Overview: IoTFlows hardware
What each device measures, what it fits, and which one this machine needs.
Every number in IoTFlows starts at a sensor on a machine. Each sensor appears in the platform as a node, the device record paired to one machine, and it is the node that decides in the moment whether the machine is running. Choosing hardware is therefore choosing what you will be able to ask later.
The three sensors and the router
SenseAi reads vibration and acoustics through a magnetic base. It suits general machinery, and it is the default choice.
SenseAi Embedded runs the same application as SenseAi and reads vibration only, because its housing is sealed. That IP67 seal is what it buys you: the unit can go on the motor or the spindle itself, in coolant and wash-down.
BeamTracker fires a laser across a path and registers a count each time a unit breaks the beam. It has a touchscreen for setup and is also IP67.
The IFCR-150 4G/LTE router is not a sensor. It is how sensors reach the cloud when facility Wi-Fi is not available to them, and it pairs with any of the three.
Left to right: the IFCR-150 router, SenseAi, BeamTracker and SenseAi Embedded, each sensor shown front and back.
Compare the devices
Machine health is the trend in a machine's vibration signature over weeks, scored against a baseline. Only the sensors that read vibration can produce it.
| Device | Measures | Best for | Environment | Power | Part counting | Machine health | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SenseAi | Vibration and acoustics | General machinery | Ordinary shop floor | USB-C, 5 V, 500 mA minimum | Derived from the cycle | Yes | SenseAi |
| SenseAi Embedded | Vibration only | Mounting at the source | IP67: coolant, wash-down, cabinets | 4.5 to 28 V DC over M12 | Derived from the cycle | Yes, with advanced analytics | SenseAi Embedded |
| BeamTracker | A unit breaking a laser beam | Counting units passing a point | IP67, and needs clear line of sight | 4.5 to 28 V DC over M12 | Counted directly | No | BeamTracker |
| IFCR-150 router | Nothing. It carries traffic | Sites where plant Wi-Fi is closed | Ordinary shop floor | Mains | n/a | n/a | 4G/LTE router |
All three sensors need a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network or the router. None of them supports 5 GHz.
Choose for a machine
Choose SenseAi when you need to know whether a machine is running, how healthy it is, and how many parts it made. It reads vibration, calibrated thresholds decide where running begins and ends, and the algorithm derives part counts and cycle times from that same trace. One sensor answers all three questions.
Choose BeamTracker when you need to count units as they pass a point rather than derive counts from a machine's own cycle.
You do not need both on the same equipment unless you need that count and vibration health. Adding a second device to a machine that already reports what you ask of it buys nothing.
Between the two SenseAi form factors, choose SenseAi Embedded when you can mount on the motor itself, since reading at the source is what adds the advanced health analytics. Choose standard SenseAi when the motor is not reachable or not safe to mount on.
Choosing a device: start from what you need to know about the machine, not from what the machine is.A decision tree for choosing a device, reading downward from the question: what do you need to know about this machine? It splits into two branches. The left branch, whether it is running, how healthy it is, and how many parts it made, leads to a second question, can you mount on the motor itself, which splits again: yes leads to SenseAi Embedded, no leads to SenseAi. The right branch, a count of units as they pass a point, leads straight to BeamTracker. Two notes sit under the tree: needing both answers on the same equipment means using both devices, and the IFCR-150 router is a network choice rather than a device choice.What IoTFlows does before the box arrives
Devices arrive claimed and registered to your organization. IoTFlows also pairs each sensor to the machine it will report for, which is why nothing in the documentation describes a pairing flow. If you are unsure which unit belongs on which machine, contact support.
Your first hardware task is therefore mounting, not configuration. Unbox the device, put it where it can read the machine, power it, and get it on a network.