See also: Edit Surface Mount Ethernet & BACnet Settings
Q: What is “Hybrid Mode”?
A: This Surface Mount connectivity option allows Omni to communicate (optionally) with the Awair Cloud and/or BACnet protocol. In other words, Omni can communicate with both simultaneously instead of needing to choose between the on-premises BACnet connection and the remote Cloud connection.
Q: Can I disable Cloud Connectivity?
A: Yes. The new dual connectivity options settings page allows you to enable/disable BACnet and/or Cloud. The following combinations of settings are possible:
Cloud (enabled, disabled) - this controls whether Omni should contact the Awair Cloud in order to synchronize time, check for and download firmware updates, backfill offline data,
BACnet (MS/TP, over IP, disabled) - selecting among the BACnet protocol options will show/hide the appropriate BACnet configuration settings below.
There are a total of 10 mode combinations. If you count DHCP (2) and Static IP (3) settings, there are 18 mode combinations. (note: BACnet MS/TP does not include Static IP settings in the interface, so in order to use “Hybrid Mode” with BACnet MS/TP as the BACnet communication protocol, your IP network will need to assign IP addresses with a DHCP server.)
Q: What if I disable both Cloud and BACnet connectivity?
A: You will not lose access to the Surface Mount. It will still connect to the Local Area Network (LAN) and be given an IP address in DHCP (Mode 2) or Static (Mode 3) based on the settings you provide. The Local API (lightweight, self-hosted data and settings endpoints) will continue to show the latest air data, settings data, and configuration pages. Think of this as a “Local API” mode.
Q: What if I update my Surface Mount to v1.3.0 before updating Omni to v1.5.0+?
A: If you are currently using any configuration of BACnet AND the Surface Mount is connected to an IP network (e.g. Ethernet) with internet access, then the Omni will lose connection to the Surface Mount. In order to re-establish the connection, Omni must be updated to v1.5.0+ This can be done in a couple of different ways:
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Reboot Omni (factory reset if the Blue Bluetooth status LED does not blink in the top right corner), then use the Awair Business app to connect to a WiFi network. Once connected, the Omni will begin downloading its Firmware. Once complete, (optionally factory reset to clear the WiFi credentials) reconnect to the Surface Mount.
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Connect the Surface Mount to an IP network (e.g. Ethernet) with a DHCP server and internet access, then turn the Mode Switch to Mode 2. If the Surface Mount had not previously been updated, it will do so now (usually one minute or less). Next, connect the Omni and make sure that it displays “ETH”, signifying that it is connected via Ethernet. It will then download its firmware to the latest and reboot.
If both components have fully up-to-date firmware, then you will see the Settings page in the “How do I enable ‘Hybrid Mode’?” section below.
Q: How do I enable “Hybrid Mode”?
A: We have officially launched this feature and set the default version for all Surface Mounts to v1.3.0+, which when combined with Omni v1.5.0+ will show the following Settings page in your browser.
v1.3.x/1.4.x Settings Page
v1.2.x Settings Page
v1.0.0 - v1.1.x Settings Page
If your Surface Mount configuration page looks like the following, then the Surface Mount firmware version needs to be updated to v1.3.0+. If you try to connect an Omni with a lower version than v1.5.0, then the Omni Display will show "CHECK MODE". No data will be available via the Surface Mount until it is updated.
