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Analytics

The Analytics page is a customisable dashboard for visualising system data over time. You can build a personal workspace of charts and statistics — line charts, bar charts, heatmaps, gauges, and more — to monitor trends in device activity, gateway performance, and signal quality. Panels can be resized, rearranged, and configured to show exactly the data you need.


Getting to Analytics

From the main navigation, select Analytics under the Monitoring section.

Permissions note: Viewing analytics requires the analytics.read permission. Creating or modifying dashboards requires analytics.create and analytics.update. Contact your administrator if you need access.


Page Overview

Screenshot placeholder: Analytics page — default dashboard with four panels

When you first open Analytics, the default dashboard loads with four pre-built panels:

PanelTypeDescription
Event TrafficLine chartHourly BLE event counts over the selected time range
Active DevicesStatisticCount of unique devices seen in the time range
Avg RSSIStatisticAverage signal strength across all detections
Events by GatewayBar chartEvent count per gateway, for comparing coverage
Devices by DepartmentPie chartDistribution of tracked devices by department

These panels give a useful starting overview and can be modified or removed as needed.


Selecting a Time Range

A time range selector at the top of the page controls the period covered by all panels simultaneously.

Available options:

LabelWindow
Last 1 HourPast 60 minutes
Last 6 HoursPast 6 hours
Last 24 HoursPast 24 hours (default)
Last 7 DaysPast 7 days
Last 30 DaysPast 30 days

To change the time range:

  1. Click the time range dropdown in the toolbar.
  2. Select the desired period.
  3. All panels reload with data for the new range.

Auto-Refresh

The toolbar includes an Auto-Refresh setting. When enabled, all panels reload on a set interval without requiring a manual action.

  1. Click the auto-refresh selector.
  2. Choose an interval (for example, every 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 15 minutes).
  3. Select "Off" to disable auto-refresh.

Auto-refresh is useful on displays used for ongoing monitoring (for example, a security desk or operations room screen).


Chart Types

When adding or editing a panel, you choose a chart type. The available types are:

TypeBest used for
Line ChartShowing trends over time (e.g. event traffic rising or falling)
Bar ChartComparing values across categories (e.g. event count per gateway)
Pie ChartShowing proportions at a point in time (e.g. devices by department)
Doughnut ChartSame as pie, with a hollow centre — often easier to read at a glance
HeatmapGateway-by-hour signal strength matrix — shows patterns across time and location simultaneously
GaugeDisplaying a single value against a scale (e.g. system health score from 0–100%)
RadarComparing multiple metrics for up to 5 gateways side-by-side on a web/spider chart
Area + ZoomA line chart with a scrollable zoom control — useful for exploring long time periods
StatisticA large single-number display for a key metric (e.g. total events, active devices)
TableRaw data displayed as a scrollable table inside a dashboard panel

Data Sources

Each panel draws from one of the following data sources:

Data SourceWhat it contains
Traffic OverviewHourly event counts with unique device counts and average RSSI
Gateway PerformancePer-gateway event counts, unique devices seen, and average signal strength
Device DistributionDevice counts grouped by department and entity type
System SummaryAggregate metrics: total events, active devices, average RSSI, online gateways
Custom QueryBuild your own query — choose a metric, field, time interval, and optional grouping

Custom Query Options

When selecting Custom Query as the data source, additional configuration options appear:

Metric — What to calculate for each time bucket:

MetricMeaning
CountTotal number of events
AverageAverage value of the selected field
MinimumLowest value in the time bucket
MaximumHighest value in the time bucket
SumTotal of all values
Distinct CountNumber of unique values (e.g. unique devices)

Field — Which data field to apply the metric to:

FieldDescription
Event IDUnique event identifier (use with Count for event totals)
RSSISignal strength in dBm
Transmitter IDBadge or device identifier (use with Distinct Count for unique devices)
Receiver IDGateway identifier
Number of DecodingsHow many times each signal was decoded

Time Interval — The size of each time bucket:

IntervalTypical use
1 MinuteVery recent, high-resolution data
5 MinutesShort-term monitoring
15 MinutesIntra-day operational view
1 HourStandard daily trending
1 DayWeek or month view
1 WeekLong-term trends

Group By — Optionally split each time bucket by a dimension:

Group ByEffect
NoneSingle line or bar per time bucket
Receiver / GatewayOne series per gateway
Transmitter / DeviceOne series per device
Device TypeOne series per device category
BuildingOne series per building
FloorOne series per floor

Filter by Gateway — Optionally restrict the query to a specific gateway.


Adding a Panel

  1. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) in the toolbar to enter edit mode.
  2. Click Add Panel (the plus icon or "Add Panel" button).
  3. A configuration form appears. Fill in:
    • Title — A short descriptive name for the panel
    • Chart Type — Choose from the list above
    • Data Source — Choose a pre-built source or Custom Query
    • If using Custom Query, configure Metric, Field, Interval, and Group By as needed
    • Unit — Optional label to append to values (e.g. " dBm", " events")
  4. Click Save to add the panel to the dashboard.
  5. The new panel appears in the grid and loads its data automatically.

Screenshot placeholder: Add panel configuration form


Resizing a Panel

While in Edit mode:

  1. Hover over the panel you want to resize.
  2. A resize handle appears at the bottom-right corner of the panel.
  3. Click and drag the handle to change the panel's width and height.
  4. Release to confirm the new size.

Panel sizes are defined in grid units (columns wide, rows tall). The dashboard grid is 12 columns wide. A full-width panel would span all 12 columns.


Moving a Panel

While in Edit mode:

  1. Click and hold the panel's title bar.
  2. Drag the panel to the desired position in the grid.
  3. Other panels shift automatically to accommodate the new position.
  4. Release to drop the panel in place.

Editing a Panel

While in Edit mode:

  1. Click the configure icon (gear or pencil) that appears on a panel when hovering.
  2. The panel configuration form opens with the current settings loaded.
  3. Adjust the title, chart type, data source, or query options as needed.
  4. Click Save to apply changes.

Removing a Panel

While in Edit mode:

  1. Click the remove icon (X or trash icon) that appears on a panel when hovering.
  2. The panel is removed from the dashboard immediately.

Note: Removing a panel is permanent for the current session. If you have not saved the dashboard layout, you can reload the page to restore the default layout.


Saving the Dashboard Layout

After making changes to panels (adding, moving, resizing, or removing), save the layout so it persists for your next visit.

  1. Click the Save Layout button in the toolbar while in edit mode.
  2. A confirmation notification confirms the layout was saved.

Tip: Save your layout before leaving the page. Unsaved changes are lost if you navigate away or refresh.


Exiting Edit Mode

  1. Click the Done Editing button (or toggle the edit mode button off) in the toolbar.
  2. The drag handles and resize controls disappear.
  3. Panels return to their read-only display mode.

Exporting Analytics Data

Each panel has export options accessible from its header menu (three-dot or gear icon):

  • Export CSV — Downloads the raw data powering that panel as a comma-separated values file.
  • Export JSON — Downloads the data in JSON format, useful for importing into other tools.
  • Export PDF / Print — Sends the current dashboard view to your browser's print dialog.

You can also use the global Export buttons in the main toolbar to export all visible panel data at once.


Understanding the System Health Score (Gauge Panel)

When you add a Gauge panel and select the System Summary data source, it can display an overall system health score from 0 to 100. This score is calculated from three factors:

FactorContribution
Gateway online percentageWhat fraction of gateways are currently online
Device activityWhether any devices have been active in the time range
Average RSSI healthHow strong the average signal strength is across the system

A score above 80 indicates a healthy system. A low score warrants checking the Gateways page and Battery Health page for issues.


Understanding the Heatmap Panel

The heatmap displays a grid where:

  • Rows represent gateways (receivers)
  • Columns represent time buckets (hours)
  • Cell colour represents the average RSSI value during that hour for that gateway

Darker or more saturated colours indicate stronger signal activity. Light or empty cells indicate low or no activity. This view is useful for:

  • Identifying which gateways are consistently busy throughout the day
  • Spotting times when activity drops unexpectedly
  • Comparing coverage patterns across different areas of the building

Understanding the Radar Panel

The radar (spider) chart compares up to 5 gateways across four dimensions simultaneously:

  • Event count
  • Unique devices seen
  • Average RSSI
  • Uptime (online/offline status)

Gateways that score well on all four dimensions appear as larger shapes. A gateway with a small radar footprint may need investigation or may simply cover a low-traffic area.


Data Caching

To reduce server load, the Analytics page caches query results for 30 seconds. If you run the same query again within 30 seconds, the cached result is returned instantly. The cache clears automatically after 30 seconds, so subsequent requests always fetch fresh data.

If you need to force fresh data immediately, change the time range selector briefly and then change it back — this invalidates the cache for your current query.


Frequently Asked Questions

My panel shows no data even though I know there is activity. Check that your selected time range covers the period when activity occurred. Also confirm that the data source and metric combination makes sense for the chart type — for example, a pie chart works best with a categorical grouping, not a time series.

Can I have multiple saved dashboards? The system supports multiple saved dashboards. Use the dashboard management controls (if available in your account) to create, name, and switch between different dashboard layouts. Contact your administrator if you do not see dashboard management options.

The heatmap looks empty — why? The heatmap requires sufficient historical data with gateway-level detail. If your system has been running for less than a few hours, or if RSSI data is not being stored, the heatmap will appear sparse or empty.

How do I get a printed report of the whole dashboard? Click the Print button in the toolbar. Your browser will open a print dialog with the current dashboard layout formatted for printing.


NISC Muster Tracking Documentation