The At a Glance (AAG) page acts like a dashboard, giving you quick access to vital information through modules. The first time you access BEACON, it opens in a default module layout. You can customize that layout to suit your needs, for example, positioning the modules that you use most frequently at the top of the page or removing modules that you do not use often.
BEACON automatically remembers the new layout, so that the next time you login to BEACON the AAG page will appear as you customized it. Custom AAG layouts are user-specific–no one but you will see your customized layout. The AAG page layout is the only customizable page layout in BEACON.
To reposition a module:
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- Mouse-over the title bar in the module you want to move. A drag pointer appears.
- Drag and drop the module from its current position to the new one. Notice when the module moves away from its location, a placeholder remains until you drop the module into place. In addition, modules automatically shuffle to accommodate the move.
- To remove a module, click the X in the module’s upper right corner.
- Mouse-over the title bar in the module you want to move. A drag pointer appears.
To add or remove modules:
- Click the Add/Remove button located below the search bar.
- In the popup menu, do one of the following:
- Click the Add button for the module(s) you want to add.
- Click the Add All button.
Each module on the AAG page performs a specific task. Health modules report issues and exceptions for each device and gateway in your water system. Status modules let you see at a glance essential consumption details and trends, get billing reads and learn about new features in BEACON.
How BEACON Calculates the Numbers in AAG Modules
Most of the modules on the AAG page aggregate data, displaying system water usage or device and event counts. Your water meters, encoder registers and endpoints along with network gateways are considered devices. Events are conditions that happen to or are detected by devices, for example, alarms, exceptions, flow anomalies, tampers and movement errors.
The difference between counting devices and events has important implications when comparing counts between AAG modules and counts on the Monitor and Assets pages. Counts on the Device Health, Flow Health, Gateway Health and Valve Health modules are based on the total number of events, whereas the Monitor page counts the total number of meters and the Assets page totals the number of endpoints. Additionally, when the Flow Health module sees no recent flow on both the low- and high-sides of a compound meter, each is included in the count.
On the Valve Status module, E-Series Ultrasonic Plus meters with integrated valves can be both pending and one of open, partially open or closed. A single valve can also have any number of exceptions. As a result, it is normal for the total number of valves and the total number of exceptions to be different. Similarly, any given device might experience more than one event at a time. Hence, the number of events listed in an AAG health module will not always match the number of corresponding meters shown on the Monitor page. For example, if the Device Health module shows x-number of Endpoint Alarms, clicking the Endpoint Alarm arrow to view the corresponding meters might display less meters, because one or more meters may have multiple alarms.
Leak detected totals in the Flow Health module and Export Data Service API counts will also differ. That is because Flow Health module Leak detected totals only count leaks of 1 gallon or more per hour in a 24-hour period. Export Data Service API leak exports include meters with leaks of less than 1 gallon per hour or more of flow for 24 consecutive hours.
How BEACON Calculates “Weekly” Usage
The System Water Usage, Favorites and Top Accounts By Usage (Weekly) modules look back seven days from the last flow message received to calculate “weekly” usage. In addition, the Top Accounts By Usage (Weekly) module counts usage per account, whereas the Favorites module and Monitor page cards display usage per meter. Flow from meters with a Service_Point_Type of Sewer is excluded from counts in the System Water Usage, Favorites and Top Accounts By Usage (Weekly) modules. When DMA zones have been implemented, System Water Usage and Top Accounts By Usage only count Supply Meters. If a meter serves as a Demand meter in one zone and a Supply meter in another zone, its consumption is not included.
This health module gives utilities a snapshot of the number and percentage of devices–endpoints, encoders and meters–reporting with and without issues. Use the drop-down menu to examine all devices or the devices you have marked as Favorites. Scroll up and down using the gray elevator bar on the right-hand side of the module.
Click an arrow to get details and see the meter cards of endpoints reporting the following exceptions:
Endpoint Tamper – An exception triggered by a break in communication between an endpoint and an encoder. Typically occurs when the wire between the meter and endpoint has been cut or disconnected. After connection is re-established, the tamper will clear.
Endpoint Alarms – A range of conditions are reported under this status indicator, including:
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- Endpoint Low Battery (indicates low battery strength, replace endpoint to correct the condition)
- Endpoint Reading Changed (indicates when a reading on an RTR encoder connected to an ORION ME or ORION SE endpoint has been changed or altered)
- Endpoint Forced Transmission (indicates network transmission has been forced from a GALAXY TR3 endpoint)
- Endpoint Programmed (a notification that endpoint parameters have been changed, the notification will last 35 days)
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Meter/Encoder Alarms – A range of conditions are collected and reported under this status indicator, including:
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- Meter/Encoder Programmed (set when meter/encoder parameters have been changed)
- Meter/Encoder End of Life (tripped when the system detects low battery strength)
- Encoder Removal (set when an encoder is detached from its meter)
- Meter/Encoder Temperature (a warning triggered when operating temperature approaches its limits)
- Encoder Magnet Tamper (indicates the presence of a powerful magnet that is preventing accurate readings)
- Meter Exceeding Max Flow (indicates flow so high that the meter cannot obtain accurate readings)
- Meter Sensor Error (indicates a problem with the sensor that is preventing accurate readings from being obtained)
- Meter Empty Pipe (triggered when there is no water in the pipe, a condition that prevents accurate readings from being obtained.)
- Encoder Dial Changed (indicates the encoder has detected an encoder dial change)
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See Health Module Status Indicators for more on exceptions and alarms.
Encoder Communication Errors – Triggered when BEACON receives data from an encoder but a reading cannot be obtained. This could indicate an encoder malfunction or that the dial is temporarily stuck. The condition automatically clears when a new reading is obtained.
This module provides a snapshot of endpoint communication. Use the drop-down menu to examine all endpoints, endpoints marked as Favorites, and filter by endpoint type.
Use the Communication Tolerance drop-down menu to look back a selected amount of time. Click an arrow to get details and see the meter cards of locations reporting:
No Recent Endpoint Communication – An alert set when a networked endpoint has not communicated successfully with BEACON within the Communication Tolerance time. Clears when communication is re-established.
This health module provides an overview of the flow anomalies in your water system. Use the drop-down menu to graph all of the AMI and AMR meters reporting flow anomalies or the endpoints you have marked as Favorites.
Click an arrow to get details and see the meter cards of locations reporting:
No recent flow – For AMI meters, no flow detected during the past 72 hours. For AMR meters, includes meters with No Usage for more than 30 days. The alert clears with usage.
Leak detected – For AMI meters, indicates flow of one gallon or more has been detected every hour in the 24-hours prior to the time the endpoint communicated with BEACON. Clears when a zero-flow read is received in a 24-hour period. For AMR meters, counts alerts sent by the endpoint to the mobile reading device. Once the leak is corrected, the alert clears the next time data is collected from the endpoint.
Backflow – For AMI meters, a condition in which reverse water flow has been reported in the past 30 days. Clears when no backflow is detected for 30 consecutive days. For AMR meters, a flag set when reverse flow is detected. For both AMI and AMR meters, backflow of less than 1 gallon will not trigger an alert.
NOTE: On meter cards, total backflow volume for the past 30 days is cumulative. If a compound meter is involved, the total includes backflows across all encoder registers at that location service point. Backflow is detected by the encoder as well as by BEACON.
Continuous flow – Indicates locations that the utility has tagged as places where water runs continuously on purpose. For example, manufacturing facilities and cooling towers.
NOTE: AMR meters tagged as Continuous Flow will only be included in the Continuous Flow count if the meter leak flag has been triggered, indicating that continuous flow is present.
This module reports the number and percentage of gateways reporting with and without issues.
Click an arrow to get details and see gateways reporting:
Attempting Connection – Counts network gateways trying to establish communications with BEACON AMA.
Never Connected – Counts network gateways in your inventory that have never been connected to the system.
Disconnected – Counts network gateways that have been disconnected from the system.
Inactive – Counts network gateways that have been marked as Inactive.
This module processes read data captured by networked and manually read meters and lets you create a file that can be passed to your billing software. The Billing Reads module also shows network and manually read meters that have current billing reads available and meters that are missing reads current billing reads.
Hover your cursor over the Billing Read title bar to access the Module Settings Menu, and click it to open the Default Billing Reads Settings menu.
Use the drop-down menus in the Default Billing Read Settings menu to set the default Network and Manual/AMR read tolerances. That is, the number of days the system looks back from the billing date to find a billing read. Click Ok when finished to save any changes. Click Cancel to retain the previous settings.
Click Get Billing Read, and if desired use the drop-down menus to change Network and Manual Read Tolerances. Click Ok when finished to save the settings. Click Cancel to return to the previous setting.
If desired, enter a Billing Read Date, which defaults to “today.”
Use the Read Time Tolerance drop-down if you want to change the default tolerance, that is the number of days that the system will look back from the Billing Read Date to find a billing read.
Note: The Billing Upload File option (step 3) is enabled and visible when the utility export type is set to Configured. It is disabled and not shown when the utility export type is set to Default. Export type is determined by Badger Meter personnel during the initial utility onboarding process.
The Billing Upload File function locates and uploads the last uploaded Data Exchange file and appends billing reads to this file. For detailed instructions, see Exporting Billing Reads.
Click Get Billing Read to initiate the export process. When the operation completes, click Download Billing File to download the file to your computer.
This module displays the average temperature, freeze risk, and high freeze risk of meters with sensors.
Hover your cursor over one of the dots to see the average temperature on a given day. Click an arrow to get details and see the meter cards of locations reporting:
Medium Freeze Risk – when the temperature reaches 37.04 degrees F or 2.8 degrees C.
High Freeze Risk – when the temperature reaches 34.88 degrees F or 1.6 degrees C.
This module displays water pressure statistics of meters with sensors.
Hover your cursor over one of the dots to see the average water pressure on a different day. Click an arrow to get details and see the meter cards of locations reporting:
High Pressure – when water pressure reaches or exceeds 130 PSI.
Low Pressure – when water pressure is less than 20 PSI.
See aggregated flow data displayed as a trend in this module. Compare this week’s overall consumption with the previous week’s overall consumption data.
NOTE: This metric is calculated from networked meters only.
This module displays water usage for service locations designated as favorites on their Monitor page Meter Cards.
Click an arrow to get more details by viewing the favorite’s meter card on the Monitor page.
Top Accounts by Usage (Weekly)
This module lists the Top 25 accounts, ranked by weekly consumption.
Click an arrow to get more details by viewing the meter card on the Monitor page.
Click the up-down triangles next to each category to reverse the order.
Valve Status
This module provides an overview of the E-Series Ultrasonic Plus meters with integrated valves in your system. See the number of valves in the Open, Partial and Closed position and see pending valve movements.
Click an arrow to jump to the Monitor page and view the related meter cards for valves that are:
- Open–Normal water flow.
- Partial–Reduced water flow (0.35 gpm, typical flow based on 60 psi at the meter).
- Restricted–Restricted water flow suitable for humanitarian, life-sustaining measures (0.125 gpm or less, typical flow based on 60 psi at the meter).
- Pending–a valve movement change has been scheduled.
Any valve can be both Pending movement and one of Open, Partial or Restricted.
Get contact details for Badger Meter Technical support in this module.
Click the Connect Now button to access the Badger Meter remote support site, which allows Technical Support to connect to your computer remotely.
