The Challenge: Remote Genset Room Monitoring
Diesel generators are typically housed in dedicated genset rooms located away from the main electrical room - often in basements, rooftops, or separate buildings 100m to 500m away. Installing wired monitoring requires expensive cable runs through complex building infrastructure.
🏗️ Installation Challenges
- Genset rooms 100-500m from electrical control room
- Separate buildings or basement/rooftop locations
- Noisy, vibrating environment unfriendly to IT equipment
- No network infrastructure in genset room
⚠️ Monitoring Gaps
- Manual checks during power outages are delayed
- No visibility into fuel consumption and theft
- Failures discovered hours after they occur
- No automated log for compliance and billing
The Solution: Wireless Genset Monitoring
Link485 connects to the genset controller's RS-485 Modbus port and transmits all parameters wirelessly to the cloud or your BMS via LoRa (up to 2km) or 4G cellular - no cables required.
What You Can Monitor
Electrical Parameters
- Voltage (L1-L2-L3, Line-Neutral)
- Current (per phase and total)
- Frequency (Hz)
- Power (kW, kVA, kVAR)
- Power factor
- Energy (kWh)
Engine Parameters
- Engine RPM
- Engine temperature (coolant, oil)
- Oil pressure
- Battery voltage
- Fuel level (%)
- Runtime hours (total, since service)
Status & Alarms
- Genset status (OFF/READY/RUNNING)
- Auto/Manual mode
- Mains available/failure
- Alarm status (40+ fault codes)
- Auto-start/stop events
- Service due alerts
Common Genset Controller Modbus Registers
// Deep Sea Electronics (DSE) Controllers
Holding Register 40001: Engine Speed (RPM)
Holding Register 40005: Generator L1-N Voltage (V)
Holding Register 40006: Generator L2-N Voltage (V)
Holding Register 40007: Generator L3-N Voltage (V)
Holding Register 40011: Generator L1 Current (A)
Holding Register 40014: Generator Frequency (Hz * 10)
Holding Register 40031: Engine Oil Pressure (kPa)
Holding Register 40032: Engine Coolant Temp (°C)
Holding Register 40053: Fuel Level (%)
Holding Register 41801: Total kWh
Holding Register 40009: Run Time Hours
// Comap Controllers
Holding Register 1: L1-L2 Voltage
Holding Register 2: L2-L3 Voltage
Holding Register 3: L3-L1 Voltage
Holding Register 7: L1 Current
Holding Register 17: Frequency
Holding Register 31: Active Power (kW)
Holding Register 257: Engine RPM
Holding Register 259: Battery Voltage
Holding Register 265: Fuel Level
// Status Registers
Input Register 30001: Genset Running (1=Running, 0=Stopped)
Input Register 30002: Mains Failure (1=Failure, 0=OK)
Input Register 30003: Active Alarm (0=OK, 1-255=Fault Code)
Wiring Diagram
Connect RS-485 A/B terminals from the genset controller to Link485 Zero/4G. The gateway transmits all parameters wirelessly to the cloud or BMS in the electrical control room.
Case Study: Hospital Backup Power Monitoring
Multi-Specialty Hospital - 3 x 500 kVA Gensets
A 200-bed hospital in Chennai had 3 gensets located in a separate building 200m from the electrical control room. During frequent power outages, the facility team had no visibility into genset status until manual checks were performed. Cable installation would have been costly and disruptive.
"Link485 Zero gave us instant visibility into all 3 gensets on a single dashboard. We get SMS alerts within seconds of any failure. Fuel theft was detected and stopped, significantly reducing operational costs." — Chief Engineer, Multi-Specialty Hospital
Key Use Cases
Fuel Theft Detection
Track fuel consumption vs runtime hours. Abnormal consumption patterns indicate theft or leakage. Real-time alerts when fuel drops faster than engine runtime justifies.
Predictive Maintenance
Track runtime hours and schedule maintenance based on actual usage, not calendar dates. Get alerts when service is due based on hours or engine temperature trends.
Multi-Site Monitoring
Monitor gensets across multiple buildings or sites from a single cloud dashboard using Link485 4G. Perfect for telecom towers, retail chains, or industrial campuses.
Compliance Logging
Automated logs for pollution board compliance, insurance claims, and operational audits. Export runtime, fuel consumption, and emissions data for regulatory reporting.
Configuration Steps
Identify Modbus Port
Locate RS-485 terminals on genset controller (usually labeled A+, B-, GND). Check controller manual for pinout.
Connect Link485 Gateway
Wire A/B terminals to Link485. Power the gateway using 12-24V DC from genset control panel or separate adapter.
Configure Modbus Settings
Set Modbus slave address (default is 1), baud rate (usually 9600 or 19200), and parity (typically None or Even).
Map Registers
Use Link485 Cloud to configure which registers to poll based on your controller model (DSE, Comap, etc.).
Setup Alerts
Configure SMS/email alerts for: genset failure, fuel low, overload, high temperature, and service due.
Integrate with BMS
Forward data to your BMS/SCADA using Modbus TCP, REST API, or MQTT protocol.