ALTA LTE-CCE-LTE 4G Cellular Gateway User Guide

: June 6, 2024
: ALTA

Table of Contents

ABOUT THE LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY
HOW YOUR GATEWAY WORKS
GATEWAY SECURITY
GATEWAY REGISTRATION
USING THE LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY
SUPPORT
WARRANTY INFORMATION
CERTIFICATIONS
Coverage Maps
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

ALTA LTE-CCE-LTE 4G Cellular Gateway User Guide

IMPORTANT!
For best results, please wait to power on your LTE Cellular Gateway until after you have registered an account on iMonnit and added your gateway and sensors to the online system.

ABOUT THE LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY

Monnit?s ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway allows you to control settings for your sensors without needing additional IT infrastructure. All you need is a power source to monitor your environment and equipment using Monnit?s industry- leading devices. The LTE Cellular Gateway communicates with sensors and iMonnit ® to deliver data alerting you to conditions in a surrounding area.

LTE Cellular Gateways operate utilizing 4G LTE CAT-M1/NB1 cellular technology. The LTE Cellular Gateway is a specialized device with an incredible range. This advanced wireless IoT (Internet of Things) gateway accommodates multiple vertical IoT application segments and remote wireless sensor management solutions. Your gateway is equipped with the 24-hour backup battery.* Monnit Wireless ALTA Sensors will continue to communicate with iMonnit via cellular transmission in the event of a power outage. The LTE Cellular Gateway is ideal for applications without an existing wired Internet connection or where existing infrastructure is dedicated to other resources.

Actual time may vary depending on usage.

ALTA LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY FEATURES

Wireless range of 1,200+ feet through 12+ walls *
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
Improved interference immunity
Encrypt-RF ® Security (Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange + AES-128 CBC for sensor data messages)
Up to 30,000 sensor message memory
Over-the-air updates (future proof)
True plug & play? no hassles for Internet configuration set-up **
No PC required for operation
Low-cost cellular service packages
Local status LEDs with transmission and online status indicators
24-hour battery backup in event of power outage

Actual range may vary depending on environment.

When paired with a Monnit data plan.

EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS

Remote Location Monitoring
Shipping and Transportation
Agricultural Monitoring
Vacant Property Management
Vacation Home Property Management
Construction Site Monitoring
Data Center Monitoring

HOW YOUR GATEWAY WORKS

Your ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway manages communication between your sensors and iMonnit. When running, the gateway will periodically transmit data on a heartbeat. The gateway will store information received from sensors until its next heartbeat.

The ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway is a cellular gateway. It uses cellular towers to relay data received from sensors to iMonnit. Sensors communicate with the gateway, then the gateway relays information to the cloud.

For your wireless sensors to work optimally, orient all antennas for your sensor(s) and gateway(s) the same direction (typically vertical). Sensors must also be at least three feet away from other sensors and the wireless gateway in order to function properly.

GATEWAY SECURITY

The ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway has been designed and built to securely manage data from sensors monitoring your environment and equipment. Hacking from botnets are in the headlines, Monnit Corporation has taken extreme measures to ensure your data security is handled with the utmost care and attention to detail. The same methods utilized by financial institutions to transmit data are also used in Monnit security infrastructure. Security features of the gateway include tamper proof network interfaces, data encryption, and bank- grade security.

Monnit?s proprietary sensor protocol uses low transmit power and specialized radio equipment to transmit application data. Wireless devices listening on open communication protocols cannot eavesdrop on sensors. Packet level encryption and verification is key to ensuring traffic isn?t altered between sensors and gateways. Paired with best-in-class range and power consumption protocol, all data is transmitted securely from your devices. Thereby ensuring a smooth, worry-free, experience.

SENSOR COMMUNICATION SECURITY

The ALTA LTE gateway is designed to prevent prying eyes from accessing the data that is stored on the sensors. The ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway does not run on an off the shelf multi-function OS (operating system). Instead it runs a purpose specific real-time embedded state machine that cannot be hacked to run malicious processes. There are also no active interface listeners that can be used to gain access to the device over the network. The fortified gateway secures your data from attackers and secures the gateway from becoming a relay for malicious programs.

SERVER COMMUNICATION SECURITY

Communication between your ALTA LTE Cellular Gateway and iMonnit is secured by packet level encryption. Similar to the security between the sensors and gateway, the gateway and server also establish a unique key using ECDH-256 for encrypting data. The packet level data is encrypted end to end removing additional requirements to configure specialized cellular VPN?s. The gateway can still operate within a VPN if it is present. Because all traffic is initiated from the gateway there is no special IP configuration needed for the gateway allowing it to operate with any 4G LTE CAT-M1/NB1 enabled SIM provider.

GATEWAY REGISTRATION

If this is your first time using the iMonnit online portal, you will need to create a new account. If you have already created an account, start by logging in. For instructions on how to register for an iMonnit account, please consult the iMonnit User Guide.

REGISTERING THE GATEWAY

You will need to enter the Device ID and the Security Code from your LTE Cellular Gateway in the corresponding text boxes. Use the camera on your smartphone to scan the QR code on your Gateway. If you do not have a camera on your phone, or you are accessing the online portal through a desktop computer, you may enter the Device ID and Security Code manually.

The Device ID is a unique number located on each device label.
Next you?ll be asked to enter the Security Code (SC) on your device. A security code will be all letters, no numbers. It can also be found on the barcode label of your gateway.

When completed, select the ?Submit?button.

IMPORTANT: Add the gateway and all sensors to the iMonnit portal so that on boot, the gateway can download and whitelist the sensors from the account.

USING THE LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY

USING THE LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY

Connect your antennas to the gateway as seen in the below diagram.
Plug the power supply cord into an outlet.
After the three LED lights switch to green, your network is ready to use.

UNDERSTANDING THE GATEWAY LIGHTS

The gateway will enter three stages as it powers on:

Power-on stage: The gateway will analyze electronics and programming. The LED lights will flash red and green, before all becoming green for one second. In case of failure, the light sequence will repeat after ten seconds. Please contact technical support if the lights aren?t green after two minutes.

Connection stage: The gateway will attempt to settle all operational connections. As the gateway first connects to the network, all other lights will be dark. A blinking green light indicates the gateway is attempting to make a tower connection. A flashing red light is a signal the cellular connection has encountered a problem.

Operational stage: All of the lights will remain green while powered externally, unless there is an issue. A blinking cellular link light is a signal that the gateway has encountered an issue in the cellular network.

Steady Green: Communication with sensors is OK.
Blinking Green: Active communication with sensors.
Steady Red: Sensor communication problem.
Steady Green: Last communication with Monnit?s server was OK.
Blinking Green: Active communication with Monnit?s server
Steady Red: Last communication with Monnit?s server was unsuccessful.
Steady Green: Connected to the cellular network
Triple Blinking Green: Cellular Network Offline
Double Blinking Green: Scanning for Tower
Single Blinking Green: Activating Data Session
Blinking Green / Red: Low cellular signal
Blinking Red: Cellular connection error

If your gateway is running off battery power or the device has been switched to a low power mode, all lights are off. The sensor data light will blink green when data is received by the gateway. The internet server light will blink every five seconds the status of the last connection. If the light is green, the communication was good. If the light is red, the communication failed.

LTE CELLULAR GATEWAY SETTINGS

The LTE Cellular Gateway will receive data from all sensors assigned to the network and within range, then return this data to the server in a series of heartbeats.

You can access gateway settings by selecting ?Gateways?in the main navigation panel. Choose the LTE Cellular Gateway from the list of gateways registered to your account. Select the ?Settings?tab to edit the gateway:

A. The Gateway Name field is where you assign your gateway a unique title. By default, the gateway name will be the type followed by the Device ID.
B. The Heartbeat Minutes configures the interval that the gateway checks in with the server. The default is fifteen minutes. So every fifteen minutes your gateway will report to the server.
C. The Global System for Mobile Communications utilizes a fifteen digit IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) number as the primary mode to identify the country, mobile network, and subscriber. It is formatted as MCC- MNC-MSIN. MCC is the Mobile Country Code. MNC is the Mobile Network Code attached to the cellular network. MSIN is a serial number making the IMSI unique to a subscriber.
D. The ICCID is the nineteen-digit unique identification number corresponding to the cellular SIM card. It is possible to change the information contained on a SIM (including the IMSI), but the identity of the SIM itself remains the same.
E. IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a number exclusive to your LTE Cellular Gateway to identify the gateway to the cell tower. The Global System for Mobile Communications network stores the IMEI numbers in their database (EIR – Equipment Identity Register) containing all valid cellular equipment.
F. The Poll Rate Minute setting only applies if you are using Monnit Control or Monnit Local Alert. Here?s how it works: to conserve cellular data, your gateway has a set heartbeat (meaning it only exchanges data with the iMonnit server once every fifteen minutes by default). If you are using Monnit Control or Monnit Local Alert, you may want to control equipment or receive local alerts more frequently. If you were to increase your gateway heartbeat, you would increase your data usage substantially.
Setting a poll rate allows your gateway to check for priority incoming messages more frequently? while using a fraction of the data of a regular message exchange. Your gateway asks the iMonnit server if there are any priority incoming messages, and if there are, they are exchanged immediately. If not, no messages are exchanged until your gateway has its next regular heartbeat.
G. Force Transmit on Aware means that if the sensors reach an aware state outside of the heartbeat interval, the gateway will immediately relay that data to the server instead of waiting the extra time it would take to reach the next heartbeat minute.

Commands

Choose the bullet for Commands located just under the Settings title to access the commands page.

A. Selecting the Reform Network command will trigger the gateway to remove all sensors from the internal whitelist, and then request a new sensor list from the server. This command will force all sensors to reinitialize their connection with the gateway.
Reforming the network cleans up communication when multiple networks are in range of each other so they are all in sync. This is especially useful if you must move sensors to a new network, and would like to clear these sensors from the gateway?s internal list. Reforming the network will place a new list of sensors that will continue to exchange data.
B. If there are updates available for your gateway firmware, the Update Gateway Firmware button will appear, giving you the option to select it and install the latest firmware.
C. Choosing the Reset Gateway to Factory Defaults button will erase all your unique settings and return the gateway to factory default settings.

SUPPORT

For technical support and troubleshooting tips please visit our support library online at monnit.com/support/. If you are unable to solve your issue using our online support, email Monnit support at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of the problem, and a support representative will call you within one business day.

For error reporting, please email a full description of the error to [email protected].

WARRANTY INFORMATION

(a) Monnit warrants that Monnit-branded products (Product) will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of delivery with respect to hardware and will materially conform to their published specifications for a period of one (1) year with respect to software. Monnit may resell sensors manufactured by other entities and are subject to their individual warranties; Monnit will not enhance or extend those warranties. Monnit does not warrant that the software or any portion thereof is error free. Monnit will have no warranty obligation with respect to Products subjected to abuse, misuse, negligence or accident. If any software or firmware incorporated in any Product
fails to conform to the warranty set forth in this section, Monnit shall provide a bug fix or software patch correcting such non-conformance within a reasonable period after Monnit receives from customer (i) notice of such non- conformance, and (ii) sufficient information regarding such non-conformance so as to permit Monnit to create such bug fix or software patch. If any hardware component of any Product fails to conform to the warranty in this section, Monnit shall, at its option, refund the purchase price less any discounts, or repair or replace nonconforming Products with conforming Products, or Products having substantially identical form, fit, and function and deliver the repaired or replacement
Product to a carrier for land shipment to customer within a reasonable period after Monnit receives from customer (i) notice of such non-conformance, and (ii) the non-conforming Product provided; however, if, in its opinion, Monnit cannot repair or replace on commercially reasonable terms it may choose to refund the purchase price. Repair parts and replacement Products may be reconditioned or new. All replacement Products and parts become the property of Monnit. Repaired or replacement Products shall be subject to the warranty, if any remains, originally applicable to the Product repaired or replaced. Customer must obtain from Monnit a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA) prior to returning any Products to Monnit. Products returned under this warranty must be unmodified.

Customer may return all Products for repair or replacement due to defects in original materials and workmanship if Monnit is notified within one year of customer?s receipt of the Product. Monnit reserves the right to repair or replace Products at its own and complete discretion. Customer must obtain from Monnit a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA) prior to returning any Products to Monnit. Products returned under this Warranty must be unmodified and in original packaging. Monnit reserves the right to refuse warranty repairs or replacements for any Products that are damaged or not in original form. For Products outside the one year warranty period repair services are available at Monnit at standard labor rates for a period of one year from the customer?s original date of receipt.

(b) As a condition to Monnit?s obligations under the immediately preceding paragraphs, customer shall return Products to be examined and replaced to Monnit?s facilities, in shipping cartons which clearly display a valid RMA number provided by Monnit. Customer acknowledges that replacement Products may be repaired, refurbished or tested and found to be complying. Customer shall bear the risk of loss for such return shipment and shall bear all shipping costs. Monnit shall deliver replacements for Products determined by Monnit to be properly returned.

(c) Monnit?s sole obligation under the warranty described or set forth here shall be to repair or replace non-conforming Products as set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, or to refund the documented purchase price for non-conforming Products to customer. Monnit?s warranty obligations shall run solely to customer, and Monnit shall have no obligation to customers of customer or other users of the products.

Limitation of Warranty and Remedies.

THE WARRANTY SET FORTH HEREIN IS THE ONLY WARRANTY APPLICABLE TO PRODUCTS PURCHASED BY CUSTOMER. ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. MONNIT?S LIABILITY WHETHER IN CONTRACT, IN TORT, UNDER ANY WARRANTY, IN NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID BY CUSTOMER FOR THE PRODUCT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL MONNIT BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. THE PRICE STATED FOR THE PRODUCTS IS A CONSIDERATION IN LIMITING MONNIT?S LIABILITY. NO ACTION, REGARDLESS OF FORM, ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE BROUGHT BY CUSTOMER MORE THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION HAS ACCRUED.

IN ADDITION TO THE WARRANTIES DISCLAIMED ABOVE, MONNIT SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY AND WARRANTIES, IMPLIED OR EXPRESSED, FOR USES REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE PERFORMANCE IN WHICH FAILURE OF A PRODUCT COULD LEAD TO DEATH, SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LIFE SUPPORT OR MEDICAL DEVICES OR NUCLEAR APPLICATIONS. PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR AND SHOULD NOT BE USED IN ANY OF THESE APPLICATIONS.

CERTIFICATIONS

United States FCC

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Warning: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Monnit could void the user?s authority to operate the equipment.

RF Exposure

WARNING: To satisfy FCC RF exposure requirements for mobile transmitting devices, the antenna used for this transmitter must not be co-located in conjunction with any antenna or transmitter.

Monnit and ALTA Cellular Gateways:

This equipment complies with the radiation exposure limits prescribed for an uncontrolled environment for fixed and mobile use conditions. This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 23 cm between the radiator and the body of the user or nearby persons.

All ALTA Wireless Sensors and Gateways Contain FCC ID: ZTL-G2SC1.

Approved Antennas

ALTA devices have been designed to operate with an approved antenna listed below, and having a maximum gain of 14 dBi. Antennas having a gain greater than 14 dBi are strictly prohibited for use with this device. The required antenna impedance is 50 ohms.

Xianzi XQZ-900E (5 dBi Dipole Omnidirectional)
HyperLink HG908U-PRO (8 dBi Fiberglass Omnidirectional)
HyperLink HG8909P (9 dBd Flat Panel Antenna)
HyperLink HG914YE-NF (14 dBd Yagi)
Specialized Manufacturing MC-ANT-20/4.0C (1 dBi 4?whip)

Monnit 4G LTE International Cellular Gateway models starting with MNG2-9 -LTE-CCE and MNG2-9-ELTE-CCE also contain module: FCC ID: XPY2AGQN4NNN

The system antenna(s) used with the device must not exceed the following levels:

3.67 dBi in 700 MHz, i.e. LTE FDD-12 band
10 dBi in 850 MHz, i.e. LTE FDD-5 band
6.74 dBi in 1700 MHz, i.e. LTE FDD-4 band
7.12 dBi in 1900 MHz, i.e. LTE FDD-2 band

Canada (IC)

Under Industry Canada regulations, this radio transmitter may only operate using an antenna of a type and maximum (or lesser) gain approved for the transmitter by Industry Canada. To reduce potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its gain should be so chosen that the Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (E.I.R.P.) is not more than that necessary for successful communication.

The radio transmitters (IC: 9794A-RFSC1, IC: 9794A-G2SC1, IC: 4160a-CNN0301, IC: 5131A-CE910DUAL, IC: 5131A-HE910NA, IC: 5131A-GE910 and IC: 8595A2AGQN4NNN) have been approved by Industry Canada to operate with the antenna types listed on previous page with the maximum permissible gain and required antenna impedance for each antenna type indicated. Antenna types not included in this list, having a gain greater than the maximum gain indicated for that type, are strictly prohibited for use with this device.

This device complies with Industry Canada licence-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

European Union – Directive 1999/5/EC

Monnit and ALTA 2G, 3G and 4G LTE International Cellular Gateways have been evaluated against the essential requirements of the 1999/5/EC Directive.

Hereby, Monnit Corp., declares that Monnit and ALTA International 2G, 3G and 4G LTE International Cellular Gateways are in compliance with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC.

In order to satisfy the essential requirements of 1999/5/EC Directive, Monnit and ALTA 2G, 3G and 4G LTE International Cellular Gateways are compliant with the following standards:

EN 60950-1:2006 +A11:2009, +A1:2010
+A12:2011, +A2:2013/IEC 60950-1:2005
EN 62311: 2008| Electrical Safety RED Article 3.1a
---|---
EN 301 489-1 V1.9.2 (2011-09)
EMC/ RED Article 3.1b
EN 301 489-3 V1.4.1 (2002-08)
EN 301 489-7 V1.3.1
EN 301 511 V9.0.2| EMC/ RED Article 3.1b

ETSI EN 300 220-2 V3.1.1 (2017-02)| RF spectrum Efficiency RED Article 3.2

The conformity assessment procedure referred to in Article 10 and detailed in Annex IV of Directive 1999/5/EC has been followed with the involvement of the following Testing Body.

Testing Body:
NEMKO CANADA INC
303 River Road
Ottawa, ON, Canada

Manufacturer:
Monnit Corp.
3400 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

There is no restriction for the commercialisation of Monnit and ALTA 868MHz and 433MHz wireless products in all the countries of the European Union.

WARNING: ISM and WCDMA/HSPA/GSM/GPRS/EDGE antennas are considered integral to the Monnit International Cellular Gateway and should remain fixed with 3 meters of the device during operation.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

READ CAREFULLY

Be sure the use of this product is allowed in the country and in the environment required. The use of this product may be dangerous and has to be avoided in the following areas:

Where it can interfere with other electronic devices in environments such as hospitals airports, aircrafts, etc.
Where there is risk of explosion such as gasoline stations, oil refineries, etc.

It is responsibility of the user to enforce the country regulation and the specific environment regulation.

Do not disassemble the product; any mark of tampering will compromise the warranty validity. We recommend following the instructions of this user guide for correct setup and use of the product.

Please handle the product with care, avoiding any dropping and contact with the internal circuit board as electrostatic discharges may damage the product itself. The same precautions should be taken if manually inserting a SIM card, checking carefully the instruction for its use. Do not insert or remove the SIM when the product is in power saving mode.

Every device has to be equipped with a proper antenna with specific characteristics. The antenna has to be installed with care in order to avoid any interference with other electronic devices and has to guarantee a minimum distance from the body (23 cm). In case this requirement cannot be satisfied, the system integrator has to assess the final product against the SAR regulation.

The European Community provides some Directives for the electronic equipments introduced on the market. All the relevant information?s is available on the European Community website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/documents/

The text of the Directive 99/05 regarding telecommunication equipments is available, while the applicable Directives (Low Voltage and EMC) are available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/electrical

Additional Information and Support

For additional information or more detailed instructions on how to use your Monnit Wireless Sensors or the iMonnit Online System, please visit us on the web.