General Use
This page explains how to connect to a Comfy Creatures monitoring station using the free Comfy Creatures Monitor app, and describes each of the app's features. If you've just bought a monitoring station, start with the installation guide and the commissioning guide. The first time you use the app, you'll need to grant it some permissions, such as location and camera access.
Connecting to a monitoring station
- Download the free Comfy Creatures Monitor app to your smartphone. Its logo shows two kookaburras.
- Walk towards the tree with the nest box and monitoring station. You don't need to stand underneath it, just within Wi-Fi range.
- Put your phone in flight mode, open your phone's list of Wi-Fi networks and connect to the station's network. By default this is CC_MS_1, although the owner can change the prefix and number.
- Ignore any warnings about there being no internet connection: you're connecting your phone directly to the station. If your phone offers options such as Connect automatically or Connect only this time, we suggest choosing Connect only this time.
- Return to the Comfy Creatures Monitor app and tap Retry connection. With your phone in flight mode and connected to the station's Wi-Fi network, the app will open its main screen.
Station features
Live video stream
Start a live stream from inside the nest box.
You can pinch to zoom in on the image.
Sensor status bar
The sensor status bar shows live readings from the station's sensors. Swipe the bar to see all the values.
It shows:
- battery voltage
- temperature inside the nest box (usually at the height of the animal, depending on the installation)
- temperature outside the nest box
- air pressure
- humidity
- ambient light
- air quality (coming soon): a software update is on the way, and we're looking at early bushfire detection. Your station's hardware is already ready for it.
Image watermark
The live stream window can show an image watermark linked to the prefix of the station's Wi-Fi network name. Contact Comfy Creatures for a custom watermark that describes your project and recognises your project sponsor.
PIN-protected features
The PIN is also linked to the Wi-Fi network name prefix. Contact Comfy Creatures to have a custom PIN set for your project. Once it's set, the natural light, pest alarm and settings are PIN-protected. The default prefix (CC in CC_MS_1) has no PIN.
Record video
Record a live video and save it to your phone.
Quick observation
A quick observation captures a photo and the environmental sensor readings with a single tap. It's stored on your phone until you sync, once your phone is back online (flight mode off and disconnected from the station's Wi-Fi). Quick and detailed observations can only be taken on commissioned stations.
Each observation is paired with the station's commissioning data, which records the design of the nest box and how it was installed: the variables that might affect its success. Once synced, observations are added to the public Wildlife Dashboard, where anyone can discover which nest box designs and installations have been successful, and for which species. It's a powerful tool for the scientific development of nest boxes and other artificial cavities to support the conservation of our endangered arboreal fauna.
Take an observation whenever you check in, even if the nest box is empty. Empty observations matter too: they show, for example, how long animals take to move in and when nest boxes are used by particular species.
Detailed observation
A detailed observation lets you record what you're seeing inside the nest box, such as the type of animal and its activity.
Syncing observations
Observations are stored on your phone, so you can take them at as many nest boxes as you like on remote sites. When you're back in internet range, turn off flight mode and tap Sync in the top-right corner of the app to upload them to the public database. In special cases, Comfy Creatures can support private project databases, although we don't encourage it.
Natural light
The natural light button turns on the station's white LEDs to light up the nest box. On public projects this feature is PIN-protected to avoid disturbing the animals.
Night vision
Night vision uses true no-glow 950 nm infrared LEDs, giving a completely unobtrusive way to monitor nest boxes in low light.
Take photo
Capture a photo and save it to your phone's gallery.
Pest alarm
The pest alarm combines a siren, flashing red LEDs and vibration to deter pest species such as common mynas and starlings. It's PIN-protected on public projects.
Download data
Download the station's environmental log file to your phone's documents or files folder.
About
Shows information about the project site. The text is set by the prefix of the Wi-Fi network name, for example CC in CC_MS_1.
Settings
The settings menu lets the station's owner or project administrator configure the device. It's PIN-protected on public projects.
Set SSID
Use this to change the station's Wi-Fi network name (SSID). You must do this on sites with more than one station. The SSID prefix controls the image watermark, the PIN and the About text; project administrators can contact Comfy Creatures to tell us what these should show.
- Set the prefix and nest box number.
- Tap Save.
- The station restarts and broadcasts the new SSID. Connect your phone to the new Wi-Fi network and return to the app. You may need to restart the video stream if it was running.
Set time
Sets the station's clock to your phone's local time. This needs to be done on every new station. If the time isn't set, the station ignores its wake periods and stays on all the time. It will flatten its main battery and only turn on again once the solar panels have recharged it, so it may be hard to connect to.
Wake schedule
Each station can have two wake periods. During these times it's awake, broadcasting its Wi-Fi network and available to connect to. Outside them, it's in deep sleep and can't be monitored.
If no wake schedule is set, the station stays on while it has charge, which makes its availability unreliable. Where at least one solar panel gets a couple of hours of full sun, we recommend a morning wake period of 7–9 am and an evening wake period of 4–6 pm. Every station also has a fixed 15-minute maintenance wake period from 12 pm, which can't be changed.
Auto-captures
On remote sites, observations can be captured automatically at the start of each wake period. You can turn on auto-captures, and choose their lighting mode, in the wake schedule menu. A low battery can delay the wake time, so auto-captures may happen later than scheduled or not at all.
Auto-captured observations are stored on the station until you download them. Select Auto-Capture in the settings menu to view all captures, then download them to your phone. You can then sync them in the same way as manual observations.
Firmware updates
Comfy Creatures is continually developing new features and improvements in response to customer feedback and special project requirements. You can add them to your stations wirelessly by updating the software from this menu.
Your phone downloads the latest software whenever you open the app with an internet connection. When you next connect to a station, this menu shows its current software version, the latest version available and what's new. The new software is uploaded from your phone to the station, the station reboots, and it's done.
If you have a special feature request, contact Comfy Creatures. You may have it running on your station within a couple of days!
Commissioning
The commissioning wizard records the variables of the nest box and its installation. These are paired with the photos and environmental data captured as observations, and together they make up the public database. By commissioning your nest box, you contribute to a public database that supports the scientific development of nest boxes and other artificial cavities for our endangered species.
Nest boxes are usually commissioned when they're first installed, so a baseline observation can be captured. Follow the commissioning process.
The wizard has eight pages covering all sorts of variables that may affect a nest box's success. You can update these fields at any time, and only the fields you change are updated.
Access log
The access log shows the total number of different visitors and connections to the station. It's especially useful for project sponsors, as a measure of engagement with their investment. Administrators can use it to review the project's success, consider improvements, plan public information sessions and report to sponsors.