CHESTER Motion

This article describes the core functionality, hardware description, and example JSON message of the catalog application CHESTER Motion.

caution

Some of the basics are not provided, as they are common for all CHESTER catalog applications. Please see:

• Getting started on how to connect device to Cloud.
• Common functionality to know how LED, button and network configuration works.
• Platform Management on how to work with the interactive console.

Application Overview

CHESTER Motion is a directional motion detection device that uses dual PIR sensors to detect and track movement direction (left-to-right and right-to-left). The application counts motion events with direction information, and sends aggregated telemetry data via LTE to the HARDWARIO Cloud.

CHESTER Motion is equipped with two PIR sensors to monitor the passage of individuals around the device, making it ideal for tracking foot traffic in factories, train stations, or retail environments. With wireless connectivity and long battery life, the device can be easily installed anywhere, including remote locations for monitoring protected natural areas.

Typical use cases:

• Monitor foot traffic in factory aisles, train stations, or retail spaces
• Track the movement of individuals in protected natural areas
• Enhance security and optimize operations by monitoring human presence in various environments
• Facilitate easy installation in remote or difficult-to-access locations due to its wireless design and battery longevity

Hardware Description

The hardware of this application consists of the following ordering codes:

• CHESTER-M-BCGLS - CHESTER mainboard with C battery holder
• CHESTER-E23-LP - Enclosure with two PIR sensor holes, SMA antenna pigtail and light pipe
• CHESTER-S3 - Extension board with two PIR sensors
• Battery SAFT LS26500

See Ordering Codes for more details.

Technical Specification

Parameter	Value
Enclosure material	ASA
Dimensions	130×175×45 mm
Operating temperature	-20 to +60 °C
Storage temperature	-20 to +60 °C
Enclosure protection	IP67
Nominal battery voltage	3.6 V
Nominal battery capacity	7700 mAh
Idle power consumption	< 180 µA
Peak power consumption	< 250 mA

PIR Sensor (CHESTER-S3)

Parameter	Value
Detection range	Up to 3 meters
Measurement angle	Max 80°

Measurement and Behavior

The application operates in a three-stage pipeline:

1. Sampling (controlled by interval-sample, default 60 seconds):

   • Reads internal thermometer (temperature)
   • Reads accelerometer (X, Y, Z axes and orientation)
   • Captures accumulated motion counts since the last sample into a motion sample buffer
   • Resets per-cycle motion counters after each sample

2. Motion detection (continuous, interrupt-driven):

   • The CHESTER-S3 module has two PIR sensor channels: left (L) and right (R)
   • When one channel detects motion, a 750 ms window opens to detect the opposite channel
   • If the opposite channel fires within 750 ms, a directional movement event is recorded:
     • L then R = left-to-right movement (motion_right)
     • R then L = right-to-left movement (motion_left)
   • If the opposite channel does not fire within 750 ms, only a single-sensor detection is counted (detect_left or detect_right)

3. Reporting (controlled by interval-report, default 1800 seconds):

   • Encodes all collected data into CBOR format
   • Sends the report to the HARDWARIO Cloud via LTE
   • Up to 30 motion samples can be buffered per reporting period
   • Motion sample counters reset after a successful send
   • Totalizers (lifetime counters) persist across reports and are never reset

info

A random jitter of 0-20% is added to the report interval to prevent multiple devices from transmitting simultaneously.

• Motion detection sensitivity can be configured using preset modes (low, medium, high) or individual custom parameters.

PIR Sensitivity Modes

The application offers three preset sensitivity modes and one custom mode:

Low — Provides highest false alarm resistance with slower detection:

• motion-sens: 32, motion-blind: 3 s, motion-pulse: 3, motion-window: 4 s

Medium (default) — Balanced ratio between detection speed and false alarm resistance:

• motion-sens: 64, motion-blind: 2 s, motion-pulse: 2, motion-window: 2 s

High — Fastest detection with highest sensitivity. Single pulse triggers detection immediately. Best for security systems or door sensors where immediate response is required:

• motion-sens: 128, motion-blind: 1 s, motion-pulse: 1, motion-window: 0 s

Individual — Allows manual adjustment of all four parameters for advanced control.

tip

The motion-sens parameter controls how strongly the sensor reacts to input. Higher values mean higher responsiveness.

LED Behavior

LED	Condition	Behavior
Red	Initialization	On during startup, off when initialization is complete
Green	Service mode + LTE mode	Brief flash every 5 seconds
Yellow	Service mode + no mode	Brief flash every 5 seconds
Green	Service mode + left PIR trigger	100 ms flash on left sensor detection
Red	Service mode + right PIR trigger	100 ms flash on right sensor detection
Yellow	Button press	Pulses N times (N = number of clicks detected)
LOAD	5-click button action	On for 2 minutes

info

Service mode LED indicators are only active when service-mode-enabled is set to true.

Button Behavior

The INT button supports multi-click actions:

Clicks	Action
1x	Send data to cloud immediately
2x	Sample all sensors immediately
3x	Sample all sensors + send data
4x	Reboot the device
5x	Turn on LOAD LED for 2 minutes (load indication)

Each button press is acknowledged with yellow LED flashes corresponding to the number of detected clicks.

Default Configuration

This is the default configuration (printed using the app config show command):

app config interval-sample 60
app config interval-report 1800
app config interval-poll 0
app config sensitivity medium
app config motion-sens 64
app config motion-blind 2
app config motion-pulse 2
app config motion-window 2
app config service-mode-enabled false
app config mode lte

Specific Commands

info

You can easily explore the whole command tree structure - start with the help command.

caution

To apply a new configuration, you need to call config save, which applies the new configuration parameters and reboots the device.

Command to set the operating mode:

app config mode <none|lte>

Command to set sample interval in seconds:

app config interval-sample <1-86400>

Command to set report interval in seconds:

app config interval-report <30-86400>

Command to set poll interval in seconds (0 to disable):

app config interval-poll <0-86400>

Command to set PIR sensitivity preset:

app config sensitivity <low|medium|high|individual>

tip

When set to individual, you can fine-tune all four motion detection parameters below. In other modes, these parameters are set automatically by the preset.

Command to set motion sensor sensitivity (higher value = higher responsiveness):

app config motion-sens <1-255>

Command to set motion blind time in seconds (time after detection during which further detections are ignored):

app config motion-blind <0-10>

Command to set motion pulse count (minimum number of detection pulses needed to trigger a motion event):

app config motion-pulse <1-10>

Command to set motion detection window in seconds (time window during which required pulse count must be recorded):

app config motion-window <0-10>

Command to enable/disable service mode for real-time motion monitoring:

app config service-mode-enabled <true|false>

Action Commands

Sample all sensors immediately:

sample

Send data to cloud immediately:

send

Monitor motion detection events in real-time (default timeout 60 seconds, max 1800 seconds):

motion detection [timeout_s]

Display buffered motion samples and totalizers:

motion samples

Firmware

The latest firmware is available in the Catalog Applications Firmware chapter.

Example JSON Message

{
  "message": {
    "version": 2,
    "sequence": 42,
    "timestamp": 1736942400
  },
  "system": {
    "uptime": 86400,
    "voltage_load": 3.21,
    "voltage_rest": 3.65,
    "current_load": 38
  },
  "network": {
    "parameter": {
      "eest": 7,
      "ecl": 0,
      "rsrp": -87,
      "rsrq": -6,
      "snr": 12,
      "plmn": 23003,
      "cid": 2851843,
      "band": 20,
      "earfcn": 6300
    }
  },
  "thermometer": {
    "temperature": 23.45
  },
  "accelerometer": {
    "accel_x": 0.02,
    "accel_y": -0.01,
    "accel_z": 9.81,
    "orientation": 2
  },
  "motion": {
    "totalizer": {
      "detect_left": 1250,
      "detect_right": 1180,
      "motion_left": 485,
      "motion_right": 520
    },
    "samples": [
      1736942400,
      [0, 3, 2, 1, 2],
      [60, 5, 4, 2, 3],
      [120, 2, 1, 0, 1],
      [180, 4, 3, 1, 2],
      [240, 6, 5, 3, 4]
    ]
  }
}

Message Fields Description

• message: Metadata (version, sequence, timestamp).
• system: Power status (uptime, voltage, current).
• network.parameter: LTE connection details (RSRP, SNR, Cell ID, etc.).
• thermometer: Internal temperature in °C.
• accelerometer: Acceleration in m/s² and orientation.
• motion:
  • totalizer: Lifetime event counters (never reset).
  • samples: Time-sequence offset encoded array of motion events. The first element is the base timestamp. Each subsequent element is an array: [offset, detect_left, detect_right, motion_left, motion_right].

info

Any value may be null if the corresponding sensor read failed.