Sokol-M1+GSM

Connection of the Station via GSM

The Sokol-M1 station can be connected and configured using a PC and the SokolCFG configurator, or a smartphone and the Sokol app for Android or Sokol for iOS.

Connection and Configuration via the Sokol Mobile App

You can receive data and operate the Sokol-M1 meteo station using the Sokol mobile application. Using the app you can:

• configure the station,
• receive current meteorological data from your \meteo station,
• receive reports for a selected period.

Connecting to the Station

Download links: Sokol for Android, Sokol for iOS.

To connect to the station via Bluetooth, launch the application and select Connect Meteo Station.

Then press Connect in the row with the corresponding station.

After successful connection you can:

• view current readings,
• export black box data,
• configure the meteo station.

Online Data in the Sokol App

To view current data via Bluetooth, connect to the station and press Online Data.

Enter the password. Default password: 222.

After connecting, in the Meteo Data tab you will see current sensor readings. In the Status tab, service sensor readings are displayed.

Special attention should be paid to the parameters:

Azimuth, Tilt - these should be close to 0 (or 90 depending on firmware).

GSM Status and signal strength - these parameters help determine why there is no data from the station on the server.

A negative GSM signal strength means the message cannot be sent.

In the Additional Devices tab you can find readings from additional sensors such as:

• soil moisture sensor,
• snow depth sensor, etc.

Configurator. Data Transmission Setup.

In the application you can configure the station. To do this, connect via Bluetooth and select Configurator.

There are three tabs available in the Configurator section. On the “Data Transmission” tab, you can change:

• GSM settings
• Server settings
• Data transmission interval to server
• Exchange interval with BMVD
• Send test message to server

By default, the station is already configured to work with Natlogger or Sokolmeteo servers. Operator APN settings can be found via any search engine - simply enter operator name + APN. Set the transmission channel to GSM.

Choosing a data transmission channel

Important: In most cases, APN settings are stored on the SIM card itself, so the station usually receives them automatically when reading the SIM card. SIM cards with static white IP addresses (a practice common in corporate mobile service) deserve special attention. The APN for such SIM cards may differ from the publicly available ones and may require manual entry. You can only obtain the APN settings from your system administrator or the person responsible for corporate communications in your organization.

If DNS does not work correctly, enter server IP manually:

• Sokolmeteo.com → 185.27.193.112
• Natlogger.com → 178.154.206.133

After entering settings press Save.

Sokolmeteo Account. Meteo Data via Internet

In the app, you can always get meteo data from your station from anywhere in the world with Internet access.

Login Steps:

• In the main menu of the application, select Sokolmeteo.com

• Enter your e-mail and password. If you are not registered, please register on the Sokolmeteo server.

After successful authorization, you will see a list of available stations. If you do not see your station in the list, please contact your manager or Sokol technical support to grant your account access to the station.

You can also add a new station directly in the app. To do this, go to the Sokolmeteo.com section in the app's main menu.

Press “” and enter:

   - Station name

   - IMEI

   - Password (the default password in the station settings for sending data is 2211)

   - Press Add Device

You can open the data for the available station. To do this, go to the Sokolmeteo.com and tap it in the list of available stations.

This will open information about its readings.

The station transmits data at a specified interval. The default interval is 30 minutes. The online data shows information from the last message. If for some reason the message was not transmitted, the online data will not show the meteo station readings. This most often occurs due to a weak GSM signal or a dead battery.

To ensure that the station transmits data reliably, monitor its readings, especially the RSSI and Voltage parameters.

RSSI is the GSM signal level. A signal level of 27-31 is considered good. At lower values, data may be missing periodically. In this case, you should change your mobile operator, install a reinforced antenna, or use another method of data transmission.

Voltage is the voltage of the internal battery. At values below 3.8V, the power of the GSM antenna may decrease. Therefore, it is important to charge the station from an external power source when the internal battery voltage drops.

Sokolmeteo Forecast

In the app, you can always check the forecast for the next three days. The forecast shows:

• Temperature (minimum and maximum per day)
• Daily precipitation
• Wind speed and direction
• Atmospheric pressure
• Air humidity

To view the forecast, open the station readings and select Forecast at the top of the list.

Attention! The forecast will only be available if the Weather forecast function is enabled in the station settings on the sokolmeteo.com server.

Reports from Sokolmeteo Server

In the application, you can obtain a summary report on the meteo station's performance, which will display all the data it has transmitted for the selected period.

To get a report from the sokolmeteo.com server, follow these steps:

• Go to the station's current meteo data
• Click on the icon in the upper right corner
• Select a interval
• Click “Generate report”

To view the report, follow these steps:

• Go to current meteo data
• Go to reports (upper right corner)
• After opening the new screen, click on the same icon in the upper right corner again
• Select the file from the available ones and click Share
• Send the file in a convenient way and open the received file on your computer.

You can visualize the report received on your computer using the Escort Charter program

Natlogger account. Meteo data via the Internet. Reports.

In the app, you can always get meteo data from your station from anywhere in the world with Internet access.

The first step is to log in to your account. To do this:

• In the main menu of the app, select the Natlogger Platform menu item.
• Enter your e-mail and password. If you are not registered, register on the Natlogger server.

After successful authorization, you will be taken to the monitoring tab, where you will see a list of stations available to you, as well as public devices.

If you do not see your station in the list, please contact your manager or Sokol technical support to have your account granted access to the station.

After selecting and clicking on the station you need, you will be taken to the online data page for that station. There you can check the latest data on the last message sent and, by scrolling down, determine the geolocation of the device on the map.

By going to the “Dashboard” section, you can select the monitoring section:

• Meteo monitoring
• Eco monitoring

After selecting the monitoring section, you can go to the public and private device tabs.

The public devices tab shows all devices on the platform that are set up as public.

The private devices tab shows the stations that you are part of.

(For more info on teams, check out the Natlogger server guide.)

After selecting the station you need and clicking on it, you will see a list of available reports and device readings:

• Wind rose
• Main parameters
• Real-time Data

In the wind rose section, you can view a graphical representation of the distribution of wind direction and strength at the station's location over a specific period of time.

In the main parameters section, you can view a table with a list of sensor parameters for each message sent during the selected period.

The following functions are available for these two sections:

1) Selecting a time interval

2) Opening a graph/report in full screen mode

3) Downloading a report for a specific time interval

Natlogger Forecast

In the operational data section, you can view current readings from the device's sensors, as well as view the 3 and 10 day weather forecast:

• Temperature (minimum and maximum per day)

• Daily precipitation
• Wind speed and direction
• Atmospheric pressure
• Air humidity

Station Black Box

To receive and view the black box report via Bluetooth, connect to the station via Bluetooth and select Black box.

Select two dates and click Request Data. Then wait for all the data to be downloaded.

On this screen, you can tap the parameter you are interested in to build a temperature graph and select it for graphing.

By clicking the Send button, you can choose a convenient way to send the file to your computer, if necessary.

If you send this report using any of the available methods, it will appear in the main menu of the program (Data Archive).

You can view the report received on your computer using the Escort Charter program.

To view the received data, return to the main screen of the application and select Data archive. Next, select Reports, and tap on the “uploaded archive file” among the available files.

Retrieving and reading GSM logs

Retrieving GSM logs allows you to analyze the station's connection to the network and track the stages at which a particular failure occurs.

y retrieving logs, you can:

1) Track at which stage the connection failure occurs

2) Reduce the time needed to diagnose and resolve the problem

You can find these instructions here. (Currently only available in Russian)

Connection and configuration via PC configurator

To connect the station via GSM, first make sure that there is 2G coverage at the connection location. Check that the SIM card in your phone is working. Make sure that you can connect to the Internet with this SIM card.

- Then insert the SIM card into the slot, pointing the contacts toward the center of the station and making sure you hear a click.

- The corner cut of the SIM card should face down.

- On stations with an updated input panel (where the SIM slot is located on the USB input), the SIM card contact should face the USB input of the station.

Example of SIM card installation

Next, be sure to turn the key as follows: from the OFF position to ON, then back to OFF, and once more to ON.

The LED on the station should flash very frequently - 5 times per second. This means that the station is setting the time using GPS. If the time cannot be set, the LED will flash once every 2 seconds when attempting to connect.

Next, connect the station to a PC using the USB cable supplied in the kit to configure it using the SokolCFG configurator. For the SokolCFG configurator to work correctly, you need to install the system components and libraries from Microsoft.

Also, for correct connection and proper detection of the station by the computer, it is necessary to install THIS DRIVER. After proper installation, when connected via USB, the station will be detected as STMicroelectronics Virtual COM Port.

Next, you need to configure the connection to the server. In the PC configurator, you need to connect to the station by selecting the correct COM port for the equipment and clicking the “Open port” button. Next, you need to enter a password to make changes to the station settings.

In the PC configurator, open the “Server” tab. Here you need to specify the GSM settings for your mobile operator. You can find them using any search engine. Just enter the name of the operator and APN.

To ensure that the SIM card is detected correctly by the station, press the “Read SIM” button. The configurator should display the SIM card number and the station's IMEI.

Server settings are configured depending on which resource you use (Sokolmeteo or Natlogger). Below are screenshots of the Sokolmeteo and Natlogger server settings in the SokolCFG configurator.

If DNS does not work correctly, enter server IP manually:

• Sokolmeteo.com → 185.27.193.112
• Natlogger.com → 178.154.206.133

You can change the data transmission frequency from once every 10 minutes to once every 59 minutes.

The device access password is required for the server to accept data from the correct station. This password must match the one specified in the device settings when registering the meteo station on the server.

Be sure to check that the GSM option is selected on the right.

After making any changes to the settings, click the “Set” button to apply the changes.

Sokolmeteo server settings

Natlogger settings

Once you have configured everything, the GSM status in the “State” tab should change from 0 to 25 each time the station attempts to contact the server, i.e., every 10 minutes. It will do this in accordance with the data transmission period you specified in the “Server” tab.

To ensure that messages are being transmitted to the server, open the Sokolmeteo or Natlogger website (depending on the server you are using).

Below are instructions for registering the Sokol-M1 station on the Sokolmeteo and Natlogger servers.

For Sokolmeteo, open the “Messages” tab and enter the station name in the “All devices” tab to check if there is any data there.

For Natlogger, open the “Devices” -> “Meteomoonitoring” -> ‘Messages’ tab and enter the station name in the “Device” tab to check if there is any data there.

Natlogger

Sokolmeteo

Registration and configuration of the station on the Natlogger server, Sokolmeteo

Natlogger registration

To proceed to registration on the Natlogger platform, click on the corresponding button on the login page.

Link to the Natlogger platform. Fill in the fields and click the “Sign up” button.

This link will take you to a separate article about the Natlogger server.

An email will be sent to the email address you provided, containing a code to confirm your account. Enter the code in the appropriate field, and your account will be confirmed and activated.

Once your account has been successfully confirmed, you will be automatically logged in.

Please note: if you do not receive the email, check your spam folder.

Natlogger profile, notifications, and teams

In the upper right corner, you can see the section for working with your user profile:

Clicking on the user name opens an additional window that displays which team the user is currently in, as well as a list of available teams to switch to, if any:

To change your profile settings, click on “Profile Settings". ”The “Profile Settings” section will open, where you can change the settings (first name, surname, email, password, photo):

To go to the profile of the team the user is currently in, click on the pencil icon in the team name under the user's name:

If the user is in their own team (the one they created themselves or the one that was created automatically during registration), a profile with editing rights will open. If the user was added to the team by another team member, the options available will depend on the level of rights granted.

Team settings options:

- Members - a list of team members. A user with editing rights can add, edit, or delete members.

- Change team name - change the team name, if necessary.

You can also configure notifications for devices to which you have access. The team member who adds this notification will receive email alerts when the settings of devices to which the specified rules apply are changed.

Notification placement (Notification rules and notification window)

Notification rule type (Notification Rules)

Description of Natlogger sections

The “Monitoring” section is a geographical map displaying monitoring objects available to the team in which the user is currently located, or to the team selected by the user. By default, the user is a member of the team automatically created when registering an account.

In this section, you can also filter devices on the geographic map using the following filters:

1) - All devices available for the selected team

2) - Public/private

- Online/offline

- Device type (Sokol-M/Sokol-GA) - By selected team

Map of the “Meteo Monitoring” section

Clicking on the marker opens an additional window with information about the object.

Here, in the window with information about the object, there is a device activity indicator in front of the name, i.e., whether it is connected to the network (green indicator) or not (red indicator).

In the window with additional information, you can find out:

1) Current device parameter values.

2) Forecast of parameter values expected in 12 hours.

3) Device name, device type, information on the latest data updates.

Description window for the selected device on the map in the “Monitoring” section

The “Dashboard” section is the main section for visualizing data coming from devices, and also allows you to create your own widgets/reports.

The section has two main groups:

Meteo Monitoring - a section designed for adding or selecting devices/widgets that monitor meteo parameters (temperature, humidity, pressure) such as Sokol-M1 and Sokol-K1.

Eco monitoring - a section designed for adding or selecting devices/widgets that monitor the concentration of various gases and dust particles in the air, such as Sokol-GA.

Dashboard

The algorithm for working with the dashboard is as follows:

When you first go to the dashboard (meteo monitoring and eco-monitoring groups) and thereafter, if the widgets are not open, you will be prompted to select a device for viewing parameter templates (widgets).

On the left side of the screen, you will see the station search settings. Among them will be the following lines:

1) Devices - here you can configure the filtering of stations by the teams you are in. You can select a team from the pop-up list or by typing its name in the search bar.

2) Public - setting for visualizing data from devices available to all users of the platform.

Private - setting for visualizing data from devices that are only available to users of a specific team to which the device belongs.

3) Device list - depending on the selected search settings (teams, public, private), you will see a list of devices available to you.

In the “Dashboard” section, users can build a widget with device settings. There are standard widget templates for each device type, as well as the option to create your own custom widget.

After selecting a device, a screen will open with available widgets, as well as the option to create your own widget with custom settings:

1) Creating your own widget template

2) Ready-made device widgets

After selecting a widget, a window will open with the data available in that widget (using the example of the Sokol-M1 meteo station dashboard and the “Main readings” widget):

Description of the widget interface:

1) By clicking on this button, you can download a report in the format you need for the selected period of time

2) By clicking on this button, you can enable automatic updating of device readings, as well as enable the forecast (in the case of meteo monitoring). Please note: the forecast will only be displayed if the “Download forecast” option is selected in the device settings

3) By clicking on this button, you can open the widget window in full screen mode.

4) By clicking on this button, you can delete the selected widget window.

5) Here you can select the required time period for compiling device readings.

6) Here you can add and filter the necessary device parameters.

7) Track the selected range. Use it to select the required interval for the selected period.

8) Switch the widget display. Graph/table.

You can add a device to the monitoring platform in the “Devices” section:

Adding via “Devices”:

Adding a device is a step-by-step process: - Fill in the fields (phone number is optional):

1) Station name

2) Device type (Sokol-M)

3) Station IMEI

4) Password. It must match the password specified in the station server settings.

5) Save

Additional settings are presented below:

1) The “Active” setting can be disabled, as it currently has no function.

2) Adding a device to the “Public” allows all users to view the data.

3) Enabling this feature allows you to receive a weather forecast for the coming days at the device installation location.

Section “Devices” - “Meteo Monitoring”:

Contains 3 subsections:

Section “Devices” - “Meteo Monitoring”:

Contains 3 subsections:

1) Devices - this section displays a list of devices added by members of the team to which the user currently belongs.

Here, you can add a device, edit or delete an existing one from the list. To do this, use the functions in the “Actions” button:

2) Messages is a subsection containing so-called “raw data” - messages. It contains unprocessed data from devices that has been sent to the platform's database.

Decoding of the parameters of the Sokol-M1 meteo station:

“Upow”: “Battery voltage, V”,

“WD”: “Wind direction, degrees”,

“WV”: “Wind speed, m/s”,

“WM”: “Wind gust, m/s”,

“t”: “Ambient air temperature, °C”,

“PR”: “Atmospheric pressure, hPa”,

“HM”: “Relative humidity, %”,

“RN”: “Precipitation, mm”,

“UV”: “Ultraviolet radiation level, W/m2 * 100”,

“UV2”:  “Ultraviolet radiation level, W/m2”,

“UVI”: “Cumulative ultraviolet radiation value, J”,

“L”: “Cumulative illuminance value, lx”,

“LI”: “Cumulative visible radiation value, J”,

“L0”: “Snow cover height, cm”,

“L1”: “Snow cover height (far), cm”,

“LA”:  “Distance sensor amplitude”,

“KS”: “Photo size, bytes”,

“EVS”: “Accumulated events and errors”,

“RSSI”: “GSM signal strength indicator from 0 to 31 (0 – low signal strength, 31 – high signal strength)”,

“Uext ”: “External source voltage, V”,

“TR”: “Number of messages transmitted”,

“TS”: “Raw temperature sensor value, i.e. not corrected for solar radiation”,

“td”: “Dew point, °C”,

“Ex0T0”: “BMVD 1 DVP 1 Temperature”,

“Ex0H1”: “BMVD 1 DVP 1 Humidity”,

“Ex0T2”: “BMVD 1 DVP 2 Temperature”,

“Ex0H3”: “BMVD 1 DVP 2 humidity”,

“Ex0T4”: “BMVD 1 DVP 3 Temperature”,

“Ex0H5”: “BMVD 1 DVP 4 humidity”,

“Ex0U”: “BMVD 1 Battery voltage”,

“Ex0R”: “BMVD 1 Signal level”,

“GMI1”: “Pyranometer (accumulated between message transmissions), W/m2”,

“GM11”: "Pyranometer, W/m2,

“ANG1”: “Transverse tilt angle”,

“ANG2”: “Longitudinal tilt angle”

3) Parameters are a list of all possible parameters from devices that are integrated with the platform and their units of measurement.

Registration and configuration of Sokolmeteo

Video tutorial on setting up and registering with Sokolmeteo. (Currently only available in Russian)

Useful links

• Video tutorial on connecting the station via GSM to a PC (Currently only available in Russian)
• Video tutorial on setting up a station on the Sokolmeteo server (Currently only available in Russian)
• Video tutorial on setting up the station via a PC (Currently only available in Russian)
• Video tutorial on the features of connecting the station's power supply (Currently only available in Russian)
• Video tutorial on connecting the BMVD to the station via a PC (Currently only available in Russian)
• Instructions for setting up the station in the old version of the Sokol app (Currently only available in Russian)