Automation — How-To Guides

Step-by-step instructions for connecting sensors and relays, building visual control panels, and creating automated rules. The Automation section has six tabs: Control Panel, Control Loops, Programs, Monitoring, Discovery, Configuration.

Discover and connect a WIO module

Goal: Connect a WIO (Wireless I/O) module to the Abilis so you can read its sensors (temperature, door contacts, motion) and control its outputs (relays, lights, locks) from the web interface.

1. Go to Automation > Discovery.
2. The table shows all devices detected on the network: GwRes (gateway resource), MAC Address, IP Address, Resource, Description, and Status (Free = available, Bound = already connected).
3. Click on a Free device to open its settings.

4. In the Device Settings panel:
   • IP Address: assign a fixed IP to the WIO module (e.g. 192.168.94.20).
   • Description: a label (e.g. "WIO").
   • Bind to the resource: select Wio-1 (or the next available Wio resource).
5. Click Bind to connect the module to the Abilis.
6. The module's status changes to "Bound" and its I/O channels become available in Control Panels, Control Loops, and Monitoring.

Build a control panel with buttons and status indicators

Goal: Build a visual dashboard where you can see sensor readings (temperature, humidity, door status) and click buttons to control outputs (lights, gates, heating) — all from your browser, without writing code.

1. Go to Automation > Control Panel.
2. Click New to create a new panel (or open an existing one).
3. You enter edit mode with a toolbar at the top:
   • Devices — opens the device selector to pick which I/O channels to show on the panel.
   • Change Background — upload a floor plan image, photo, or diagram as the panel background.
   • Save — saves the current layout.
   • Done — exits edit mode and shows the live panel.
4. Click Devices to select which inputs and outputs to place on the panel.

The device selector shows all bound modules with their channels in four columns:

5. Tick the channels you want, click Save.
6. Drag the elements on the panel to position them over your background image.
7. Click Done to view the live panel. DI/AI values update in real time. Click a DO to toggle it (opens gate, turns on light, etc.).

Create a control loop (if sensor X → then action Y)

Goal: Create an automated rule: when a condition is met (e.g. temperature exceeds 30°C, a door opens after hours, motion is detected), the Abilis automatically performs an action (turns on a relay, sends an alert). No coding required — the Abilis generates the LUA script for you.

The Abilis describes this as: "Create automated control loops without coding. Configure sensors, conditions, and actions visually — similar to PLC programming. Your control loops are automatically converted to LUA scripts visible in the Programs tab."

1. Go to Automation > Control Loops.
2. Click New.
3. Enter a Name for the loop (e.g. "irrigazione" for an irrigation system). Click Save.

The loop editor has a toolbar: Timing, Open Guide, Devices, Export, Delete, Save, Close.

Two sections below:

• Input Devices — sensors that the loop reads. Each input gets an X variable number (X1, X2…) and shows its current Value.
• Output Devices — actuators that the loop controls. Each output gets a Y variable number (Y1, Y2…) and shows its current Value (true/false for digital, numeric for analog).

Adding devices to the loop

4. Click Devices. The device selector opens.

5. Tick the channels you need as inputs and outputs. For example:
   • AI-1 "umid.prato S" (soil humidity sensor) → becomes X1
   • DO-3 "PRATO SUD" (irrigation valve relay) → becomes Y1
   • DO-4 "PRATO_EST" → Y2
6. Click Save.

Setting the timing

7. Click Timing.

8. Set the Time unit and Operational cycle (e.g. 1 Second means the loop checks every second).
9. Click Save.

Writing the formula

10. Click Open Guide to see the formula editor. The formula uses X and Y variables you assigned to define the logic. For example:
    • Y1 = X1 < 30 means "turn on output Y1 (valve) when input X1 (humidity) drops below 30".
11. Click Save. The loop starts running automatically.

Set up Alert Manager channels (email, SMS, call, digital output)

Goal: Before any feature in the Abilis — IP Ban, Control Loops, ARP Alert, VPN monitor, an alarm — can notify you when something happens, you need an alert channel configured. A channel is a reusable recipe: "send an email to this address", "send an SMS to this number", "call this phone and play this message", "turn on this relay". Once defined, any feature can attach to it.

Why channels exist separately: so you configure the recipient details once and point many features at the same channel. When the manager's mobile number changes, you edit one channel — not every alarm rule that referenced it.

1. Go to Tools > Alert Manager.
2. You see a list of existing channels (CH: 1, CH: 2, …). Click an existing channel to edit it, or New + to create one.
3. For the channel, give it a clear Description — e.g. SMS to manager, Call security, Email IT team. You will see this name everywhere the channel is referenced.
4. Tick the output methods this channel should use. You can tick more than one — a single event can simultaneously email IT and SMS the on-call engineer.

   Method	What it does	What to configure
   E-mail	Sends an email to a configured address.	Recipient email. SMTP settings must be configured system-wide.
   SMS	Sends an SMS through the Abilis SIM modem.	Recipient phone number. The SIM must be installed and registered.
   Telephone call	The Abilis calls a number and plays a recorded message.	Phone number, DISA service, and the audio message to play.
   Automation device	Turns on a physical digital output — a siren, a warning lamp, a bell.	Which DO channel to activate, and for how long.

5. Click Save.
6. Attach the channel to an event source. For example, at IP Ban settings the channel number is chosen from a dropdown; inside a sensor threshold rule the channel is referenced under Action. You can point the same channel at as many event sources as you like.

Act when a sensor crosses a threshold (temperature, humidity, light…)

Goal: A real analog sensor is feeding the Abilis a number — a temperature probe, a humidity sensor, a soil moisture reading, an ambient light meter. You want something to happen when the number crosses a value: turn on a cooling fan when the server-room temperature exceeds 25°C, start irrigation when soil moisture drops below 30%, raise an alert when a freezer climbs above -16°C.

This is exactly what Control Loops are for. This section walks through the most common pattern — a threshold trigger — with a concrete example.

Scenario: a cold-storage room has an analog temperature probe wired to a WIO module (channel AI-1). A cooling relay is on channel DO-1. When the temperature goes above −16°C the cooling must come on and an alert must be sent; when it drops back below −18°C the cooling switches off.

1. Confirm the hardware is connected and visible. Go to Automation > Monitoring and check that the temperature sensor reports a sensible live value — see Discover and connect a WIO module if it isn't.
2. Go to Automation > Control Loops and click New.
3. Name the loop (e.g. cold_storage) and click Save.
4. Click Devices and tick:
   • AI-1 (the temperature probe) — becomes input X1.
   • DO-1 (the cooling relay) — becomes output Y1.
   Click Save.
5. Click Timing and set the operational cycle — e.g. 10 Seconds means the loop re-evaluates every 10 s. Cold storage does not need per-second evaluation.
6. Click Open Guide (the formula editor) and write the rule. A simple on/off threshold is a single line:
   • Y1 = X1 > -16 — cooling on when temperature above −16°C.
   For hysteresis (no rapid on/off flapping around the threshold), use the loop's previous-state variable — see the formula guide for the exact syntax on your firmware.
7. Click Save. The loop starts running immediately — the cooling responds to the live temperature reading.
8. Attach an alert. Open the same loop, find the Alert channel field (or create a linked alarm entry), and point it at one of the channels you created in Set up Alert Manager channels. Now when the loop triggers, you also get an SMS or email.

Fire a multi-action alarm from a digital input (panic button, smoke, leak)

Goal: A physical contact closes — a panic button is pressed, a smoke sensor triggers, a water leak detector activates, a door opens after hours. You want multiple things to happen at once: all the cameras start recording, a call goes to security, an SMS goes to the manager, a warning lamp comes on. Not a gradual reaction like a thermostat — a hard trip.

This is different from a sensor threshold rule. Thresholds run continuously and track a varying analog value. An alarm is a one-shot event: the input changed, now do these specific actions.

Scenario: a panic button is wired to DI-2 on a RIO module. When it is pressed, the Abilis must simultaneously (1) call the security company and play a recorded announcement, (2) SMS the office manager, and (3) turn on a red warning lamp on DO-1.

1. Prepare the recorded announcement. See Record a new audio message or Create an audio message using Text-to-Speech.
2. Create an Alert Manager channel that covers all three reactions at once. Follow Set up Alert Manager channels and tick Telephone call, SMS, and Automation device on the same channel. Configure each with its recipient / output.
3. Go to Tools > Alert Manager (Alarm table) — or the dedicated Alarm page if your firmware exposes one — and click Add alarm.
4. Configure the alarm rule:
   • Trigger source: the device — RIO (or RVS / WIO), then the channel DI-2.
   • Condition: on (triggered when the input goes high).
   • Action: reference the multi-output channel from step 2.
   • Enabled: yes.
5. Click Save.
6. Test — press the button. Within a second or two, the lamp should light, the manager should receive the SMS, and the security company's phone should ring with the recorded announcement.

Activate a relay or device from a phone call (gate, bell, door)

Goal: You want a phone call to act as a switch on something physical. The classic case: a caller dials the Abilis number, the Abilis recognises the caller's number against an allow-list, activates a relay for a few seconds, and the gate opens — no apps, no internet, no keyfob, no cloud. Other uses of the same pattern: ring an external bell when an extension is called, unlock a door by caller-ID, turn on a siren by dialling a special internal code.

How it works: two Abilis features combine. A CTI routing rule recognises the incoming call; its output is not another phone but an automation action — a digital output pulse.

1. Wire the relay (gate opener, bell, door strike, lamp) to a digital output on a WIO, RIO, or RVS module. Confirm the output works manually from Automation > Control Panel or Monitoring — you should be able to toggle it and see the device react.
2. If you want to restrict who can trigger this — the usual case for a gate — create a list of allowed caller numbers:
   • Go to Create a list.
   • Name it e.g. gate_allowed, type numbers.
   • Add each authorised mobile number, one per entry.
3. Go to Phone > CTI Routings and click New +.
4. Configure the rule:
   • Priority: low enough that it matches before any generic "route to phones" rule.
   • Calling number (CGI): list:gate_allowed to require an authorised number, or * if anyone who knows the number can open it.
   • Called number (CDI): the Abilis number you want callers to dial. This can be a dedicated DID, an internal code, or any number the SIM/SIP trunk receives on.
   • Output (action): select the automation output — your DO channel. Set the pulse duration (e.g. 3 seconds for a gate strike).
   • Answer mode: no answer — the call doesn't need to connect for caller-ID matching. The caller hears a few ring tones and hangs up; the gate has already opened.
5. Click Save.
6. Test — from an allowed phone, call the number. The relay should pulse, the gate (or bell, or door) should respond. Calls from numbers not on the list should be ignored by this rule and fall through to whatever other routing applies.

Restrict an automation alarm to specific hours or days

Goal: You have an alarm rule that works exactly as intended — a motion sensor at the perimeter fires an alert and starts cameras recording — but you only want it active outside business hours. During the day the same motion is ordinary staff activity and shouldn't trigger anything; at night it matters. One rule with a time window, not two different alarm systems.

This is the automation-side equivalent of Night mode for phone calls. Same idea — a schedule condition on the rule — but applied to alarms from digital inputs and sensor thresholds rather than CTI routings.

1. Start from an alarm rule that already works. See Multi-action alarm from a digital input or Act when a sensor crosses a threshold. Confirm the rule triggers correctly before restricting when it runs — otherwise a schedule problem and a trigger problem look the same.
2. Open the rule in Tools > Alert Manager (or the ALARM table — location depends on firmware).
3. Find the Schedule or Active hours field on the rule. Typical options:
   • Always active (default).
   • Time window — e.g. Mon–Sun, 22:00–06:00 for an overnight curfew; Mon–Fri, 18:00–08:00 + Sat–Sun all day for business-hours exclusion.
   • Excluded window — the opposite: active except during the specified times.
4. Save. The rule now evaluates both the trigger condition and the current time. Outside the active window the rule is inert — the sensor can fire without any action happening. Inside the window it behaves normally.
5. Test at both times. Trigger the source inside the active window and confirm the alarm fires. Trigger it again outside the window and confirm nothing happens.

Upload and manage automation programs (LUA scripts)

Goal: Upload and manage the LUA scripts that power your automation. Control Loops generate these scripts automatically, but you can also write custom scripts for advanced logic.

1. Go to Automation > Programs.
2. Existing programs are listed with their status (running/stopped).
3. New — create a new LUA script from scratch.
4. Import — upload a LUA script file.
5. Click on a program to: start/stop it, edit the code, or view the execution log.

Monitor live sensor values and output states

Goal: Watch live sensor readings in real time — temperature graphs, humidity levels, door open/close events — and set up monitoring presets to quickly check the sensors you care about most.

1. Go to Automation > Monitoring.
2. Click New + to create a new monitoring preset.

3. The panel shows: "Select a device to start."
4. Click Edit to choose which devices and channels to graph.
5. The graph displays live data. Use Export to CSV to download the data for analysis.
6. Click Save to keep the preset for future access — it appears in the Presets list.

Track equipment run-time for scheduled maintenance

Goal: A piece of equipment — a motor, a compressor, a pump, a generator, a boiler — needs servicing every N hours of operation, not every N days. You want the Abilis to track how many hours the machine has actually run (not just been switched on) and alert maintenance when the interval is approaching, so nobody forgets and no machine runs past its service window.

1. Wire the machine's run signal to a digital input on a WIO or RIO module. The signal source depends on the machine — a motor controller usually has a clean RUN output relay; an older compressor might need a current-sensing transformer on the power cable, which produces a contact closure when current is flowing. Either way, the Abilis sees a simple digital on/off on an input.
2. Discover the input — see Discover and connect a WIO module. Note the channel name (e.g. DI-3) and verify it toggles correctly in Automation > Monitoring when the machine runs.
3. Create a control loop for counting. Go to Automation > Control Loops and click New. Name it after the machine (e.g. pump_runtime).
4. Open Devices and add:
   • The digital input (DI-3) — becomes X1.
   • An internal accumulator variable (the loop's persistent state) — becomes M1 or similar, storing total seconds.
5. In Timing, set the cycle to 1 Second. Each second the loop runs, it adds 1 to the accumulator if and only if X1 is active.
6. In the formula (Open Guide), the logic is:
   • M1 = M1 + X1 (X1 is 0 or 1; cycle is 1 s; M1 is seconds of runtime).
   Add a threshold condition that triggers an alert when M1 reaches the service interval in seconds — e.g. 500 hours × 3600 = 1,800,000 seconds for a 500-hour service.
7. Attach an alert channel — see Set up Alert Manager channels. The alert fires once when the threshold is crossed; maintenance gets an email or SMS.
8. After servicing, reset the accumulator. Open the Control Loop, clear M1 to 0, save. The counter starts from zero again.