Environmental monitoring system which leverages a social networking service to deliver alerts to mobile phones or devices

Abstract

A system for remote monitoring of environmental conditions at a site and transmitting alerts to interested parties' mobile devices via a social networking service is described. The system employs a wireless communications device, partially exposed outside a small, metal enclosure, to transmit SMS (text message) alerts to a social networking site. Interested parties, including other devices, receive the alerts by simply subscribing to the ‘user’ device. Thus, no configuration of the device by interested parties is required. Temperature alerts are generated by the device without user-configured or fixed thresholds. A wall-mounted installation of the device conceals the external antenna within the wall cavity.

1 . An environmental monitoring system having a sensor and a microprocessor in communication with a network. 
     
     
         2 . A method of sending an alarm to a social networking site, including sensing an environmental condition, detecting an alarm condition, and transmitting data relating to the alarm condition to a social networking site.