B10 Setup, Walkthrough, and Troubleshooting

In this article, we will go through the registration setup and use of the B10.

• Overview
• Compatible Devices
• Setup and Registration
  • Battery Requirements
  • Battery Life
  • Battery Installation
  • Registration 
• Bluetooth
  • BLE Range
  • BLE Signal Strength
• Hardware Installation
  • Installation Best Practices
• Console Walkthrough
  • Assigning a Location to the B10
  • Setting Up B10 as a Panic Button
    • Recommendations for Panic Button Installation and Use
    • What Happens When the B10 is Pressed While in Panic Mode?
  • Setting Up the B10 as an All-Purpose Button
  • Clone Settings from Another B10
• Unregistering
• Troubleshooting
  • LED Indicators
  • Troubleshooting Steps
• Helpful Links
• Contact Support or Sales

Overview

The Rhombus B10 provides programmable actions that can be performed with the press of a button. The B10 broadcasts to all nearby BLE-enabled Rhombus devices and enables users to stay in control, including triggering alarms, dispatching emergency services, or securing doors.

 

Compatible Devices

Before registering a Rhombus sensor, you will need a Rhombus device that supports the Rhombus Sensor Network. You can confirm by visiting the device specs web page on the Rhombus Systems corporate site and looking for the following icon:

Below is a list of compatible BLE gateway devices:

• R120
• R2
• R170
• R200
• R230
• R600
• A100
• DR40
• E50

Setup and Registration

Battery Requirements

The B10 uses 2x Lithium AAA batteries (series). Each battery should measure 1.5v nominal.

Alkaline batteries can be used instead; however, note this will reduce the battery life of the device.

Battery Life

Expected Battery Life: Up to 5 years with typical medium-heavy use when using Lithium AAA batteries.

Battery Installation

1. Remove the battery cover located on the back of the B10.

 

2. Insert the included 1.5v AAA Lithium batteries, ensuring the positive (+) terminal and negative (-) terminal match with the markings on the B10.

 

3. After installing the batteries correctly, close the battery cover.

 

Registration 

1. The B10 must be awakened from sleep mode to be registered into the Rhombus console. There are several ways to wake the device for registration:

• Press the button on the B10.
• Re-insert the battery into the B10.

 

Note: The B10 LED will pulse green when waiting to be registered and will stay awake for two (2) minutes before going back into sleep mode.

 

2. Once the green dot is pulsing, open the mobile app and navigate to "Register Devices" on the device page. 

 

3. Select "All Sensors."

 

4. Select the location you want to register the B10 to.

 

5. Select the B10(s) you want to register by toggling the slider next to it (or clicking the select all).

 

Note: You can confirm the correct device via the serial number displayed on the app matches the one on the back of the B10.

6. The sensor(s) will now go through the registration process and then end with a confirmation page. 

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Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard used for exchanging data between devices over short distances. 

BLE Range

Under ideal circumstances, all Rhombus sensors can communicate via Bluetooth up to 300ft with a compatible Rhombus BLE enabled device.

BLE range can be affected by different factors, including but not limited to:

• Obstacles: Physical obstacles such as walls, furniture, and other obstructions can weaken Bluetooth signals and reduce range.
• Environmental Conditions: Environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, and electromagnetic interference can affect the performance of the device.
• Interference: Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, which is also used by many other wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, cordless phones, and microwaves. Interference from these devices can degrade Bluetooth signals and reduce range.

BLE Signal Strength

BLE signal strength is referenced as RSSI, Received Signal Strength Indicator. A higher RSSI value, like -10 (closer to 0), generally indicates a stronger signal, while a lower RSSI value, such as -85 (further from 0), indicates a weaker signal.

Signal strength can vary depending on factors such as distance, obstacles, interference, and the transmitting power of the Bluetooth devices involved. When evaluating BLE signal strength, it's important to consider these factors and ensure that the signal strength is sufficient for the intended application.

The signal strength in both the web and mobile app tells you how well the communication is between the sensor and paired Rhombus device.

Web Console	Mobile App
Located in the second column of the devices tab sensor view. (Hover over this icon to display the RSSI value)	Located on the right side of the list view.

 

Hardware Installation

The B10 comes with an included mounting plate and screws, as well as 3M adhesive stickers on the battery plate.

1. Fix the B10 to the desired surface using the mounting adhesives provided.

To reduce connectivity issues, it is recommended that the B10 be installed in direct line of sight with a BLE-enabled Rhombus camera.

 

2. Secure the B10 in place using the included mounting bracket and mounting screws provided for a more permanent installation (drywall anchors included if needed).

 

Installation Best Practices

To reduce the likelihood of B10 failure modes and connectivity issues, especially when set to the “Panic Mode” configuration, there are some best practices that are recommended. Failure modes are modes that may result in an alert not being generated, such as no BLE connection or no battery life. 

• Have a BLE-enabled Rhombus device in direct line of sight with the B10 to increase signal strength.
• Avoid Metal obstacles: This includes mounting the B10 under a metal desktop, behind a metal door, etc.
• Periodically test the B10 (when set to “Test mode”) to ensure the desired response.
• Regularly monitor B10 connectivity and signal strength to avoid sensor downtime.

 

Console Walkthrough

Assigning a Location to the B10

1. Navigate to the B10 by selecting the Devices page. Select the "Buttons" tab at the top and click on the B10 name. 

 

2. Scroll down the page and click on the "Change address" button.

 

3. Click the drop down at the top and select the desired location. Hit "Save" in the lower right.

Note: If you do not see the location, then you must create one. Learn more in the Managing Locations article. 

 

Setting Up B10 as a Panic Button

This process will walk you through setting up the B10 as a panic button for alarm monitoring.

1. Navigate to the button's device page. In the top right corner, associate the button with a camera.

2. Select the "Panic Button" option.

3. You can choose an action to occur when it's pressed, which is currently listed below:

Types of available actions:

• Send Emergency Services: This is where you can set the point of contact to be called by the alarm monitoring representative.
• Play Audio File: This will allow you to play an audio file from the A100.
• Unlock Door: This will send an unlock command to a door of your choosing.

4. To test out what happens when it is pressed, toggle on test mode for the button at the top.

 

Recommendations for Panic Button Installation and Use

• At least 6 inches between each B10 device. 
• Do not mount buttons under a metal desk (will interfere with BLE signal strength).
• Only assign a single camera with a good view of any incident that may cause the panic button to be pressed.
  • Note: While we can support multiple camera assignments, we suggest that users only assign one.
• Assign an on-site contact for the button. This is an additional emergency contact who can help provide any context for what the emergency may be, such as someone who works in the area the button is located in. This can be set using the "Send Emergency Services" action when button is pressed.
• Conduct a site test of the button by toggling into "Test Mode" on the buttons device page. This allows you to see a written format of what would happen if the button was not in test mode. DO NOT forget to toggle this back off to ensure the button is active. 

What Happens When the B10 is Pressed While in Panic Mode?

Pressing the button will result in a few actions, all of which happen in quick succession. 

• A live stream of the assigned cameras will be sent to our alarm monitoring partner, who will:
  • Reach out to the contact listed for the button for more information (no answer is needed). 
  • Contact the authorities. Emergency services are dispatched regardless of what is shown on the live streams.
  • Send an SMS to all other listed emergency contacts to notify them that the button has been pressed and authorities have been contacted. 
• Unlocking doors/sending alerts can be set up as alternate steps.

 

Setting Up the B10 as an All-Purpose Button

Outside of being a panic button, you can also set it up as an all-purpose button.

1. As an all-purpose button, you have several button press options:

• Short Press: This is when you press the button for 0.5 seconds.
• Long Press: This is when you press and hold the button for 1 second. 
• Double Press: This is when you press the button twice within 1 second.

 

2. Select which type of button press to use, short, long, and/or double press, and associate an action with the press from the drop-down menus. 

 

Current available actions:

• Play Audio File: This will allow you to play an audio file from the A100.
• Unlock Door: If using Access Control, this will unlock a door of your choice.
• Generate Alert: This will send a notification either by email, text, or mobile app push.
• Send to Informacast: Send if the InformaCast integration is being used. Please see the InformaCast Integration article for more information.

3. When Play Audio File is selected, you can choose a sound and which audio gateway(s) to play them out of.

 

4. To add an additional action to the button press, select "Add Another Action."

5. You can also remove any action by clicking the X next to the action on the right side:

 

Clone Settings from Another B10

To clone the settings from another B10, press the button in the upper right corner and select the desired button.

 

Unregistering

You can unregister sensors from the phone app. You must be logged into the organization of the sensor(s) you want to unregister.  

Please Note: In order to unregister the sensors, a BLE-compatible device must be connected to the network and be within range of the sensor. Sensors must be unregistered before the Rhombus gateway device is unregistered. 

1. Navigate to the Rhombus App "Devices" page.

2. Scroll to the bottom and click "Utilities."

3. Click on "Unregister Sensors."

4. Select the sensor(s) you want to unregister and complete the process.

 

Troubleshooting

LED Indicators

Pulsing Green	B10 waiting to be registered
LED off	B10 is registered and operating normally or is not receiving power. If the B10 shows as offline in the console, press the Rhombus logo button to verify functionality. If the LED does not turn on, the device may need new batteries.
Pulsing Red	Hard reset required (remove and re-install batteries)
Solid Red	Hardware Error (contact Support)

 

Troubleshooting Steps

The mobile app crashes when attempting to register the sensor.	Update mobile app or uninstall and reinstall the app. Ensure no other devices are connected to BLE on the phone when attempting to register.
When trying to register a BLE sensor via the mobile app, the sensor is not present in the list of found sensors.	First, confirm that the sensor is powered on and in the registration mode, typically indicated by a slow-blinking LED. If the sensor is powered and awaiting registration but doesn't appear in the list, try closing the mobile app entirely. This process may vary depending on the phone model. Once the app is closed, relaunch it and check if the sensor is now detected. If the issue persists, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the mobile app to ensure proper functionality.
The sensor’s reported battery life percentage in the console drops suddenly.	The reported battery life of a sensor may dip significantly for a short amount of time immediately post-bootup (when the batteries are installed).  This is normal, and the reported battery life should return to normal within an hour or two.
Large delay between button press and resulting action.	Ensure that there is not a significant source of interference between the button and BLE gateway. See the Bluetooth section for more information about sources of interference.
Sensor does not blink it’s LED when top or reset button pressed.	All sensors should blink their LED quickly 2-3 times when their button is pressed EXCEPT for a registered B10. An unregistered B10 will turn on/blink its LED upon a button press.
Sensor completes registration but does not show up in the console.	To ensure registration is finalized, a BLE beacon or payload must be detected by at least one gateway device. The registration process remains incomplete until the sensor's broadcast is observed by a gateway. This delay can occur if sensors are pre-registered remotely; the sensors may not appear in the console until they are within BLE gateway range.

 

Helpful Links

• Creating and Assigning Alert Policies
• User-Based Alert Notifications
• Managing Locations
• InformaCast Integration Setup and Use

Contact Support or Sales

Have more questions? Contact Rhombus Support at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 2 or support@rhombus.com.

Interested in learning more? Contact Rhombus Sales at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 1 or sales@rhombus.com.