[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":724},["ShallowReactive",2],{"help-index":3},[4,134,260,381,517,646],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"category":122,"description":123,"extension":124,"meta":125,"navigation":126,"order":127,"path":128,"seo":129,"stem":130,"summary":131,"updated":132,"__hash__":133},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Falarm-profiles-basics.md","Alarm profiles basics",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":112},"minimark",[10,14,23,28,56,60,67,71,74,78,93,97],[11,12,6],"h1",{"id":13},"alarm-profiles-basics",[15,16,17,18,22],"p",{},"An ",[19,20,21],"strong",{},"alarm profile"," is a reusable set of rules that decides when a reading becomes a problem and who hears about it. Instead of configuring every sensor by hand, you define a profile once and apply it to every device that should behave the same way.",[24,25,27],"h2",{"id":26},"what-a-profile-contains","What a profile contains",[29,30,31,38,44,50],"ul",{},[32,33,34,37],"li",{},[19,35,36],{},"Thresholds"," — the high and low limits for the condition you are watching. A freezer profile might alarm above −15 °C; a vaccine fridge profile holds a much tighter band.",[32,39,40,43],{},[19,41,42],{},"A delay (debounce)"," — how long a reading can sit out of range before the profile raises an alarm. This is what keeps a normal defrost cycle or a brief door-open from generating noise.",[32,45,46,49],{},[19,47,48],{},"Severity"," — how urgent the condition is, which you can use to route different alarms to different people or channels.",[32,51,52,55],{},[19,53,54],{},"An escalation policy"," — who is notified first, and who is notified next if no one acknowledges in time.",[24,57,59],{"id":58},"why-profiles-beat-per-device-settings","Why profiles beat per-device settings",[15,61,62,63],{},"When you run more than a handful of sensors, per-device settings drift apart and gaps appear. A profile gives you one place to change a rule for every freezer at once, and it makes your intent auditable: ",[64,65,66],"em",{},"all cold-storage sensors follow the Cold Storage profile.",[24,68,70],{"id":69},"escalation-briefly","Escalation, briefly",[15,72,73],{},"Escalation is the part operators tell us sold them. If the first person does not acknowledge an alarm within the window you set, FreshControls automatically moves to the next person on the list, and can keep climbing until someone responds. Nothing sits in a warning state until morning.",[24,75,77],{"id":76},"a-practical-starting-point","A practical starting point",[79,80,81,84,87,90],"ol",{},[32,82,83],{},"Group your devices by the range they need to hold — freezers, coolers, ambient, and so on.",[32,85,86],{},"Create one profile per group with sensible thresholds and a short delay.",[32,88,89],{},"Attach an escalation policy so an unacknowledged alarm always reaches a second person.",[32,91,92],{},"Apply the profile to every device in the group and adjust from real-world behavior over the first week.",[24,94,96],{"id":95},"related","Related",[29,98,99,106],{},[32,100,101],{},[102,103,105],"a",{"href":104},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fnotification-channels","Notification channels",[32,107,108],{},[102,109,111],{"href":110},"\u002Fhelp\u002Ftroubleshooting-offline-sensors","Troubleshooting offline sensors",{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":116},"",2,3,[117,118,119,120,121],{"id":26,"depth":114,"text":27},{"id":58,"depth":114,"text":59},{"id":69,"depth":114,"text":70},{"id":76,"depth":114,"text":77},{"id":95,"depth":114,"text":96},"Alarms & notifications","How thresholds, delays, and escalation come together in a reusable alarm profile you can apply across many devices.","md",{},true,1,"\u002Fhelp\u002Falarm-profiles-basics",{"title":6,"description":123},"help\u002Falarm-profiles-basics","How thresholds, delays, and escalation combine into a reusable profile you apply across your fleet.","2026-07-09","JXMlRdpLgAphMbhrPdcdz8Bz9Ied66fQ1tPXUKHx4iY",{"id":135,"title":136,"body":137,"category":251,"description":252,"extension":124,"meta":253,"navigation":126,"order":127,"path":254,"seo":255,"stem":256,"summary":257,"updated":258,"__hash__":259},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Fbilling-and-guarantee.md","Billing and the money-back guarantee",{"type":8,"value":138,"toc":243},[139,142,154,158,161,165,175,179,182,201,204,208,219,223,228,230],[11,140,136],{"id":141},"billing-and-the-money-back-guarantee",[15,143,144,145,148,149,153],{},"FreshControls is a self-serve, card-required purchase backed by a ",[19,146,147],{},"30-day money-back guarantee",". This article answers the questions we hear most often about billing. For the full terms, see the ",[102,150,152],{"href":151},"\u002Flegal\u002Fguarantee","guarantee terms",".",[24,155,157],{"id":156},"how-billing-works","How billing works",[15,159,160],{},"You buy online and pay by card. Your subscription covers the devices you monitor and the plan you choose; hardware is purchased separately in the in-app store. Every current amount is shown in the app at checkout — we do not publish price literals on this help site so that what you see is always the live figure.",[24,162,164],{"id":163},"what-the-30-day-money-back-guarantee-covers","What the 30-day money-back guarantee covers",[15,166,167,168,171,172,174],{},"If FreshControls is not right for you, request the guarantee within 30 days of your first order being ",[19,169,170],{},"delivered"," and we will refund both the hardware and every subscription fee invoiced so far, once the hardware is returned. Your subscription then ends. The ",[102,173,152],{"href":151}," spell out exactly who is eligible, what is refundable, and how the return works.",[24,176,178],{"id":177},"how-to-request-a-refund","How to request a refund",[15,180,181],{},"There is no self-serve refund button — a guarantee claim is handled by a person so we can arrange the hardware return with you.",[29,183,184,194],{},[32,185,186,187,193],{},"Email ",[19,188,189],{},[102,190,192],{"href":191},"mailto:billing@freshcontrols.com","billing@freshcontrols.com",", or",[32,195,196,200],{},[102,197,199],{"href":198},"\u002Fcontact","Contact support"," and reference your organization name.",[15,202,203],{},"We will confirm your claim, send you the return details, and process the refund once the hardware is back with us.",[24,205,207],{"id":206},"changing-or-canceling-your-plan","Changing or canceling your plan",[15,209,210,211,214,215,153],{},"You can change or cancel your plan at any time from ",[19,212,213],{},"Settings → Billing",". Cancellation stops future charges; your data remains available to export according to our ",[102,216,218],{"href":217},"\u002Flegal\u002Fprivacy","privacy notice",[24,220,222],{"id":221},"where-your-data-lives","Where your data lives",[15,224,225,226,153],{},"Billing and commerce data are processed on the US control plane, while your operational monitoring data and credentials never leave your region. This split is described in full in our ",[102,227,218],{"href":217},[24,229,96],{"id":95},[29,231,232,237],{},[32,233,234],{},[102,235,236],{"href":151},"Guarantee terms",[32,238,239],{},[102,240,242],{"href":241},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fgetting-started","Getting started",{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":244},[245,246,247,248,249,250],{"id":156,"depth":114,"text":157},{"id":163,"depth":114,"text":164},{"id":177,"depth":114,"text":178},{"id":206,"depth":114,"text":207},{"id":221,"depth":114,"text":222},{"id":95,"depth":114,"text":96},"Billing & account","How FreshControls billing works, what the 30-day money-back guarantee covers, and how to request a refund.",{},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fbilling-and-guarantee",{"title":136,"description":252},"help\u002Fbilling-and-guarantee","How billing works, what the 30-day money-back guarantee covers, and how to request a refund.","2026-08-20","myNkHjFn0QBb5zKNG06WhMGrlMdt7128y1JIz2TppNI",{"id":261,"title":262,"body":263,"category":242,"description":375,"extension":124,"meta":376,"navigation":126,"order":127,"path":241,"seo":377,"stem":378,"summary":379,"updated":132,"__hash__":380},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Fgetting-started.md","Getting started with FreshControls",{"type":8,"value":264,"toc":367},[265,268,271,275,285,289,292,309,317,321,324,328,339,343,346,350],[11,266,262],{"id":267},"getting-started-with-freshcontrols",[15,269,270],{},"FreshControls monitors the temperature and environmental conditions that decide whether product ships or spoils. This guide takes you from an unopened box to your first live reading.",[24,272,274],{"id":273},"_1-create-your-account","1. Create your account",[15,276,277,278,284],{},"Head to ",[102,279,283],{"href":280,"rel":281},"https:\u002F\u002Fapp.freshcontrols.com\u002Fsignup",[282],"nofollow","app.freshcontrols.com\u002Fsignup"," and create your organization. You will name your organization, add your first site, and set your local time zone — every log and report is stamped in the site's local time, which matters when an inspector asks.",[24,286,288],{"id":287},"_2-claim-your-first-device","2. Claim your first device",[15,290,291],{},"Every sensor, board, and gateway ships with a QR code and a printed claim code. Claiming links the physical device to your account.",[29,293,294,300,303],{},[32,295,296,297,153],{},"In the app, open ",[19,298,299],{},"Devices → Claim a device",[32,301,302],{},"Scan the QR code on the device, or enter the serial and claim code by hand.",[32,304,305,306,153],{},"Assign the device to a site and give it a plain-language name like ",[64,307,308],{},"Walk-in freezer #2",[15,310,311,312,316],{},"If you scanned a QR code that opened this website at a ",[313,314,315],"code",{},"\u002Fc\u002F..."," address, that page walks you through the same steps and hands the code off to the app — the claim code stays on your device and is never sent to our servers from the marketing site.",[24,318,320],{"id":319},"_3-place-the-sensor","3. Place the sensor",[15,322,323],{},"Mounting hardware — an adhesive pad, a screw bracket, and a magnet — is in the box. For a walk-in cooler or freezer, place the sensor away from the door and the evaporator so you measure the air your product actually sits in. For deep-freeze or immersion measurements, use the optional external probe.",[24,325,327],{"id":326},"_4-set-a-threshold","4. Set a threshold",[15,329,330,331,334,335,338],{},"Open the device, set a ",[19,332,333],{},"high"," and ",[19,336,337],{},"low"," threshold for the range you need to hold, and choose how long a reading can sit out of range before it becomes an alarm. A short delay keeps a routine defrost cycle from paging you at 2 a.m.",[24,340,342],{"id":341},"_5-confirm-you-get-alerted","5. Confirm you get alerted",[15,344,345],{},"Send yourself a test alarm from the device menu. If the notification lands on the channels you expect, you are done — monitoring is live and the compliance log is already writing itself.",[24,347,349],{"id":348},"next-steps","Next steps",[29,351,352,357,362],{},[32,353,354],{},[102,355,356],{"href":128},"Understand alarm profiles",[32,358,359],{},[102,360,361],{"href":104},"Set up notification channels",[32,363,364],{},[102,365,366],{"href":110},"Troubleshoot a sensor that went offline",{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":368},[369,370,371,372,373,374],{"id":273,"depth":114,"text":274},{"id":287,"depth":114,"text":288},{"id":319,"depth":114,"text":320},{"id":326,"depth":114,"text":327},{"id":341,"depth":114,"text":342},{"id":348,"depth":114,"text":349},"Create your account, claim your first device, and see live readings — a walkthrough from box to first alert.",{},{"title":262,"description":375},"help\u002Fgetting-started","Create your account, claim your first device, and see live readings in an afternoon.","4FVYP0NZIq_xag7baa55POmF9fy0c-jS4Vu1PweVZGU",{"id":382,"title":111,"body":383,"category":510,"description":511,"extension":124,"meta":512,"navigation":126,"order":127,"path":110,"seo":513,"stem":514,"summary":515,"updated":258,"__hash__":516},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Ftroubleshooting-offline-sensors.md",{"type":8,"value":384,"toc":501},[385,388,399,403,410,414,428,432,446,450,453,471,475,478,482,489,491],[11,386,111],{"id":387},"troubleshooting-offline-sensors",[15,389,390,391,394,395,398],{},"A device shows as ",[19,392,393],{},"offline"," when the platform has not heard from it for longer than expected. FreshControls raises an ",[19,396,397],{},"offline alarm"," for that device rather than letting it disappear quietly, and escalates it like any other alarm — so silence is something you get told about, not something you have to notice. Readings taken while a device is off the network are not recovered, so treat an offline device as a gap to close quickly. Work through these checks in order.",[24,400,402],{"id":401},"_1-confirm-it-is-really-offline","1. Confirm it is really offline",[15,404,405,406,409],{},"Open the device and check the ",[19,407,408],{},"last seen"," time. A single missed report during a long reporting interval is normal. Treat a device as offline only once it has clearly missed several expected check-ins.",[24,411,413],{"id":412},"_2-check-power","2. Check power",[29,415,416,422],{},[32,417,418,421],{},[19,419,420],{},"Battery sensors"," — replace the field-replaceable batteries and confirm the sensor powers up. A low battery is the single most common cause.",[32,423,424,427],{},[19,425,426],{},"Wired boards and gateways"," — confirm the power supply or PoE injector is live and the status light is on.",[24,429,431],{"id":430},"_3-check-range-and-placement","3. Check range and placement",[29,433,434,440],{},[32,435,436,439],{},[19,437,438],{},"Wi-Fi sensors"," — a freezer's metal walls attenuate the signal. Confirm the sensor is within reach of an access point and that the network password has not changed.",[32,441,442,445],{},[19,443,444],{},"LoRa sensors"," — confirm a gateway is powered and within range. Thick walls, racking, and distance all cut range; moving a gateway closer often fixes a stubborn sensor.",[24,447,449],{"id":448},"_4-check-the-gateway","4. Check the gateway",[15,451,452],{},"If several sensors went offline at once, suspect the gateway they share rather than the sensors themselves.",[29,454,455,458,465],{},[32,456,457],{},"Confirm the gateway is powered and its uplink light is healthy.",[32,459,460,461,464],{},"For ",[19,462,463],{},"Ethernet"," gateways, check the network drop, the cable, and that the port is live.",[32,466,460,467,470],{},[19,468,469],{},"cellular"," gateways, check signal strength; relocating the gateway or adding the external antenna option can help in a weak-signal spot.",[24,472,474],{"id":473},"_5-confirm-it-is-back","5. Confirm it is back",[15,476,477],{},"Once a device is back on the network its next scheduled report clears the offline alarm and the history resumes. The period it was off the network stays visible as a gap in the record — that is deliberate: a compliance log should show what was actually measured, never a reconstruction.",[24,479,481],{"id":480},"still-offline","Still offline?",[15,483,484,485,488],{},"If a device stays dark after power, range, and gateway checks, ",[102,486,487],{"href":198},"contact support"," with the device serial and we will help you narrow it down.",[24,490,96],{"id":95},[29,492,493,497],{},[32,494,495],{},[102,496,242],{"href":241},[32,498,499],{},[102,500,6],{"href":128},{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":502},[503,504,505,506,507,508,509],{"id":401,"depth":114,"text":402},{"id":412,"depth":114,"text":413},{"id":430,"depth":114,"text":431},{"id":448,"depth":114,"text":449},{"id":473,"depth":114,"text":474},{"id":480,"depth":114,"text":481},{"id":95,"depth":114,"text":96},"Troubleshooting","A sensor stopped reporting? Work through power, range, connectivity, and gateway checks to get it back online.",{},{"title":111,"description":511},"help\u002Ftroubleshooting-offline-sensors","A step-by-step checklist for a sensor that stopped reporting — power, range, connectivity, and gateways.","TuQXfHRDF90lxQpMfNGZbR04QaAgNOdPEqnLv--r23g",{"id":518,"title":105,"body":519,"category":122,"description":640,"extension":124,"meta":641,"navigation":126,"order":114,"path":104,"seo":642,"stem":643,"summary":644,"updated":258,"__hash__":645},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Fnotification-channels.md",{"type":8,"value":520,"toc":632},[521,524,531,535,559,563,574,578,585,589,596,600,603,617,620,622],[11,522,105],{"id":523},"notification-channels",[15,525,526,527,530],{},"When an alarm fires, FreshControls reaches people over ",[19,528,529],{},"three channels: email, SMS, and voice",". You choose which channels a given alarm uses through its escalation policy.",[24,532,534],{"id":533},"the-three-channels","The three channels",[29,536,537,543,553],{},[32,538,539,542],{},[19,540,541],{},"Email"," — a full alarm record with the device, site, reading, and threshold. Good for a paper trail and for people who live in their inbox. Available on every plan.",[32,544,545,548,549,153],{},[19,546,547],{},"SMS"," — a text message for people who are not at a screen. Useful for on-call staff moving around a site. Available on every plan; each plan includes a monthly allowance and additional messages are billed per message at the rate shown on the ",[102,550,552],{"href":551},"\u002Fpricing","pricing page",[32,554,555,558],{},[19,556,557],{},"Voice"," — an automated phone call for the alarms you cannot afford to have missed. This is the channel most operators reserve for overnight and high-severity events. Voice calls are included from the Professional plan up, with an included monthly allowance and a per-call rate beyond it.",[24,560,562],{"id":561},"desktop-alerts-in-the-dashboard","Desktop alerts in the dashboard",[15,564,565,566,569,570,573],{},"Separately from the three channels above, the web dashboard can raise a ",[19,567,568],{},"desktop notification"," for a new critical alarm while the dashboard is open in a background tab. Grant the browser permission from ",[19,571,572],{},"Settings → Notifications",". It is a convenience for people watching the fleet during a shift — not a substitute for a channel, because it only works while the dashboard is open.",[24,575,577],{"id":576},"about-mobile-push","About mobile push",[15,579,580,581,584],{},"A FreshControls mobile app with push notifications is ",[19,582,583],{},"coming"," — it is not available yet, and we have not announced a date. Until it ships, treat email, SMS, and voice as the channels that reach someone away from their desk.",[24,586,588],{"id":587},"acknowledgement-stops-the-clock","Acknowledgement stops the clock",[15,590,591,592,595],{},"Every channel lets the recipient ",[19,593,594],{},"acknowledge"," the alarm. Acknowledging tells the system a human has it, which stops escalation from climbing to the next person. Because acknowledgement is shared across channels, it does not matter whether someone replies to the email or answers the call — the alarm is handled once.",[24,597,599],{"id":598},"choosing-channels-per-severity","Choosing channels per severity",[15,601,602],{},"A common setup:",[29,604,605,611],{},[32,606,607,610],{},[19,608,609],{},"Low severity"," — email only, so routine warnings do not wake anyone.",[32,612,613,616],{},[19,614,615],{},"High severity"," — email and SMS, escalating to a voice call and a second person if the first does not acknowledge quickly.",[15,618,619],{},"Match the noise of the channel to the cost of the event, and your team keeps trusting the alarms instead of muting them.",[24,621,96],{"id":95},[29,623,624,628],{},[32,625,626],{},[102,627,6],{"href":128},[32,629,630],{},[102,631,242],{"href":241},{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":633},[634,635,636,637,638,639],{"id":533,"depth":114,"text":534},{"id":561,"depth":114,"text":562},{"id":576,"depth":114,"text":577},{"id":587,"depth":114,"text":588},{"id":598,"depth":114,"text":599},{"id":95,"depth":114,"text":96},"Email, SMS, and voice — how each alarm channel works, when to use it, and how acknowledgement stops escalation.",{},{"title":105,"description":640},"help\u002Fnotification-channels","Email, SMS, and voice — how each channel works, what desktop alerts do, and how acknowledging one stops escalation.","cLf3NbOGuKXnUP0QISC-G-Bp8owKdw6mN1YV825naj8",{"id":647,"title":648,"body":649,"category":242,"description":717,"extension":124,"meta":718,"navigation":126,"order":114,"path":719,"seo":720,"stem":721,"summary":722,"updated":132,"__hash__":723},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Fplacing-sensors.md","Placing sensors for accurate readings",{"type":8,"value":650,"toc":710},[651,654,657,661,664,668,675,679,691,695,698,700],[11,652,648],{"id":653},"placing-sensors-for-accurate-readings",[15,655,656],{},"A sensor is only as good as where you put it. Good placement measures the air your product actually sits in; poor placement chases the appliance's cycles and buries you in false alarms.",[24,658,660],{"id":659},"measure-the-product-not-the-machine","Measure the product, not the machine",[15,662,663],{},"Mount the sensor away from the evaporator, the fan outlet, and the door. Air right at the cooling coil is colder than the shelf, and air by the door swings every time someone opens it. Put the sensor where your product lives so its readings reflect what the product experiences.",[24,665,667],{"id":666},"use-a-buffer-for-stable-readings","Use a buffer for stable readings",[15,669,670,671,674],{},"Freezers and coolers cycle constantly, and raw air temperature bounces with every defrost. For a truer picture, use a ",[19,672,673],{},"glycol buffer"," or an immersion probe so the sensor reports the thermal mass of your product rather than the swings of the air. This is standard practice for pharmacy and vaccine storage.",[24,676,678],{"id":677},"give-wireless-signals-a-fair-shot","Give wireless signals a fair shot",[29,680,681,686],{},[32,682,683,685],{},[19,684,438],{}," — metal freezer walls block signal. Keep the sensor within reach of an access point, and test that it reports before you close everything up.",[32,687,688,690],{},[19,689,444],{}," — confirm a gateway is in range. LoRa reaches far, but thick walls and dense racking still cut it down.",[24,692,694],{"id":693},"set-thresholds-after-you-observe-real-behavior","Set thresholds after you observe real behavior",[15,696,697],{},"Watch a device for a day or two before you finalize thresholds and delays. You will see the normal defrost dips and door-open blips, and you can set a delay that ignores them while still catching a real excursion.",[24,699,96],{"id":95},[29,701,702,706],{},[32,703,704],{},[102,705,242],{"href":241},[32,707,708],{},[102,709,111],{"href":110},{"title":113,"searchDepth":114,"depth":115,"links":711},[712,713,714,715,716],{"id":659,"depth":114,"text":660},{"id":666,"depth":114,"text":667},{"id":677,"depth":114,"text":678},{"id":693,"depth":114,"text":694},{"id":95,"depth":114,"text":96},"Where to mount a sensor so it measures the conditions that matter — and the placement mistakes that create false alarms.",{},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fplacing-sensors",{"title":648,"description":717},"help\u002Fplacing-sensors","Where to mount a sensor so it measures what matters, and the placement mistakes that cause false alarms.","Sw7NEzIypHdEVFyRhUivWfWZ6HVqmY0uFlK9sbFHDpM",1788197584167]