DALI · Concepts
Working with Live3
What a station shares with Live3, what happens when the two disagree, and what still works with no internet.
A station's settings live in two places: on the station, which must keep working with no internet, and in Live3, which must be able to hold a change for a station that is offline. Keeping them in step is called sync. This page explains what syncs, how disagreements are handled, and what you can still do offline.
Firmware 4.1 and later
Settings sync between a station and Live3 needs firmware 4.1 or later. On firmware 4.0 the station only uploads data to Live3; its settings are changed in the console.
What syncs
Settings are grouped. Some go both ways, some only from the station to Live3.
| Group | Direction | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Parameters | Both ways | The parameter list, order, names, units and decimals |
| Storage | Both ways | Logging and file intervals for logged and raw data |
| Device information | Both ways | Station name, ID, location and time zone |
| Cloud | Both ways | The Aeron Cloud (Live3) upload target and interval |
| Network | Both ways, with a safety net | Ethernet, Wi-Fi, hotspot and cellular settings. A network change sent from Live3 is guarded by the same automatic undo as one made in the console. See Networking. |
| Users | Reset only | Live3 can reset a station's legacy device accounts. No passwords are sent. |
| Identity and health | Station to Live3 | Serial number, model, firmware version, and a health snapshot every 5 minutes |
| Whole configuration | Station to Live3 | A read-only copy of every setting, with passwords hidden, so Live3 can show what the station is really running |
Some things exist only in Live3, such as how a parameter is shown in charts, alert thresholds and reports. Some exist only on the station, such as which sensor is wired to which channel. Only the shared groups above can disagree.
When a station refuses a change sent from Live3 (for example because a value is out of range), it says why, and Live3 shows that reason. The station retries less and less often, then stops until a corrected change arrives.
Passwords and keys are never sent in readable form. Live3 sees that a password is set, not what it is.
When the station and Live3 disagree
A disagreement is always shown to a person. Neither the Live3 app nor the station quietly picks a winner for you.
When you are connected to the station's own Wi-Fi in the Live3 app and signed in, the station page tells you how many settings differ and lets you go through them one at a time:
- Each card shows the station's version and Live3's version side by side.
- You keep one, or skip the card and decide later.
- Resolve for me proposes the side that was changed most recently, section by section. It only proposes: you see a summary and confirm before anything is written. Where it cannot tell which is newer (for example because the station's clock is wrong), the card stays open for you.
- Your choice is written to both the station and Live3, so they agree afterwards.
Away from the station, a difference between the two usually means the station simply has not picked up a change yet. Live3 shows that as pending rather than as a conflict.
Edits made while a station is offline
On firmware 4.1 today, if a setting is changed in Live3 while the station is offline, and the same group is also changed on the station before it reconnects, the station's copy can replace the Live3 edit when it comes back. Aeron is changing sync so this becomes a visible conflict instead. Until then, check the station page after an offline station reconnects.
What works with no internet
A station never needs internet to do its job. With no internet:
| Works | Notes |
|---|---|
| Measuring, logging and storing data | Always |
| Modbus slave, file downloads, USB export | Always |
| Signing in with an access code | The station checks the code itself. The Live3 app keeps what it needs to show codes with no signal, as long as it has been online since you were given access. |
| Signing in with an access link | The station checks the link itself. The link had to be created while online. |
| Editing settings in the console | Always |
| Editing settings in the Live3 app on the station's hotspot | The app talks to the station directly. |
| Carrying a firmware update | The Live3 app can download a release where there is signal and install it on the station over its hotspot. See Firmware updates. |
What needs internet:
| Needs internet | Why |
|---|---|
| Continue with Live3 | Your browser has to reach Live3. |
| Requesting access | The request and approval happen in Live3. |
| Uploads to Live3 or your cloud | Data waits on the station and is sent when the connection returns. |
| Changes made in Live3 reaching the station | They wait in Live3 until the station next checks in. |
The Live3 app also carries things back for you: records of changes you made on site are kept on the phone and sent to Live3 the next time the app has signal.