NTi Press Release

Uninterrupted Storage of Data for more than Five Years
By connecting a USB mass storage device to the NetBox, the data storage capacity of the XL2 is expanded to 2 terabytes, which massively simplifies the operation of an autonomous measuring station. The USB device can be accessed faster than the XL2's internal memory card. In addition, to save storage space as well as power, a measurement schedule timetable including a sleep mode has been added to NoiseScout.
Easily Expand Storage via USB
With on-site continuous measurements, it is critical how long the level data can be buffered. You want to have to change the storage medium as seldom as possible and optimize the network or modem connection usage.
Since the latest NetBox firmware update, an external storage medium (SSD, HDD, stick) can be connected to the NetBox via USB. This extends the storage capacity of the XL2 to up to 2 terabytes. Measurement periods of four months (with storage of uncompressed wav files) or over three years (with compressed wav files) are no problem. In addition, a new timetable schedule ensures that measurement projects are completed and saved at the pre-set time.
Automatic Detection
As soon as a suitably-formatted storage medium is connected to the NetBox, the storage space is made available to the measurement system. The NetBox continuously searches for completed projects and moves them from the XL2's SD-card to this external storage. This means that the XL2 will always have enough free space and the device connected via USB works as an extension of the XL2 storage.
The external storage can, as with the XL2, be accessed via a secure FTP connection. The data is downloaded from the external storage up to four times faster than with direct access to the SD-card of the XL2.
Massive Data Storage
The USB device connected to the NetBox can be up to two terabytes in size; FAT32 formatting is required. With a sound level measurement, including the additional storage required for 1/3rd-octave spectra and a 100 ms log interval, the following storage periods can be expected:
•	Five and a half years for level measurements without audio wav recording
•	Three years with simultaneous, continuous recording of compressed wav files
•	Four months with simultaneous, continuous recording of uncompressed wav files at a sampling rate of 48 kHz and a resolution of 24 bits.
Level data can thus be buffered for a much longer period using this larger USB storage if, for example, the modem connection is not stable. Thus, the peace of mind of a self-sufficient NoiseScout system can be increased even further.
Schedule Your Projects
A newly-implemented schedule timetable in NoiseScout takes care of the completion and regular archiving of measurement projects. In addition to this daily procedure, the timetable also defines the daily period for active measurement. This simplifies the operation of the unattended measurement station.
Sleep Mode Extends the Battery Life
Self-sufficient measurement systems have to preserve energy. A “Sleep when idle” function allows the system to be put to sleep until the next measurement interval; the power consumption drops to practically zero. Only the "alarm clock" in the XL2 remains active. All other components, including the NetBox, are switched off through the "Digital I/O Adapter". After "waking up", the XL2 switches all devices back to the power supply, the system starts up, and can then be reached again via FTP or http. This significantly extends the lifetime of a single battery charge.
System Requirements
A USB storage device can be connected to any NTi Audio NetBox that is equipped with firmware 2.30 or newer. The disk, formatted with FAT32, can also be read by a PC. “Sleep when idle” mode is available in all XL2 devices from hardware version E0.

Further links to the topic:
Video: How to extend your storage capacity of your noise monitor
More about Environmental Noise Measurement
More about XL2 Sound Level Meter
More about Unattended Noise Monitoring

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