How to setup your cold room/freezer sensor

Setting up cold room sensors are a bit different from our other sensors. In this article we will explain how to do it.

The device is shipped with the batteries installed and in a state of DEEP-SLEEP until activated with a magnet. There is no need to open the enclosure to activate the device.

Step 1: Make sure the gateway is turned on and connected to the network. Activate your sensor as close to the gateway as you can to avoid range issues when connecting for the first time.

Step 2: Place the magnet within 2 cm of the "Magnet Switch" on the side of the device for more than 3 seconds but less than 10 seconds. You'll know you got it when the "Network Join" light LEDs blink.

See the diagram below to help you locate your magnet correctly.

The "Magnet Switch" can be hard to see, so here's a little picture of it below. Please check that the embossed magnet switch image is in its correct location based on the diagram above. There is always a possibility that the lid may have been screwed on upside down, especially if you have been switching batteries. If it has, you could be looking for the magnet activation site on the opposite (wrong) side of the sensor.

Tip: We have found the magnet that comes with the device to not be strong enough for activation. You may need to find a rare-earth magnet to use (usually a strong refrigerator magnet will do).

Please do not use extra strong magnets like fishing magnets as they may be too strong and could potentially cause other problems.

Step 3: Remove magnet from device. the LED will blink until device has joined the gateway network. It may take up to 10 seconds between the time of activation and the beginning of the LED join attempt light pattern.

If the LED's have GREEN blinking rapidly and single RED flash every 10 s then the sensor is attempting to join the network.
If the red LoRa LED blinks once, then the sensor has successfully sent an uplink message to the gateway.

Important: It can take up to 10 seconds between activation and the red LED turning on. Cold sensors can be both turned on and reset by the same magnet action, so once you've done it once, don't repeat the action for 5-10 minutes as you could be accidentally putting it back to sleep again before it gets a chance to start up.

Manufacturer documentation

For detailed information on the Tundra outdoor Sensor by Tektelic, you may check out their User Guide and Technical Specifications.

Resetting your sensor

If your initial attempts to turn the sensor on do not work, sometimes, it's a battery issue. Please open the device by taking out the 4 screws, remove the battery, wait a few seconds, then put it back in and try the activation procedure with the magnet again.

If you suspect there may be a battery issue, but this resetting action does not work, please open a support ticket form with the link below.

Tips to help us help you faster

If you are having issues with any of these steps, and you need to open a support ticket to get us to help you out, please give us the following details so we may help troubleshoot you faster.

Use the support ticket form, not an email. Emails sent to the old support address sometimes get lost. You will get a faster response if you use the form.
Please confirm how close you were to a working gateway when you tried activating your cold sensor.
Please confirm what kind of magnet you used, how many times you have tried to activate the sensor, and how long you waited between attempts.
If you saw any lights, please confirm which ones (which color you saw).
Please tell us if you have performed a hard reset that involved taking the battery out and putting it back in again.
Don't forget to tell us the serial number for the troublesome equipment. Here is an article that shows you where to find the serial number.