Cloud
Alerting and Events
Configuring Triggers

Alert Triggers

Alert triggers define the conditions that generate alerts when monitoring your energy systems. AERL Cloud provides both template-based alerts for common scenarios and custom rule creation for advanced monitoring needs.

Creating Alert Rules

Accessing Alert Creation

  1. Navigate to Alerts in the main menu
  2. Click the Rules tab
  3. Click Add Alert Rule to open the creation wizard

Alert Creation Modes

AERL Cloud offers two approaches to creating alerts:

Template Mode (Recommended)

Pre-built alert templates for common monitoring scenarios:

  • Device offline detection
  • Battery low state of charge
  • High temperature warnings
  • Voltage threshold monitoring
  • Communication failures

Templates provide tested, proven alert logic that you can customize for your specific needs.

Custom Mode (Advanced)

Build completely custom alerts using PromQL queries for specific monitoring requirements.

Template-Based Alerts

Using Alert Templates

  1. Select Template Mode in the creation wizard

  2. Choose Template from available categories:

    • Equipment Health: Device status and connectivity
    • Performance Monitoring: System efficiency and output
    • Safety Alerts: Temperature, voltage, and fault conditions
    • Maintenance: Service reminders and scheduled checks

  3. Configure Template Variables:

    • Threshold values (voltage, temperature, percentage)
    • Time durations (how long condition must persist)
    • Device targeting (specific devices or locations)

  4. Assign to Locations:

    • Select which locations the rule applies to
    • Choose specific devices or all devices at location
    • Preview affected devices

Template Categories

Device Health Templates

  • Device Offline: Triggers when device stops communicating
  • Communication Errors: Detects data transmission issues
  • Heartbeat Monitoring: Ensures regular device check-ins

Performance Templates

  • Battery Low SOC: Alerts when battery charge drops below threshold
  • Solar Production Drop: Detects significant generation decreases
  • Inverter Efficiency: Monitors power conversion performance

Safety Templates

  • High Temperature: Equipment overheating detection
  • Voltage Limits: Over/under voltage protection
  • Current Limits: Overcurrent protection
  • Earth Fault: Ground fault detection

Custom Alert Rules

Basic Configuration

Alert Properties

  • Alert Name: Descriptive identifier for the rule
  • Description: Optional detailed explanation
  • Severity Level:
    • Information: Normal operational events
    • Warning: Potential issues requiring attention
    • Error: Critical failures needing immediate response

Query Creation

Simple Mode (Recommended for beginners):

  1. Select Metric: Choose from available device metrics
  2. Choose Operator:
    • > Greater than
    • >= Greater than or equal to
    • == Equal to
    • != Not equal to
    • <= Less than or equal to
    • < Less than
  3. Set Threshold: Enter numeric value
  4. Preview Query: See generated PromQL automatically

Advanced Mode (For experienced users):

  • Write custom PromQL queries directly
  • Real-time syntax validation
  • Autocomplete for metric names
  • Error highlighting for invalid syntax

Query Examples

Battery Monitoring

# Low battery alert
aerl_srx_output_voltage < 12.0

# Battery temperature warning
aerl_battery_temperature_celsius > 45

Solar Performance

# Low solar production during day
aerl_srx_pv_power_watts < 100 and hour() > 8 and hour() < 18

# PV voltage drop
aerl_srx_pv_voltage < 15

Device Status

# Device offline (no data for 10 minutes)
time() - timestamp(aerl_srx_pv_voltage) > 600

# High error rate
increase(device_errors_total[5m]) > 5

Duration Settings

Set how long a condition must persist before triggering:

  • 1 minute: Immediate response for critical issues
  • 5 minutes: Standard threshold for most alerts
  • 10 minutes: Reduce noise for fluctuating metrics
  • 30 minutes: Long-term trend monitoring
  • 1 hour: Performance analysis alerts

Location and Device Targeting

Scope Selection

  • All Locations: Apply rule across entire organization
  • Specific Locations: Target individual sites
  • Device Types: Focus on particular equipment categories
  • Individual Devices: Alert on specific devices only

Hub and Location Filtering

Rules automatically filter metrics based on:

  • Selected location's connected gateways
  • Device types available at each location
  • Organization membership for multi-tenant environments

Alert Rule Management

Editing Rules

  1. Find rule in the Rules tab
  2. Click Edit (pencil icon)
  3. Modify configuration using same wizard interface
  4. Save changes to update active monitoring

Disabling Rules

  • Use toggle switch to temporarily disable without deleting
  • Disabled rules retain configuration but don't evaluate
  • Useful for maintenance windows or troubleshooting

Deleting Rules

  1. Click Delete (trash icon) on rule
  2. Confirm deletion in modal
  3. Rule permanently removed from monitoring

Testing and Validation

Query Validation

  • Real-time syntax checking for custom queries
  • Metric name validation against available data
  • Preview of generated PromQL in simple mode
  • Error messages for invalid configurations

Rule Testing

  • Use Metrics Explorer to test queries before creating rules
  • Verify metric availability for target locations
  • Check historical data to validate threshold values
  • Monitor rule performance after creation

Best Practices

Threshold Selection

  • Review historical data to establish baselines
  • Set warning thresholds before critical levels
  • Consider environmental factors (temperature, weather)
  • Account for normal operational variations

Rule Organization

  • Use descriptive names indicating purpose and scope
  • Group related rules by system or function
  • Document custom queries for team understanding
  • Regular review and adjustment based on performance

Performance Considerations

  • Avoid overly complex queries that impact system performance
  • Use appropriate evaluation intervals
  • Balance sensitivity with noise reduction
  • Monitor alert frequency and adjust thresholds accordingly

Troubleshooting

Rule Not Triggering

  • Verify metric names match available data
  • Check location/device targeting scope
  • Confirm threshold values are appropriate
  • Review duration settings (may be too long)

Too Many Alerts

  • Increase threshold values or durations
  • Narrow location/device scope
  • Consider using templates instead of custom rules
  • Review severity level assignment

Query Errors

  • Check metric name spelling and capitalization
  • Verify PromQL syntax using Metrics Explorer
  • Ensure targeted devices exist and are sending data
  • Validate numeric values and operators

Next Steps

OverviewAdding Alert Receivers