When a level or pressure sensor is taken out of service and replaced, it takes countless important sensor settings and data with it into retirement. However, the settings and measured values are not lost, because a new VEGA software tool saves everything that matters.

Smartphones and tablets are now standard equipment in industrial plants. Almost 40 percent of all VEGA sensors for level, point level and pressure are parameterised, read out and serviced via Bluetooth and the VEGA Tools app.

To be sure, lots of “real work” still has to be done on-site, but the adjustment of sensors in hazardous zones or hard-to-reach measuring points is made considerably easier with these wireless tools, as it can be performed from a safe distance of up to 50 metres.

Wireless is now the standard

But even in less demanding “standard applications”, wireless operation via app is increasingly gaining acceptance. VEGA product manager Philipp Ketterer knows the reasons: “For Industry 4.0, there has to be fast, continuous data communication.” Besides continuous transmission as required by IIoT, it includes above all an increase in convenience and speed.

“Actually, the same arguments for Bluetooth in industry apply to the private use of wireless: It saves an enormous amount of wiring and time, and ultimately, costs.”

Backup & restore for better processes

Universally accessible process data is one of the most important prerequisites for reliable, cost-effective production. Sensors monitor the status and quality of the individual production steps and store important information on settings, diagnostics and the status of machines and systems.

The users of these sensors, in turn, need the certainty that they have access to all sensor parameters at all times and that backup solutions are available if a worst-case scenario occurs.

To provide the best possible support for users, VEGA offers an innovative cloud solution. “Backup & Restore” is the name of a new software tool that VEGA customers can now use permanently free of charge and, as the name implies, offers them the option of backing up and restoring their sensor data.

No limits on security

Convenient access to this service is provided by both the instrument DTMs and the VEGA Tools app. With the app, VEGA sensors can be directly controlled and adjusted via smartphone or tablet.

New here under “Instrument adjustment” is the function “Backup & Restore”. Behind the serial numbers, which appear listed here via mouse click, the available backup data can be called up and – if you so choose – reinstalled.

“Our customers can access all the data ever collected, because the number of backups is not limited,” says Ketterer. “We thus offer a unique free service that brings significantly more efficiency to automated processes.”

Far more than just storage

In the industrial environment, too, data backup now means much more than just storage. Flexible backups and quick restores are important for ensuring that valuable process data are available for immediate reinstatement of device settings, diagnostics or process analysis.

With the software tool “Backup & Restore”, VEGA has solved the problem many companies have, namely, keeping enough storage space available for ever larger quantities of data. All parameters can be saved securely in the VEGA cloud at regular intervals.

For medium-sized and small companies, as well as others, this is an ideal option for permanently securing their complex, ever-growing data flow.