This reference describes the alert types you can choose when you create an Alert Rule. The alert type determines which condition can trigger an alert and whether the rule applies to Storage Units, Rooms, Monitors, or escalation alerts.
| Alert type | Triggers when | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold alert for Storage Unit | A Storage Unit has a temperature or humidity reading excursion, meaning a reading is outside its assigned Threshold Setting for longer than the threshold alert delay. | Storage Units |
| Threshold alert for Room | A Room has a temperature or humidity reading excursion, meaning a reading is outside its assigned Threshold Setting for longer than the threshold alert delay. | Rooms |
| Hardware error alert | A Monitor reports a hardware or configuration issue, such as a probe disconnection, sensor error, or configuration error. | Monitors and the Storage Units or Rooms they serve |
| Monitor offline alert | Temperature Monitoring stops receiving data from a Monitor. | Monitors and the Storage Units or Rooms they serve |
| Data out of sync alert | A Monitor has not synced its recorded data to Temperature Monitoring within the selected window of 7, 14, or 21 days. | Monitors and the Storage Units or Rooms they serve |
| Escalation | An original alert still needs attention after the wait time and trigger condition configured on another Alert Rule are met. | Escalation alerts assigned to a Group |
Conditions behind a hardware error alert
A hardware error alert covers several device conditions. These conditions are always on for the alert type. You don’t select them individually.
Hardware errors can affect whether a Monitor measures or reports readings as expected. Review hardware error alerts promptly so affected Storage Units or Rooms continue to have reliable monitoring coverage.
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| Probe disconnected | A probe has been disconnected, so no readings are reported from that probe. |
| Sensor error | The Monitor sensor reported an error, so readings may be unavailable or unreliable. |
| Configuration error | The Monitor configuration is invalid or incomplete, so the Monitor cannot measure or report as expected. |
For a sensor fault (the Sensor error condition, shown on the device as the Sensor failure status), see Troubleshooting: Sensor failure.
What causes a Monitor offline alert
A Monitor goes offline when Temperature Monitoring stops receiving data from it. This can happen if the Monitor loses power, the local network is unavailable, or gateway connectivity is interrupted.
Because Monitors send data through nearby gateways, a network or gateway issue can cause several Monitors to go offline at the same time.
The time before a Monitor is treated as offline is controlled by Advanced preferences, not by each Alert Rule.
What a Data out of sync alert means
A Monitor stores its readings locally and syncs them to Temperature Monitoring when it connects. A Data out of sync alert triggers when a Monitor has not synced its recorded data within the window you choose when you create the rule: 7, 14, or 21 days (the default is 7). It tells you a Monitor's stored readings are falling behind, even when recent readings are still arriving.
To clear the condition, synchronize the Monitor's data from Kio Setup Manager. See Synchronize a Monitor.
How escalation alerts work
The Escalation alert type is used to create an Escalation Alert Rule. An Escalation Alert Rule defines the Group that can acknowledge or resolve the escalation alert and how that Group is notified.
Creating an Escalation Alert Rule does not add escalation to any regular Alert Rule by itself. To use it, assign the Escalation Alert Rule to another Alert Rule and set when it should trigger.
See Create an Escalation Alert Rule and Add an escalation to an Alert Rule.
Notification channels
All alert types use the same notification options. You choose them in the Alert Rule’s Actions step.
| Channel | What it does |
|---|---|
| Temperature Monitoring Alerts list | Always on. Every triggered alert appears in the Temperature Monitoring Alerts list. |
| Sends a notification to one or more email addresses. Recipients don’t have to be Kio Cloud users. | |
| SMS text message | Sends a text message to one or more mobile phone numbers. |
| Webhook | Sends alert information to a configured third-party system. |
Reminders and escalations are available for all alert types.
- Reminders re-notify the same recipients while the alert remains unacknowledged or unresolved.
- Escalations notify additional people through a different Group when the alert still needs attention after a set amount of time.
How alert types relate to Threshold Settings
Threshold alerts depend on the Threshold Setting assigned to the Storage Unit or Room. The Threshold Setting defines the acceptable temperature or humidity range.
If no Threshold Setting is assigned, Temperature Monitoring has no range to compare readings against. As a result, no reading excursion is detected and threshold alerts can’t trigger.
Hardware error alerts, Monitor offline alerts, Data out of sync alerts, and escalation alerts don’t depend on a Threshold Setting.
A note on coverage
Each regular Alert Rule covers one alert type. To notify people for more than one condition, create a separate Alert Rule for each alert type. For example, to notify people about both Storage Unit reading excursions and Monitors going offline, create one threshold alert rule and one Monitor offline alert rule.
Escalation Alert Rules are different. They are created as reusable escalation rules, then assigned to the Alert Rules that should use them.