NTI ENVIROMUX 5D: Medium-Sized Server Room Monitoring

ENVIROMUX 5D: The Mid-Range Solution for Professional Server Room Monitoring

Medium-sized data centers, co-location racks, or distributed server rooms in companies require balanced server room monitoring – not oversized, but powerful enough to detect critical risks such as overheating, humidity, water leaks, intrusion, or smoke at an early stage.

The ENVIROMUX 5D from NTI is designed precisely for this purpose: a compact yet highly functional SNMP monitoring system that starts with two internal sensors (temperature and humidity) and supports up to five external IP sensors.

Whether in a 19-inch rack of a mid-sized service provider, a telecom switching center, or a web hosting site – the ENVIROMUX 5D delivers enterprise-level data center security without the complexity of large-scale systems. When configurable thresholds are exceeded, it reacts instantly: flashing LED, siren, alarm signal, e-mail, SMS, SNMP trap, or voice call – you choose how to be informed.

Imagine a typical scenario:

In a medium-sized data center of a logistics company, the temperature in one rack rises to 32°C because the cooling fails. The ENVIROMUX 5D’s internal temperature sensor detects this immediately. At the same time, an external water sensor triggers an alarm – a leak in the cooling system. Within seconds, the red LED lights up, the siren sounds, and the IT manager receives an SMS: “Critical temperature rise + water in Rack 3.” With one click in the web interface, he sends an SNMP-SET command to trigger one of the two relays and switch on an emergency fan. Simultaneously, a snapshot from a connected IP camera is sent via e-mail.

The damage? Minimal. Without the ENVIROMUX 5D, the outage could have lasted hours – with costly consequences. These examples show that the ENVIROMUX 5D is more than a monitoring device – it’s an active component of your data center security.

The ENVIROMUX 5D impresses with its perfect balance of performance and simplicity. It runs on a stable Linux core, integrates seamlessly with Nagios or Zabbix, and supports up to 64 ping monitoring channels for network devices.

Installation is flexible: zero-RU with mounting flanges, optional 1RU rackmount (front or rear), or DIN rail. With optional 48VDC power supply, dual redundancy, and battery backup, it continues operating even during power outages – and automatically reports when power is restored. The industrial version withstands temperatures from -40 to +85°C – ideal for switch rooms or production environments. Whether cabled or wireless through a WLAN router and range extender, the ENVIROMUX 5D adapts to your infrastructure and grows with your needs.

After these basics, let’s look at the key strengths and practical applications of the ENVIROMUX 5D. It’s optimized for medium-scale environments – with enough capacity but without over-engineering. Here are the main features at a glance:

• Comprehensive Sensor Suite: 2 internal sensors (temperature, humidity) + 5 external IP sensors + 5 digital inputs. Example: A smoke detector in a server room detects fire development – the relay automatically closes the fire door, while the siren and a voice call alert the team.
• Powerful Alarm Options: E-mail, SMS (via USB modem), web dashboard, SNMP monitoring, siren, LED, alarm signal. In a co-location center, the ENVIROMUX 5D detected an intrusion through a motion sensor – an IP camera took a snapshot and e-mailed it to the security team.
• Remote Control: 2 relays toggle devices on/off – e.g., fans, doors, pumps. Controlled via SNMP-SET command or web interface. One customer uses this to automatically activate a dehumidifier when humidity rises.
• Expandability: Cascade up to 5 units via Ethernet, centrally managed from one interface. With an RS485 expander or I/O expander, you can scale to dozens of sensors – ideal for growing monitoring environments.
• Network and Security Integration: Ping up to 64 devices, HTTPS, SSH, AES-256, LDAP. Up to 50 events and 20 smart alerts – e.g., “Temperature > 28°C AND Humidity > 70%” triggers escalation via SMS + relay activation.

The ENVIROMUX 5D’s use cases are ideal for medium-sized IT environments. In data centers and co-location sites, it protects multiple racks: a hosting provider uses it to monitor temperature, water detection, and intrusion per rack – when an alarm occurs, customers receive an SMS and the technician triggers the relay remotely. In telecom switching centers, it monitors power, smoke, and motion – a regional provider recently prevented a major outage when the ENVIROMUX 5D reported a defective UPS battery early.

In medium-sized server rooms, it delivers enterprise-level functionality without administrative overhead:

A manufacturing company in Stuttgart integrated it into a 42U rack – with temperature sensor, humidity alarm, and smoke detector. When a coolant leak occurred, the water sensor triggered an alarm, the relay stopped the pump, and the siren warned the staff. In POP locations or branch networks, it’s also used wirelessly – with WLAN and 3G modem for independent alarms.

• Example: Logistics Center – Temperature sensor detects overheating in a warehouse server room. Relay triggers emergency cooling, e-mail sent to facility manager: goods remain protected.
• Example: Bank Branch – Intrusion detection + IP camera: on unauthorized entry, a video is sent, siren triggered, and security notified via voice call.
• Example: Industry 4.0 – SNMP monitoring of industrial controls + smoke detection: in case of fire risk, production safely shuts down via SSH command.

Integration with open-source tools is simple: Nagios provides dashboards, MRTG logs long-term trends. The optional self-hosted software centrally manages up to 3,000 units – with group push configuration. The web interface is mobile-optimized: on a tablet, you can view all values, alarms, and logs – including CSV export. With up to 1,724 data entries and 1,000 event records, everything stays traceable.

On the device, LEDs and buttons ensure local control: “Fault” lights up on alarm, “Power” shows operation. Via USB, Telnet, or SSH you can configure everything – protected by AES-256 encryption and LDAP authentication. Up to 16 users can access the system simultaneously with individual permissions. The industrial version (ENVIROMUX-5D-IND) withstands extreme conditions – from -40 to +85°C.

• Application: Education – Campus data center: humidity alarm detects condensation, relay activates dehumidifier – servers stay dry, teaching stays online.
• Application: Retail – Central warehouse server: water sensor detects leak, camera records video, e-mail notifies warehouse supervisor – merchandise protected.
• Example: Energy Provider – Substation: SNMP monitoring + battery backup: power outage detected, system remains active, logs available for maintenance.

The ENVIROMUX 5D is the perfect middle ground: more capable than basic systems yet simpler than enterprise-scale solutions. With 50 events, 20 smart alerts, and full SNMP integration, you can respond intelligently. It protects your infrastructure, reduces costs, and gives you control – anywhere, anytime.

The ENVIROMUX 5D is the smart choice for mid-range server room monitoring. It combines data center security, flexibility, and user-friendliness – ideal for SMEs, co-location, and distributed sites.

Available Versions:

• e-5d:
  Environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses
• e-5d-48v:
  Environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, 48 V DC power supply
• e-5d-d:
  Environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, DIN mount
• e-5d-ind:
  Industrial environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, suitable for high-temperature environments
• e-5d-ind48vlt:
  Industrial environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, suitable for low/high temperature environments (-40°C to 85°C), 48 V DC power supply
• e-5d-indlt:
  Industrial environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, suitable for low/high temperature environments (-40°C to 85°C)
• e-5db:
  Environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, with backup power supply
• e-5db-d:
  Environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, with backup power supply, DIN mount
• e-5db-ind:
  Industrial environmental monitoring system for medium-sized businesses, suitable for high-temperature environments (0°C to 60°C), with backup power supply