.com
- TCP port 80 (for HTTP) to pp-code.com and to portal.pp-code.com
In addition, if there is a captive portal / splash page (that requires users to accept terms or provide a PIN before letting them access the network), you will need to white-list Watchman on your internet gateway. It can be done using Watchman's MAC address. Watchman ID (on the back) has subset of its MAC address. This will help you identify it from all MAC IDs visible at your internet gateway.
Question: why I am not able to access web portal from the App ?
Answer: You can access the web portal from the pp-Code App and in most phones, it works with out any issue. However, if it does not (due to phone version or some security settings), please add "pp-code.com" in your outlook address book (safe senders and domain).
We encourage you to drop us an email at: tech@pp-code.com. We are very prompt and most emails are answered with in one business day.
You may also want to check our amazon listing's questions & answers:
Watchman sends hourly logs (can be changed to 15-min with subscription) in normal conditions. However, it immediately sends the log to pp-Code portal (does not wait for the next log cycle) for sudden changes. such as:
For units, with gas/water/noise sensor, following conditions will also trigger an immediate log:
This ensures that users are immediately informed for sudden changes.
As log arrives at the portal, they are subject to alert processing as per the user settings. pp-Code portal allows user to configure thresholds for email alert. User can also enable SMS alerts with paid subscription. Here is how regular alerts are implemented:
The alerts can be very useful for cases such as:
In addition to regular alerts, pp-Code portal has implemented sudden alert feature. Sudden alerts, unlike regular alerts, are not subject to max 2 alerts per event. They will be triggered as many as needed.
An arriving log is compared with the prior log. If the current log shows temperature change of 5+ degrees* (or for units with gas/water/noise, reading go up 25+), the portal sends a sudden alert.
Note that, for an alert to be sent, log readings need to exceed the user configured alert threshold.
* for temperature reads of < 15F, such as freezers where it is normal to see change of +/-10F with compressor cycle, a change of 15 degree (vs 5 degree) triggers sudden alert.
Our innovative Party-Detect feature is an algorithmic-estimate based on active devices on your network. On hourly basis, Watchman determines the number of active network devices. This number gets reset every hour and increases (as the hour proceeds) on detecting active devices on your network.
The number is sent (at the end of hourly cycle) to pp-Code portal. This number is then processed by our innovative Party-Detect algorithm to "estimate" the number of people at the location.
The result may not show the exact count (number of people at the location), however it can reliably detect if there is a gathering (or sudden increase in the count) - hence referred as "Party-Detect" feature.
Please note that this feature is offered as a value-add (there is no additional charge) and may or may not work for your specific use-case. We highly welcome your feedback to improve our estimation algorithm.
The feature is disabled by-default.
Go to a browser and type in: http://<IP address>/<key>&Stats/json
Or use a API client:
GET /aa7777063116&Stats/json HTTP/1.1 (request)
HOST: 192.168.1.195
{ "API": {"Version":"1"}, "Stats": { "Temp":"77.9F", "Humi":"66.1%", "ActDev":"1" } }
Go to a browser and type in : http://<IP address>/<key>&Stats
Or use a API client:
GET /aa7777063116&Stats HTTP/1.1 (request)
HOST: 192.168.1.195
Temp:87.44F Humi:48.3% ActDev:0 (response)
http://<IP address>/<key>&Temperature
Here is an example:
GET /aa7777063116&Temperature HTTP/1.1 (request)
HOST: 192.168.1.195
87.44F (response)
http://<IP address>/<key>&Humidity
Here is an example:
GET /aa7777063116&Humidity HTTP/1.1 (request)
HOST: 192.168.1.195
36.4% (response)
http://<IP address>/<key>&ActiveDevices
Watchman’s Part-Detect feature is an algorithmic estimate derived from number-of-ActiveDevices on your local WiFi. The above API call will provide you the current number that watchman sees on the WiFi. The number count is recycled every hour (cycles starts with 1 to the actual count by the end of the hour).
Requires Party-Detect feature to be enabled (default is: Disabled)
Here is an example:
GET /aa7777063116&ActiveDevices HTTP/1.1 (request)
HOST: 192.168.1.195
5 (response)
OR
Party-Detect feature is not enabled (response)
Where
Watchman sends a log every hour (can be changed to 15-min interval with subscription). Watchman reads every minute and does react to any sudden change. If temperature changes +/-5F, then it does not wait for next log cycle. It sends the log right away. With this behavior, logs do provide you a very good idea of current readings.
That said, if you do want to query on demand, Real Time Reading provides an option to fetch the logs directly from your Watchman. It uses the same API call explained in section above.
This feature is for advanced users who are familiar with port forwarding on their WiFi router / access point. Please consult your router's instruction manual for detail on how to enable port forwarding.
If Real Time Reading fails, despite enabling port forwarding, restart your Watchman and retry after 5min.
Please note the excessive fetching of logs (e.g. clicking on Real Time Reading button few times with in a min) may make your Watchman to restart. Watchman does a read every minute, hence there is no point in trying to read the data every 2-3 second.
We introduce new features based on requests that we received from our valued customers like you. We encourage you to continue sending us your feature requests. We evaluate ALL the requests (please be assured) and incrementally deliver on the ones that are feasible. We would like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU for your continued support. We would not be where we are today without your loyalty and referrals.
Sept 2024:
Dec 2023:
June 2023:
Mar 2023:
Sept 2022:
Jan 2022:
We have introduced Alert Suppression feature on single probe watchman units. This helps reduce the alert noise when freezers go into defrost cycle. During the defrost cycle, it is expected that temperature will rise. Alerts, triggered during the defrost cycle, can be ignored. They are un-necessary and creates un-wanted notifications. Alert Suppression feature provides an option to do so.
Our standard subscription offerings (monthly, yearly and BuyOut) includes 1 phone number for text alerts. We pay to 3rd party for every text message that we send, hence incur cost for sending alerts to additional phone numbers.
You may choose to purchase text alerts to additional phone numbers ($1.5 per month for each), using the subscribe button below. Once paid, we will enable additional number(s) for you on the portal and update you via an email (with in a single business day).