Bluetooth low energy
Utility Cloud offers the ability to pair with multiple Bluetooth Low Energy devices through a workflow field. With this enabled through the workflow, anyone with a supported device can quickly pull in readings from their Bluetooth devices instead of manually entering data.
Enabling a workflow for Bluetooth
Through the Workflow Class Builder page, you can enable number type workflow fields to pair to specific Bluetooth Low Energy devices.
- From the Workflow Class Search, search for and select the workflow you wish to enable for Bluetooth usage.
- From the Workflow Class Builder, create a new number field or select an existing number field to edit.
- When editing the field, select Bluetooth Enabled.
- Select Device Type and Device Reading, then select Ok.
- When you're finished making any other edits to the workflow, select Save.
Bluetooth low energy settings
A Bluetooth-enabled number field behaves otherwise the same as any number field with a required minimum, maximum, and step. The below additional settings are specifically relevant to Bluetooth-enabled fields:
- Device Type (required): the device the field is configured to read from. Currently only Hose Monster's Smart Monster and Range Extender devices are supported with the Hose Monster option.
- Device Reading (required): the reading to be pulled into the field from the selected device.
- Group ID: an ID to represent fields that pull in readings from the same device. Once a device is paired to one field it will automatically pair with all other fields of the same Group ID.
Security Rights Required: View Workflows; Edit Workflows
Using Bluetooth devices with a workflow
Once a workflow is configured with at least one Bluetooth-enabled field, you can pair a device to that field and read values from the device directly to your workflow.
- When completing any Bluetooth-enabled workflow, select the Bluetooth () button.
- Select a device to pair.
- If you select a Smart Monster device, that device will pair immediately to the field you select and any other fields with the same Group ID.
- If you select a Range Extender device, you will be prompted to select any of the Smart Monster devices paired to that Range Extender.
- Repeat step 2 on as many other fields as required.
- Once a field is paired to a device, select the Play () button to read from that device. You can read to multiple fields at once as long as they don't have the same Group ID.
- Once finished reading from a device, select the Stop () button. If you are finished reading from all devices, select Stop All () instead.
- Enter any other required data in your workflow as normal, then select Save.
Validation for a field won't trigger until that field has stopped reading from a device.
If a field is not connected to a device it shows as below:
Once connected, it shows the name of the device it's connected to:
To disconnect any device, you can select the Disconnect () button on any currently-connected field.
If you're working on a Bluetooth-enabled workflow you don't need to enter values using a paired Bluetooth device. Any values can be entered into the field as if it were not Bluetooth-enabled, or values read from a Bluetooth device can be edited as usual once a reading has been stopped.
Security Rights Required: View Workflow Reports; Can Complete Work
Supported browsers/operating systems
Browser-based Bluetooth Low Energy is still a relatively new technology and only supported on some browsers and operating systems. If a browser doesn't support Bluetooth Low Energy then you'll see the following error message on any Bluetooth-enabled field:
Supported operating systems
Windows10
Mac OS
Chrome OS
Android 6.0 and higher
Supported browsers
Mac OS
Chrome
Windows 10:
Chrome 70 and higher
Edge 79 and higher
Android:
Chrome for Android 56 and higher