Pharos Cloud
Simple, secure remote management…
…from any Internet-connected device, any time, anywhere in the world.
Clients increasingly demand lighting programming changes to respond to special events or unforeseen needs. But once an installation is up and running and the technicians, programmers and integrators have left, making changes – or investigating issues – can incur huge time, financial and environmental costs sending someone to site.
Pharos Cloud makes it easy to achieve remote management which is truly remote. Getting access beyond the local network no longer requires additional skills or hardware, or accepting potential security risks arising from a misconfigured network.
Set-up of Pharos Cloud could not be simpler – controllers are plugged into the Internet and create a 2-way connection to the Pharos Cloud servers, using industry-standard encryption for complete peace-of-mind. Any Internet connection can be used, with Cloud even working from behind firewalls without any special network configuration. Bandwidth requirements are minimal, meaning cellular connections can be used for sites without wired Internet access.
Once connected, users can access controllers via the Pharos Cloud website, from any Internet-connected device, including phones and tablets. They can assign controllers to a project, set access levels for multiple users, view controller status, fire triggers, upload new programming, and update settings and firmware. And because all of this information is stored safely in the Pharos Cloud servers, problems can be diagnosed even if the controllers are offline.
Why use Pharos Cloud?
Here are just a few reasons why Pharos Cloud is the right choice for your remote management needs:
No additional hardware required
Just connect the Pharos controllers to the Internet via their Ethernet port. Cloud supports all Pharos controllers that are compatible with Designer 2.
Works over any Internet connection
Controllers only need to connect out to the Internet on standard ports, so work from behind firewalls with no special configuration.
Multiple device
support
Access Cloud from the browser of any Internet-connected device, including phones, tablets and laptops.
Secure Internet-based connectivity
Using the latest encryption technologies – similar to online banking.
Control multiple sites
Control multiple Pharos sites from a single Cloud portal with a single log-in per user
Granular user permissions
Choose what features each user is permitted to access on a user-by-user and site-by-site basis.
Offline status reporting
Status information is stored on the Cloud servers, so problems can be diagnosed even if controllers go offline.
Low bandwidth requirements
Cloud’s communications are designed for minimal bandwidth use, ideal for cellular or low-speed connections.
Pharos Cloud functionality
Many remote management tasks can be conducted with Pharos Cloud, with more being added over the coming months. Existing functions include:
View system status
Fire triggers
Upload new programming
Adjust hardware settings
Set user permissions
Upgrade controller firmware
Pricing and Availability
Pharos Cloud is set for a general release planned for early 2019.
Beta sites were entered into testing late 2018. If you are an existing Pharos customer and would like your project to be considered for beta testing, please contact your sales manager. To ensure the best user experience and most valuable testing, beta sites will be limited in number and to those fulfilling specific criteria. As such please be aware that not all requests will be accepted.
All Pharos controllers that support Designer 2 will be eligible for a free subscription tier for monitoring basic online/offline status. Further subscription pricing will be announced early in 2019. For indicative pricing, please contact your sales manager, or sales@pharoscontrols.com.
