Question 1

What equipment do I need to get started?

Accepted Answer

Nothing. We ship everything pre-configured — a Flowstate Hub (compute + networking + UPS in one enclosure), WiFi AP, LoRaWAN gateway, vibration sensors, and Cat6 cables. You provide a 120V outlet and a wall to mount the enclosure. Customer self-install takes about 4 hours.

Question 2

How long does installation take?

Accepted Answer

For Flowstate Fleet (hardware included), most facilities are installed in a single weekend with no production interruption — data flowing within 30 days or your first month is refunded. For Flowstate Connect (BYO), setup is self-serve: configure your webhook in Settings, and data flows within minutes of connecting your broker. For Starter (sensors only), sign up and start seeing data immediately.

Question 3

Do I need an IT department?

Accepted Answer

No. Our system uses cellular backhaul — it does not touch your company network. No firewall rules, no VPN configuration, no IT tickets. Your IT department does not need to know it exists. We bring our own connectivity.

Question 4

What machines do you support?

Accepted Answer

Any production equipment — CNC mills, lathes, presses, conveyors, pumps, motors, compressors, and more. If it vibrates, generates heat, draws current, or runs a cycle, we can monitor it. We support 22 equipment types across every manufacturing vertical.

Question 5

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Three plans: Flowstate Starter is a flat $299/month for sensor-only monitoring (1 site, unlimited sensors). Flowstate Connect is $129/machine/month (3-machine minimum, $387/mo floor) for manufacturers who already have their own hardware and MQTT broker — full platform, you supply the infrastructure. Flowstate Fleet is $199/machine/month (5-machine minimum, $995/mo floor) with hardware, managed broker, installation support, and everything included. All plans include the full AI platform, dashboards, alerts, and standards encoding.

Question 6

Is there a setup fee?

Accepted Answer

No setup fee on any plan. Flowstate Starter and Connect are self-serve — sign up and start immediately. Flowstate Fleet includes hardware, configuration, and installation support at no additional cost. All plans include a guarantee: Starter and Connect get a 14-day money-back guarantee, Fleet gets a 30-day data guarantee plus a 90-day ROI guarantee.

Question 7

What is included in the monthly price?

Accepted Answer

Everything. Hardware lease, sensor maintenance, cellular connectivity, cloud data storage, real-time dashboards, automated alerts via SMS and email, AI-powered anomaly detection, weekly intelligence reports, and ongoing support. There are no hidden fees for integrators, consultants, or add-on modules.

Question 8

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

We operate on a 12-month agreement, billed monthly. At month 6, you have a Fair Exit option — return the hardware and your subscription stops, no penalty. After month 12, the hardware transfers to you and the subscription goes month-to-month. If you do not see measurable value within 90 days, we refund up to 3 months of subscription fees.

Question 9

What is a Unified Namespace (UNS)?

Accepted Answer

A Unified Namespace is a single, organized source of truth for all your operational data. Instead of machines, databases, and applications each holding their own siloed data, everything publishes to one central hub. Think of it as a shared whiteboard that every system in your plant can read and write to. It is built on MQTT — the same protocol used by the largest manufacturers in the world.

Question 10

What is Sparkplug B?

Accepted Answer

Sparkplug B is an open specification that standardizes how industrial devices report data over MQTT. It includes birth and death certificates (so you know when a device comes online or goes offline), report-by-exception (data only sends when it changes, saving bandwidth), and a structured payload format. It means your data is organized and consistent from day one, not a mess of custom formats.

Question 11

How does the data get from my machines to the dashboard?

Accepted Answer

The system has two layers. Wireless vibration sensors connect to the site hub via LoRaWAN. For machines with wired protocols (OPC-UA, MTConnect, Modbus), a small edge node on each cell connects directly to the machine and bridges data to the hub over WiFi. The hub processes everything with Sparkplug B protocol and sends it to the cloud via cellular (TLS 1.3 encrypted). The entire system runs on an air-gapped OT network — zero IT involvement, we never touch your business network.

Question 12

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All data in transit is encrypted with TLS 1.3. Our MQTT broker runs in a managed cloud environment with authentication on every connection. Your data is isolated by organization — no other customer can see it. We do not sell, share, or use your data for anything other than running your dashboards and alerts. You own it. You can export it anytime.

Question 13

Do you support OPC-UA or MTConnect?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our edge nodes support OPC-UA, MTConnect, Modbus TCP, and Modbus RTU out of the box. During your site assessment, we identify which protocols your equipment speaks and configure the right adapter. Most industrial machines built after 2010 support at least one of these.

Question 14

What kind of ROI can I expect?

Accepted Answer

Our ROI model projects savings of $3,300 per machine per year through reduced unplanned downtime and improved efficiency. A single prevented critical failure can save $15,000 or more. Our target is 15-25% OEE improvement within the first 6 months. We are confident enough in these numbers to offer a 90-day ROI guarantee — if you do not see measurable value, we refund up to 3 months of subscription fees.

Question 15

How quickly will I see results?

Accepted Answer

Your dashboard is live within days of hardware installation. Within the first week you will see real-time machine status, utilization rates, and vibration baselines. By week 2-3, the system has enough data to start detecting anomalies and sending meaningful alerts. Within 90 days, you will have a clear picture of which machines are costing you the most and why.

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