So I have been taking a bit of a break from programming, but before I did, I actually modified my Network Testers to be able to view iPerf & MTR results separately, so it’s easier to find results, but I didn’t push it as an installer yet. I’m hoping to start programming again soon (a few days?), then make a few other changes before releasing a new Network Testers version. So be on the lookout for an updated release of Koonet Network Testers!

The new Kootnet Sensors version is in the “Stable” channel!
Here is a list of some of the changes since Beta.30.x

• Send Reports and or Graphs by email on a daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly basis
• Configure or disable Sensor Checkins or have sensors checkin to a sensor with the Checkin Server enabled.
• New Quick Graph type and other graph back end improvements
• Refined and enhanced view of per-sensor recording status
• New High/Low SQL recording
• Updated Tiny editor (note-taking section)
• Updated Remote Sensor Management section (Sensor Control)
• Web Portal updates for compatibility with mobile devices & Firefox
• New Web Portal menu layout
• New hardware sensor support
• Added additional configuration options
• Included base Python modules for spotty internet connections & server connection issues (Should improve install reliability and speed)
• New Documentation / Help file (WIP)
• Updated and enhanced GUI tests
• Misc. bug fixes and performance enhancements

With this version out, I think I’ll work on the Network Testers.

So there appears to be a few new sensors on Pimoroni, including a GPS one! So I’m looking forward to adding that to the supported sensor list, that way you can record the exact location of where you are recording!

I kinda wish I had a bit of support money coming in for buying hardware since it was over $400 Canadian (245 Euros) to get the new sensors and I’m pretty sure I’ll still have to pay import fees. Guess that’s how it goes sometimes. If I could just find a good place where people would actually find this useful and give feedback on what to add to make it more useful, that would raise the chances of someone donating. If anyone is reading this and knows of such places (online forums, etc), please post a comment and let me know!

I also ordered a few new displays in hopes to add further display support to my Network Testers, of which I will be working on after Kootnet Sensors ver Beta.31.x is released.

I have finished tweaking the Web Portal on Kootnet Sensors so you can see and or scroll to all the sections on a mobile phone. It doesn’t look good in a lot of places, but at least it’s functional. I have also finished the tests section, so it’s fully operational but it could still use improvements in how and where it tests.

Another day or two and Beta.31.x should be out.

I have been going through some code and doing some clean ups. While I was looking around, I noticed the tests program needed some updates. I have added missing configurations to test and made it so when sensors are tested, it displays their results for verification. It should be finished up by tomorrow.

Another place I have to double check is the Web Portal on a mobile device. I remember there were a few things that didn’t size nicely on my phone, so I’ll see what I can do there.

Things are coming along nicely, although once I release Beta.31.x, I’ll probably take a break from the sensors for a bit and maybe look over the Network testers and tweak things there and add a new test or two.

I hope everyone had a good Thanks giving!

I have now finished updating the documentation and creating links inside the program that take you directly to the relevant section in the help document. Because the help document is actually located on the sensor itself, you’ll always have the manual available.

I have also fixed a bunch of oddities so it’s more compatible with the Firefox web browser. The logout should work properly and the formatting layout should not be overlapping anymore.

I have also enhanced the security a bit, by limiting access to certain functions, yet maintaining the ability to get non-sensitive information. When viewing the raw configurations, even when logged in, the usernames and passwords have been removed for viewing.

Testing is the main thing left to do, such as new installs, upgrade installs and reviewing functions. Next week will most likely be when I release this into the stable channel. If you want a sneak peak, upgrade to the Dev build from the Sensors Web Portal, I don’t expect there to be too many bugs right now.

I’m getting close to moving Version Beta.31.x to the stable channel. I’m doing some final touches now, such as tweaking the HTML code to look proper on Firefox and updating the documentation.

This release has a few cool new features, such as.

• Email reports and graphs at a set interval
• A new “Quick Graph” section for faster basic HTML graphs
• Sensor Control now uses text-based configurations for pushing to multiple sensors. This should make it easier to get and save configurations the way you want. It’s also a lot less work for me when configurations are added or changed.

I suspect I’ll have this done in a week or two. The next version after this, I want to create a “Backup” section that allows uploading the database & configurations through FTP and other services like Dropbox, OneDrive & Google Drive.

In other news, I pre-ordered a reMarkable 2 paper tablet. I hope to use it for design idea’s and note taking. It should help focus and organize my thoughts. It will be nice to have a history of all my thoughts along the way too, since my existing paper notebook is … deteriorating quickly.

That’s it for this update.

The email system in Kootnet Sensors is pretty much done, I just need to get Plotly graph’s working but everything else is good to go. Quick Graphs and Reports can be sent on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis to one or more emails.

I also spent some time tweaking the performance of the Graph generations. In order to do this, I have put as much of the processing work on the SQL retrieval side, as it uses much faster C or C++ code to do it. For example, when you skip data points, it now skips it in SQLite instead of getting all, then removing data points after. There were some other more minor changes that should help performance as well.

Other updates include changes to the web interface layout (mostly around configurations), there is a single setting for the DateTime offset that is applied throughout the program, better email verifications, continual updates of things like hostname / IP address (every 5 hours I think) and a bunch of other misc fixes and refactoring.

I’m thinking I should now go through and start adding docstrings, clean ups and updating the help document.

As far as future features, I’m thinking of creating a Backup section, to backup not only data, but also configurations. I’m also thinking of re-working the remote configuration push.

That’s it for now. I’m hoping to put more time into programing, especially since its SUPER smokey out now (for the past 3 or so days).

It has been a bit since my last update. Summers has been pretty slow as far as the programming goes, however, I have made progress. Today I have an email notification system working (mostly). Kootnet Sensors can now email a Sensor Report or a Quick HTML graph as a one time go or at a set interval of X hours. I have uploaded the changes to the Developmental channel, so you can update to that and try it out if you wish to get a sneak preview.

Until next time!

I have now finished the High/Low trigger recording. It’s pretty basic, if the reading goes above your “High” reading, it records to the DB as a “High” state and stays there until it goes bellow High but above Low or it goes bellow Low. If it’s between High and Low, it records a “Normal” state, and of course if it’s bellow the Low trigger, it records as a “Low” state. It also records the current state when the system starts up. Because it only records changes of state, recordings will be minimal saving space on the disk and system resources.

I have now also re-organized the Installed Sensors and SQL Recording configurations. It should make it easier to find what you’re looking for and make more room for additional sensors and recording types.

Some other misc. changes include adding the ability to change how often the Sensors Checkin and moving the Enable SQL recording into their own setting sections.

I have slowly been adding screenshots and content to the Documentation as well as adding links throughout the program that take you to the exact sections in the documentation. I suspect I’ll be at the documentation for a while before it’s all said and done, but I should probably concentrate on it now.

I suppose that’s it for the update. These changes are now in the Developmental channel and can be tried out anytime.

Due to someone having issues with the installer, I have decided to include a base version of all the required Python modules in pip wheel form. From what I could gather from the logs, one or more Python modules were missing or broken. The cause of this was most likely a bad network connection or temporarily broken modules or even just the pip servers being overloaded. Whatever the case, having all the required modules included in the installer should ensure a smoother installation experience. After adding in all the module wheels, and a few duplicates for the different pi platforms (armv6 / armv7), the size of the installer went from 1.2 MB to 45.7 MB. Probably for the best, considering those modules had to be downloaded anyway.

There are a few other nice benifits to including the modules as well, such as.

• Faster install times, especially on the Pi Zero
• So long as the apt-get requirements are meet, offline Installs should be possible (I still need to test it)
• The install won’t break if there are bugs in the most current Python Modules or if the internet connection cuts out after getting the system (apt-get) requirements

There are a few downsides, such as the size I mentioned but also the fact you’ll be starting off with older modules that could include bugs or security holes. I already have the ability to update to the latest modules in the program itself (with the click of a button under Advanced), but I’m wondering if I should do something more…

I have finally found an HTML template for documentation I like, so I have started to fill in the blanks and customize the layout. I’m building the document directly into the program itself, so you can easily access it when trying out the sensor software. Once the document is closer to completion, I will also add it to my website, so people can view it for the installation instructions and troubleshooting.

On another note, I have a request to support another sensor, this makes 2 new sensor requests so far. Thanks to the Python Module I found to add support, I’m also automatically getting support for a bunch of similar sensors which include the DS18S20, DS1822, DS18B20, DS28EA00 & DS1825/MAX31850K. Support has been added but I don’t have the sensor in question to test it. I’m hoping the person will see the post/response and try it out and let me know.

Let’s see what else has been done… O yeah, I added configuration options for both the Sensor Checkin server & the Sensor Checkin itself. For the Checkin, you can enable, disable and change the URL it uses to Checkin. For the Checkin server, you can enable, disable and customize the view options. I have also added more features such as the database clean-up section to clear old data, remove sensors and shrink the database.

Right now I’m filling in the Documentation and adding a High/Low trigger recording section. That will probably take a week or two, then maybe I’ll re-organize the Installed Sensors section to have a tabbed layout per sensor company.