After my the discovered problems with reliability of the logged data (regarding support the data a stored “compressed” by an unrevealed method), the recommendation is to utilize an IBS-M1 gateway to get access to uncompressed data.
Now reading about this gateway in manuals and in the forum, I noticed that there are two different revisions of the IBS-M1 gateway, that are not easy to tell apart, as the have the same model number. To tell them apart you have look an the Inkbird print on the device (blue or grey).
Now I have a questions to the the storage of data:
1.) Where is the “real logged” data stored (device, gateway, cloud-account) and how/when is promoted forward?
2.) If the data is directly transferred to the cloud, why is there a limit at all?
And also to the connection of devices:
One support statement tells, that one sensor can be connected to two gateways at the same time. Is this true?
How can data promoted from the sensor to one gateway also be promoted via the other?
How long does data stay on the sensor device itself?
Can the Engbird app directly connecting to the sensors be used in parallel with the use of the same sensor via the IBS-M1 gateway(s)?
Hello,
The data acquired by IBS-M1 will be stored inside IBS-M1 and uploaded to the cloud of the corresponding account. Because the IBS-M1 itself has a storage limit, it has a data quantity limit.
If you don’t want a limit, perhaps you could consider the IBS-M2, which is a new release. The IBS-M2 has no internal storage, it uploads data directly to the cloud, so there is no limit to the amount of data it uploads, and the data can be stored for one year. However, please note that it can only be connected to a maximum of 9 sensors.
For the sensor IBS-TH1 PLUS, which can be connected to 2 gateways at the same time, it can store up to 30,000 data points, the storage time depends on the set time interval. It can be connected directly to the Engbird app to view the data or connected to the INKBIRD app through a gateway to view data.
If the IBS-M1 has a storage itself, how much is it and does this apply to each linked device or is it a total common storage space for all linked devices?
Since I have bought one of rev2, it looks as if historic data can be deleted per device.
looking at the architecture, it seems that uploading to the cloud is not a must. I wonder what happens if the internet connection breaks (or is intentionally not present, because the device is offsite)?
Will the data still be collected inside the IBS-M1, as long as it stays close to the “linked” devices?
Will it be accessible after the IBS-M1 is brought back to WiFi coverage?
When starting up the IBS-M1, it had to be linked to my account and my home WiFi. However the 4 IBS-TH1 Plus devices have been listed automatically in the IBS-M1 part. So it seems that there is no real “link” between the gateway and the T/H sensor, but the IBS-M1 is just reading the BT advertisement data which are sent automatically by the BLE devices. Consequently there should be no limit of IBS-M1 - simply as it forwards all visible identifiable device data - even if these devices would not be my own, but of my neighbor.
I will now compare the T/H logs received either directly via Engbird app or stored from IBS-M1 from the read BLE data.
The IBS-M1 (blue INKBIRD logo) can connect up to 50 sensors, and it can store 30,000 data points for each sensor.
If the internet connection breaks, but the gateway is connected to power and remains connected to the sensor, it will continue to record data from the sensor. It will re-upload the data when the internet is reconnected.
IBS-M1 will automatically search for surrounding sensor signals and connect automatically. If there are other sensors around it, it might connect.
My questions were around the obvious fact that during power outage nothing happens. When testing the scenario, It seems that after return of power, the devices get identified back to their original names and settings and logging continues from the moment of re-discovery. The time during power outage does not log anything, as the IBS-M1 just listens to what the T/H sensors are broadcasting and it does not have access to the internal memory of the T/H sensors like e.g. the Engbird app has.
Can I please question this
The IBS-M1 Gateway can only connect to 6 devices and not 50?
The IBS-TH1 (Temp probe) is both Wifi and Bluetooth using the IBS-M1 app from the App Store (iOS)
When the probe is out of range of the gateway it continues to collect data and when it returns to range the data is then uploaded to the app on request. Only the Bluetooth data that was collected out of range is kept and displayed in the App… the Wifi data is lost fro the period when out of range.
Hello,
The IBS-M1 comes in two versions.
The first generation IBS-M1 (INKBIRD logo is gray) can connect up to 4 sensors.
The second generation IBS-M1 (INKBIRD logo is blue) can connect up to 50 sensors.
IBS-TH1 itself only supports Bluetooth connection. If used with a gateway, it can achieve WIFI connection function.
Both IBS-TH1 and IBS-M1 have data storage functions. Therefore, the IBS-TH1 itself logs data and even if it is out of range of the gateway, it can store the data, and read the history via Bluetooth connection.
IBS-M1 needs to connect to IBS-TH1 to obtain its data for storage, so if their connection is disconnected, the data of IBS-TH1 is not uploaded to IBS-M1, and IBS-M1 will not record the data during this period.
I use the IBS-TH1 Plus and IBS-M1 (new) devices for almost a year and they serve their purposes well enough when you know about their limitations.
The IBS-M1 serves as a “cloud listener” for all availble BLE devices it recognizes. It stores what it hears and forwards to cloud if connection there is available. There is no sync for past data if the M1 device was out of power, but as long as it has power it listens and stores up to the per-device limit.
Sadly it will delete all cloud data for linked devices if it discovers a change of logging period. Usually I do not want to change the logging period of the IBS-TH1 Plus, but this is the only way to clean up the buffer. I had suggested to improve that (e.g. by supplying an “Clean up Buffer” button) but it was not done yet.
This leads to the specifiy IBS-TH1 Plus problems:
The logging interval is incorrect as it stores only each 10th “real” datapoint and extrapolates the ones between when storing that interval.
It is also not precise in length and for long logging periods the starting point of a log is “moving” as it calculated backwards when reading out the buffer. The difference is not big, but for my case (30 seconds) the difference makes up a few minutes for a full log of roughly ten days:
real start: 2023-09-24 15:09:30
calculated: 2023-09-24 14:54:00
The 4 IBS-TH1 Plus devices vary a little in the precision but when you read out the logs right after you started them, you get a real timestamp for the start of the log. Reading out the logs 10 days later will reveal the shifted startpoint. With some excel post-processing you can get the data aligned back to the real time values, especially as you can only use each 10-th datapoint for real data.
Thank you for that clarification.
I now have a TH3 working perfectly on my Wi-Fi. The device is very helpful.
Do you sell a device with the same Wi-Fi capabilities that has a probe like the TH1?
