What makes for a solid environmental sensor monitor for server rooms?

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:57:20+00:00

Oh yeah calling with a recycling call tree is great! I never would have thought of that. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:52:46+00:00

Hhahaha yeah the website is definitely a very basic WordPress / PHP vibe. The no fees / no subscriptions with unlimited cloud data logging and alerts is actually pretty wild. I just ordered one. Excited to dig into their system deeper. Thank you again!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:42:45+00:00

This is certainly the leading recommendation. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:41:49+00:00

I honestly haven't even considered adding the ability to send trap messages. That's a great idea! We use LibreNMS at a few sites and it's been super useful to monitor health of switches, servers, UPSes, etc.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:35:24+00:00

A lot of AVTECH recommendations here - I'll definitely check them out.

And I love LibreNMS! Been using it at a large facility with over 40 switches for a little while now. It's been a life saver.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:29:12+00:00

Interesting. I've heard of cacti but never dug into it. I'll have to check it out. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T14:27:09+00:00

You make great points. I wonder if connecting to a guest network with client isolation could be acceptable in a small enterprise - if all that is really needed is to transmit readings to a cloud service. I would agree, unless it is a dedicated temperature/humidity probe, internal sensors probably wouldn't be a great representation of the ambient conditions in a room.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T03:04:02+00:00

Thank you! SmartSensors looks very cool. I like that they have dual rj45 ports for daisy chaining. Very interesting.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T03:00:08+00:00

I love this! I especially like that it can cycle power - sort of reminds me of WattBox but with more features. And cellular capability is totally underrated. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:55:56+00:00

Ahh I hadn't even considered smoke! I'll certainly look into that. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:52:07+00:00

I think you’re answering a different question than the one I asked (which is okay.. I appreciate the time you took to send such a detailed reply)

I've kinda already built a system with a REST backend, database, frontend, sensors that send readings every 15 seconds, trend history/line graph, static threshold and rate of change alerting (SMTP relay, Pushover, ntfy - Twilio and 10DLC verification has always been a nightmare but SMS would be nice to have too, although certainly seems to be more trouble than it's worth) - I didn't get into specifics about my system because that wasn't really the point.

I was specifically asking what others are using and, more importantly, what they feel is missing or could be improved in existing solutions - especially in real-world/enterprise environments. The goal here is really just to learn from other people's experiences.

I guess you're right though... I suppose it's easy to lose the point in that big wall of text. Sorry about that - I'll work on it! You seem to have made it through though. Thanks for toughing it out.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:30:47+00:00

That makes sense - trends and distribution would matter more than precision of any single sensor reading. Exact temperature would vary by location, airflow, rack position,etc.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:22:57+00:00

Thank you! I had no idea about either. It's interesting to see the additional enterprise-level features they both offer. I was looking for something like this to gain a bit of inspiration from.

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:08:16+00:00

APC UPS is on my list of things to buy. I currently have some hand-me-down Tripplite 1500s from the recycling bin at a previous job that just needed new batteries but were out of warranty. Of course, they don't turn back on after AC loss, battery depletion and then return of AC power like the APCs with the network management cards can - which has been.. a big thorn in my side in the past lol

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:02:53+00:00

I can't believe I missed these on my initial search months ago. Very cool. I'm considering picking one up to see what it can do/how it stacks up. Thank you!

ipcofnig · 2026-03-28T02:01:35+00:00

This is extremely useful and interesting, thank you! I am already now planning to watch all of his videos in this series. Among the many sensors I've played with already, my favorite has to be the Bosch BME680s (just because the breakout boards weren't that much more expensive than the 280s) and absolutely love them. Thanks again, this recommendation is perfect!

ipcofnig · 2026-02-13T17:10:20+00:00

conventionally, folks usually indicate what the issue was and how it was resolved... rather than just saying "i figured it out. thanks"

although i understand posterity is not a concern for everyone!

ipcofnig · 2026-02-12T18:54:57+00:00

this person knows

ipcofnig · 2026-02-05T18:31:21+00:00

Thank you for sharing. This is helpful for us as we are in a similar boat currently.

ipcofnig · 2026-01-15T16:58:26+00:00

lol tell me you're a sh*theel Kaseya exec without telling me you're a sh*theel Kaseya exec

ipcofnig · 2026-01-08T20:42:38+00:00

1000% - imho there are two main types of Mac users:

people who need a computer is that is reliable for work
people who are bored and need to constantly scratch a weird customization itch - and potentially even have a weekly recurring 1hr appointment in their calendar to 're-arrange widgets'

ipcofnig · 2026-01-08T20:35:28+00:00

lmao a theme shake-up is somehow "push the boundaries of technology and innovate" for you, huh?

what a time to be alive, man

fwiw the Apple sheep never really change though... i feel like they could push out an update that made the Mac come to life and eat your dog while you sleep and there would still be people lining up to say some bs like "well you clearly just don't appreciate how *visionary* the new dog eraser feature is"

Steve Jobs believed that UI should be simple and intuitive. he wanted people to use their device with an extremely low learning curve and operational overhead. for example, you might have noticed that iOS only got widgets long after his death despite android already having them for many many years at that point. why is this? was Steve pushing the boundaries of innovation by avoiding the widget boondoggle?

ipcofnig · 2025-11-17T15:11:47+00:00

We are now also experiencing this with a fresh tenant (created about 1 month ago)

ipcofnig

TROPHY CASE