Glossary
The words we use, in plain terms
Short definitions of the maintenance, radio and alarm terms on this site, each with a link to the page where it matters.
Maintenance
- CMMS
- Short for computerised maintenance management system: software that holds your list of equipment, the work done on it and the work that is due. Powoflow does the job of a CMMS for a small maintenance team, with asset records, work orders and maintenance plans. Asset records and maintenance →
- Asset register
- The list of everything you own and look after, with one record for each item. In Powoflow each record sits under a site and a system, has an asset type, and carries its own work history, photos and files. Asset records →
- Work order
- The record of one job on one asset: who it is assigned to, the tasks, the time spent and who signed it off. It stays on the asset afterwards, so the next person can see what was done. Work orders →
- Preventive maintenance
- Maintenance done on a schedule, before something fails, rather than after it breaks. A service every three months is preventive. A repair after a breakdown is corrective. Maintenance plans →
- Maintenance plan
- A schedule for preventive maintenance on an asset. In Powoflow a plan is time-based: it raises the work order when the job falls due. Plans run on dates, and meter-based plans are not available yet. Maintenance plans →
- QR code label
- A printed square code fixed to a piece of equipment. Every asset in Powoflow has a QR code, and scanning it opens the asset with its history and its open work. Labels print from the mobile app. QR codes on assets →
Radio and hardware
- LoRaWAN
- A radio standard for small battery devices that send short messages over a long distance. Sensors and trackers send their readings to a gateway on your site, so they do not each need a SIM card. Sensors, trackers and gateways →
- Gateway
- The box on your site that receives the radio messages from your sensors and trackers and passes them on to Powoflow over the internet. A device has to be in range of a gateway to report. Gateways do not count towards your plan's device limit. Gateways →
- US915 and EU868
- The radio bands LoRaWAN uses in North America (US915) and in Europe (EU868). A device and its gateway must use the same band. Tell us where you operate and we supply the right radio band. Asset tracking →
- Tracker
- A battery device fixed to a thing, or carried by a person, that reports where it is. Powoflow shows each tracker on a map with its last position, when it last reported and its battery level. Position comes from satellites, so a tracker needs a view of the sky. Asset tracking →
- Device
- One sensor or tracker that reports to your account. Plans include a number of devices. Gateways are not counted. Pricing →
Alarms and safety
- Threshold alarm
- An alarm raised when a reading crosses a limit you set, such as too hot, too cold or too windy. You set the limit on the asset it applies to. Alarms →
- Silent-sensor alarm
- An alarm raised when a sensor stops reporting. A sensor that has gone quiet cannot warn you of anything, so the silence is treated as a problem of its own. Alarms →
- Tamper alarm
- An alarm raised when a tracker is taken off the thing it is fixed to. It stays on the record until someone acknowledges it. Asset tracking →
- SOS
- A button on a tag that a person presses when they need help. It raises an alarm for your team with the tag's last-known position, and the alarm banner holds until a person acknowledges it. It does not call emergency services for you. Worker safety →
- Last-known position
- The most recent position a tag reported, with the time it reported it. It tells you where the tag was then, which may not be where it is now. Tags report position outdoors. Worker safety →
- Lone worker
- Someone who works out of sight and earshot of colleagues, such as a technician at a remote site. A tag with an SOS button gives them a way to raise an alarm where a gateway is in range. Beyond that range, a Garmin inReach satellite messenger can do the same. Worker safety →
Your account
- Workspace
- Your organisation's account in Powoflow: its sites, assets, users and records, kept apart from every other organisation's. Plans are priced per account, not per user. Records are kept for as long as the workspace exists. Pricing →
- Site
- One place you operate, such as a plant, a yard or a solar field. Assets are organised by site, and each plan includes a number of sites. Pricing →
Is a word missing?
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