FAQ

How many devices can I manage on a SNAP network?

A single site controller can manage up to 1,000 devices, and multiple site controllers can be used with our cloud service to manage a single site with up to 10,000 devices.

What is the maximum supported distance between wireless nodes?
It depends on the antenna, physical and electro-magnetic interference sources, and topography.
– For controllers with external antennas, range is approximately 1 mile line of sight.
– For controllers with internal antennas the range is approximately 500 ft line of sight.

How many photocells can be in a zone?
Only one photocell is allowed per zone.

How many motion sensors can be in a control zone?
There is no limit to how many motion sensors can be in a control zone.

How many zones can a light be a member of?
A light can be in 19 different zones.

How many control zones can be changed with a single scene?
One scene can modify the behavior of 100 individual control zones.

How many scenes can be triggered from the built-in CBS buttons or with a 5-button switch?
Each button on a 5-button switch can be configured to toggle through 5 different scenes, allowing a total of 25 scenes to be controlled by the switch.

What dimmer curve does SimplySNAP controllers support?
SimplySNAP controllers pass through the dimming percentage linearly to the LED driver. Our controllers comply with IEC60929 Annex E (0-10V) dimming standards.

Is the antenna included with the wireless controller?
For controllers that use external antennas, the antennas are purchased separately. This allows the user to define the type of antenna they wish to use. (fixed, outdoor, indoor, etc.)

What dimmer curve does SimplySnap controllers support?
SimplySnap controllers pass through the dimming percentage linearly to the LED driver. Our controllers comply with IEC60929 Annex E (0-10V) dimming standards.

What type of daylight harvesting does SimplySnap support?
SimplySnap supports the open-loop daylight harvesting. This is the best type for large scale indoor environments with high ceilings and skylights. Daylight Harvesting Zones in SimplySnap use photocells to detect the amount of natural light in a particular area and automatically control the light level of the electric lights to help save power and maintain the desired light levels in the space.

How do I add a new controller to an existing system that’s using non-default network settings?
All Synapse controllers ship with encryption disabled, enhanced CRC turned off, and are set to channel 1, net id 0xD110. To add a new controller, the settings of the entire existing system must be changed to match the default settings. Once the new controller is successfully added, these settings can be reverted.

Why is it recommended to change the default channel and network ID during commissioning?
There are certain commands built into SimplySnap that will affect any system within range on this same channel and network ID. If the channel and network ID are not changed from the default, it is possible that another system could be installed at a later date within range of this system and you could have unintended side effects on both systems.

How do I add lights to my site controller?
Once the site controller and the light controllers are all powered, lights can be added to a site controller via 3 different methods:

Census – From the SimplySnap UI, the Census option is available on the top menu bar. Running a census will allow SimplySnap to search for nearby SimplySnap light controllers. After all controllers have been discovered, each light can be added by clicking Add next to the discovered light.

Add Light – Lights can be added manually, one a time via the Add Light option on the main menu of the SimplySnap UI. The MAC address of each controller will need to be known in order to add lights with this method.

CSV Import – Lights can also be added via the Import Lights option on the main SimplySnap menu. The file imported must be in .csv format. This method is commonly used when importing lights from one gateway to another, or in order to make a large number of changes to all lights at a single time.

How does the SimplySnap “Initial Level” setting work?
The Initial Level, or Initial Light Level, setting dictates the dimming level a light controller will use when wireless connectivity to a SimplySnap site controller is lost, such as during a power outage. Each SimplySnap controller can be programmed with an individual Initial Level setting. The Initial Light Level only comes into play after a controller has been found, added, and updated by a SimplySnap site controller during commissioning. Prior to commissioning, the Initial Level of a controller is set to the factory default 100%.

I have added a sensor to SimplySnap and assigned it to a control zone. The lights in my control zone, however, are not following the input from the sensor. Why is that?
After adding a sensor and assigning it to a control zone, you must also change the behavior of the control zone to follow the sensor. For example, if you added a photocell and assigned it to your “Parking Lot” control zone, you would then need to change the zone behavior under “Edit Zone” to “Photocell-only”.

How do I assign an IP address to the LAN port of the CBS or SS450 site controller?
Users can statically assign an IP address to the LAN port of the site controller. From the user interface of the site controller, go to “Config” followed by “Ethernet Settings”. From there, change the Ethernet configuration from “DHCP” to “Static”. Then fill in the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server information.

What is the difference between a “zone” and a “scene”?
A zone is a grouping of lights that can all be controlled by that zone. A scene is an action on a group of lights that can also be in a zone or individual. Scenes can include On, Off, dimming, etc.

Do all controllers support power monitoring?
No. The following controllers support power monitoring on the controller.

• DIM10-250-11
• DIM10-220
• TL7-B2
• TL7-HVG

The following controllers support power monitoring via a DALI-2 LED Driver with D4i support. The LED Driver must support IEC 62386 Part 251 Power monitoring.

• DIM10-087-06
• DIM10-087-06-A
• DIM10-087-FW

What power monitoring methodology does SimplySNAP support?
SimplySNAP controllers support 2% power monitoring and will adhere to the ANSI C136.52 specification.

For controllers that support power monitoring, what is the sampling frequency?
Power data is collected in 15 minute intervals by the site controller.

How long is the power data stored on the site controller?
The site controller will store the data locally for 2 weeks. The optional SimplySnap Cloud services store 5 years or data and also adds power reporting tools to look at the impacts of changes across zones or to compare different zones over a desired period of time.

Does SimplySnap use Zigbee?
No, it is not compatible with Zigbee. SimplySnap uses SNAP. SNAP is a Synapse-proprietary wireless protocol built off of the IEEE 802.15.4. SNAP uses the same radios used by Zigbee. SNAP uses a simplified mesh protocol that is more robust than Zigbee. SNAP is a self-healing peer to peer mesh network. Synapse radios utilize a PA(Power Amplifier) and a LNA(Low Noise Amplifier) to provide strong RF signals for rugged environments.

What is a light status poll?
Every 15 minutes, a SimplySnap site controller polls all lights/controllers it knows about to verify the light/controller is in the correct state (on/off/dimmed). If a controller loses wireless connectivity with the site controller, the controller will set itself to its configured Initial Level, until the next Light Status Poll is received. A light status poll is initiated immediately after a site controller boots, and then every 15 minutes afterward. The easiest way to force a new light status poll is to restart the SimplySnap site controller.

I have configured my motion sensor in SimplySnap, but the lights in my control zone do not come on when I enter the room. What could cause this?
When configuring a motion sensor in SimplySnap, you must select the control zone that the sensor will control. First, make sure the sensor is configured for the correct zone. You can also check to see if the Synapse controller is detecting motion by clicking the zone from the “Devices & Zones” page, followed by the “Sensors” tab. The sensors tab will display either “Motion” or “No Motion”. Finally, check to make sure the zone behavior is configured for one of the occupancy settings.

How long do alarms stay in the system?
In general, SimplySnap alarms stay active in the system until they are cleared. Some alarms, such as Communication Failure alarms, can clear automatically when an issue is resolved, while others can only be cleared with user interaction. Configuration Failure alarms, for example, can be cleared by clicking the Retry button on the Alarms page, assuming the configuration change is successful when retried. Some alarms will also remain until a user specifically acknowledges them and checks the box to remove them, such as Authentication Failure alarms.
After an alarm is cleared, it can still be viewed from the Alarms page for 24 hours by switching the alarm filter from Active to All on the Alarms page.

How long does the Audit Log store historical information?
The Audit Log does not have a specific entry limit, although it does only store information until the number of entries fills the log file. Depending on the messages being logged, the maximum number of entries viewable in the Audit Log will normally be between 15,000-20,000. The amount of time it takes for a SimplySnap site controller to fill up this log varies depending on the activity of the site controller. A site controller with little activity may take a few months to fill up the log, while a busy site controller may only have logs going back a few days.

What methods can I use to upgrade a SimplySnap site controller?
Customers can update SimplySnap site controllers via 2 different methods:

UI Upgrade – From the SimplySnap user interface, an admin can browse to the Config>Backup/Restore page and click the System Upgrade box. This will open a browser to your PC where you can select the applicable firmware file.

USB Upgrade – A SimplySnap site controller can be upgraded via a USB flash drive. Simply load the applicable firmware file on the root directory of the USB drive and connect it to the USB port on the site controller. The upgrade will begin automatically, and the site controller will reboot once completed.

How often are SimplySnap updates made available?
Synapse releases SimplySnap feature updates periodically throughout the year.

How can I create a scheduled event for my lights to come on at night and turn off in the morning? I don’t want to have to constantly change my schedule as the times for sunrise and sunset change over the year.
SimplySnap can use your GPS coordinates to determine dawn, dusk, sunset and sunrise for your part of the world. Before creating the schedule, make sure the date & time is configured on the system under “Config / System Date & Time”. You will also need to determine the GPS coordinates of your location and enter it under “Config / Site Controller Location”. When creating the schedule, under “event time”, you will see the options for specifying dawn, dusk, sunset and sunrise. The system will use your location to determine the correct times for these events.

How many SimplySnap management sessions can be opened simultaneously?
SimplySnap does not impose a hard limit on the number of users or sessions allowed to simultaneously access the site controller’s SimplySnap user interface. However, only eight users may be simultaneously connected to a SimplySnap site controller via Wi-Fi. If more than eight simultaneous management sessions are required, additional users must access the site controller via the Ethernet or cellular interfaces.

What’s the default login information for a SimplySnap site controller?
All SimplySNAP site controllers have unique Wi-Fi and user passwords per site controller and are labeled on a sticker on the right side of the site controller. The default user account is “snap”.

How does SimplySnap handle tiered access?
SimplySnap supports 4 different levels of access..

Admin – A user with Admin access has full permission to add/remove/edit all devices in the system and the ability to edit all configuration settings. Only users with Admin access can add/remove/edit user accounts. The default Admin account, labeled “snap” by default, cannot be removed.

Manager – Managers cannot add or remove lights or sensors, but can add zones or edit any lights or sensors currently configured. Managers have full access to the Scenes, and Schedule pages, and can view and move lights on the Map page, but cannot add a floor-plan image to the Map. Managers have view-only access to the Config menu. Managers can view the alarms page and have the ability to Retry and clear applicable alarms.

All Control – Users with All Control access have the ability to view the Devices & Zones, Scenes, Schedule and Map pages, but cannot edit any of their settings. They can turn on/turn off/dim lights on the Devices and Zones page, but cannot edit devices. They can enable scenes, but cannot create scenes on the Scenes page. They can view alarms on the Alarm Page, but cannot Retry or clear them.

Scene Control – Users with this level of access can only see the Scenes page in SimplySnap and they have the ability to enable all scenes configured. They cannot edit any of the scenes however.