Power and temperature controllers for industrial systems are sometimes situated in inaccessible locations. This provides stress and inconvenience for design engineers and operators, especially during crunch time. Downtime and equipment maintenance can prove to be a recurring nightmare for experts in various industries such as petrochemical refining, medical equipment manufacturing and more.
Yet, the configurations of controllers still require constant monitoring and management. This is where a remote monitoring system can come in handy.
Watlow’s EZ-LINK™ mobile application provides industry experts with an unmatched ease in setting up, monitoring and adjusting 1/16 DIN PM PLUS™, EZ-ZONE® PM controllers and LEGACY™ series panel-mount controllers. The platform is optimally designed for mobile use while also compatible with tablets. Essentially, the EZ-LINK mobile app enables users to instantly transform their mobile screens into real-time controller management monitors with the use of Bluetooth® connectivity.
Easy set-up
The application is available as a free download from the Apple App Store for iOS devices or the Google Play Store for Android®. Its Bluetooth® capabilities enable users to easily detect controllers within range. The app will ping nearby controllers to indicate and verify a connection. Each controller can be renamed through the app dashboard to make them easily identifiable. Similarly, users can choose to prevent connections by simply disabling Bluetooth® on their devices and on the controller's setup page. This is a much simpler process than connecting to a laptop via Ethernet and has the potential to allow heating monitors to become more ergonomic in the future.
Highly intuitive design
Watlow’s EZ-LINK mobile app is designed with a sleek user interface that makes it easy to cycle through various views through tabs at the bottom of the home screen. These views include the dashboard, alerts, device and contact.
The main dashboard view provides a comprehensive monitoring system of a controller's parameters, such as its active process value, heat power and control mode. Users can easily scroll through the various parameters for a complete view of a controller's status.
Convenient parameter access
EZ-LINK is also equipped with help topics that explain each parameter in detail and available options. It supports up to 20 parameters, which may be toggled via a controller’s custom home page.
The device view offers info such as firmware versions, serial numbers and part numbers that provide users with a comprehensive reference for compatibility purposes.
An “All Parameters” feature enables a wide variety of actions, which include setting up controller inputs, alarms and settings. Users can view and change each controller setup according to their project needs.
Fidelity of controller settings
The app offers the same controller settings as seen on the touch-screen interface of modern digital devices. It also supports other controller features such as password protection, alarms and error indicators. This ensures that users can make the necessary changes to their controllers from the comfort of their devices, as they would through conventional means.
Seamless configuration management
Watlow’s EZ-LINK mobile app enables users to save exact controller settings for fuss-free management. These saved controller settings are conveniently uploaded onto the app’s built-in storage.
Configuration management becomes a breeze with the EZ-LINK app. Users can restore an earlier controller setting, import settings to other controllers and send or receive configuration files among clients via email or text.
The application's alert view provides a breakdown of all alarms and errors in a controller. Users are immediately notified by batches from the alert view tab in response to a detected inconsistency or error within the system. The alert view provides a detailed assessment of each alarm or error and guides users through possible causes and corrective actions.
Built-in tech support
The application comes with a built-in tech support feature that provides direct communication with the official Watlow® team via call or email. Our team is always prepared to offer quality feedback and support for your existing control systems.
Additionally, the application is compatible with Watlow’s easy-to-use COMPOSER® software, which enables users to configure and manage controllers with greater convenience through task-specific views, setting up control loops and more.
The app is currently rolled out in an expanding list of countries, which include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand and Colombia. Watlow’s EZ-LINK application is the user-friendly, compact, one-stop mobile command center for controller configurations, which will help scale up the productivity levels at your facilities.
Watlow is a leading supplier of advanced thermal products including thermocouples and PID controllers. We believe in providing quality products powered by possibility, and welcome customers to embrace the technology and experience the difference.