How to Choose the Right Vibration Sensor: Which Type Fits Your Site?

How to Choose the Right Vibration Sensor: Which Type Fits Your Site?

Which Sensor is Best for You? A Diagnostic Flowchart

How to Choose the Right Vibration Sensor

Thinking about starting vibration monitoring but not sure which method is best? Simply follow our YES/NO diagnostic flow to find the ideal solution for your environment and goals.


Which One is Best for Your Site? Diagnostic Flow

Step 1
Is the target "Critical Safety Equipment"?
(e.g., Turbines where failure causes major accidents)
NO (General Machinery)
▼ Go to Step 2
Step 2
Can staff perform daily manual inspections?
NO (Difficult)
▼ Go to Step 3
Step 3
Do you need to identify the "Root Cause" (Waveform)?
NO
Standard Wireless
(Overall value only)


Vibration Sensor Categorization by Asset Criticality

Implementing expensive wired sensors for every piece of equipment is not always practical. Using wired systems for "Critical Assets" that cannot stop for even a second, and wireless (conanair) for "General Assets" that were previously handled by manual inspections, maximizes your Return on Investment (ROI).


Equipment Class Recommended Monitoring Method conanair (Wi-Fi) Application
Critical Assets
(Turbines, Large Generators, etc.)
Wired Sensors
Equipment requiring constant, millisecond-level real-time monitoring.
Not recommended. Constant power and ultra-high-speed sampling are best left to wired systems.
Primary Rotating Machinery
(Pumps, Fans, Motors, etc.)
Wi-Fi Wireless
Equipment where manual inspection is being automated for trend management.
【Optimal】 Eliminates wiring costs and achieves low-cost, 24/7 automated vibration monitoring.
Secondary/Standby Units
(Auxiliary Pumps, Exhaust Fans, etc.)
Manual Inspection / Spot Checks
Equipment measured only when signs of failure appear.
【Compatible】 A single sensor can be used for "portable measurement," covering up to 100 points.


Comparison of Method Benefits and Drawbacks

[A] Wired Continuous Monitoring Systems

Used for the heart of power plants and oil refineries, where even a momentary stop is unacceptable.

  • Pros: Highest reliability. Can trigger automatic emergency shutdowns in real-time.
  • Cons: Costly (thousands of dollars per point). Massive wiring installation costs make it difficult to justify for standard pumps and fans.

[B] Portable Vibration Meters (Handheld)

The most common method where maintenance personnel visit the site to take periodic readings.

  • Pros:
    ・A single meter can measure many points.
    ・Wide choice of devices, from low-cost basic diagnosis to high-end precision diagnostic tools.
  • Cons:
    ・High labor costs for manual measurement. Data varies by operator. Dangerous locations (high or near rotating parts) cannot be measured.

[C] conanair (Wi-Fi Vibration Sensor)

A new choice that combines "wired-level analysis" with "handheld-level ease of use."

  • Pros:
    ・No wiring required (battery-powered, direct Wi-Fi).
    ・Provides "Raw Waveform Data (FFT)" comparable to wired systems at handheld prices.
    ・Automated measurement solves labor shortages.
  • Cons: Frequent measurements require battery replacement (every few months to years). Not suitable for real-time emergency shutdown.


Specific Applications Where conanair Excels

conanair is specialized in transitioning general-purpose equipment—which previously relied on human "sensory" inspections—to low-cost digital predictive maintenance.

  • HVAC Fans and Cooling Towers: Remote monitoring in high or outdoor locations where wiring is difficult.
  • Cooling Water and Circulation Pumps: Early detection of bearing damage using acceleration data before audible noise occurs.
  • Conveyor Drive Motors: Trend management to prevent sudden line stops in manufacturing plants.
  • Wastewater Treatment Submersible Pumps: Reduce inspection frequency and implement CBM (Condition-Based Maintenance).


Where conanair is the "Perfect Fit"

Based on our diagnosis, conanair provides overwhelming performance in these specific site conditions:

  • Sites where wiring installation quotes were too high to proceed
    → Magnetic mounting and battery operation mean zero installation costs.
  • Sites with dangerous or hard-to-reach locations
    → Once installed, data can be collected via Wi-Fi from the safety of your office.
  • Maintenance engineers who want detailed root-cause analysis
    → While many simple sensors only provide "numerical values," conanair provides "raw waveforms," enabling precision diagnosis (FFT analysis).

For a detailed spec comparison with other products, please refer to the following page.

 

Why Pros Choose conanair: A Thorough Comparison


30-Day Free Trial & Inquiry

Try Conan Air for free for 30 days. Here is what our users are saying:
  • Easy installation for immediate use
  • No app required; operate via web browser
  • No cloud required for fully automatic measurement
  • Affordable, including dedicated software
Free Trial
Try equipment anomaly detection and predictive maintenance for free. Please feel free to contact us.

30-Day Free Trial & Inquiry

Try Conan Air for free for 30 days. Here is what our users are saying:
  • Easy installation for immediate use
  • No app required; operate via web browser
  • No cloud required for fully automatic measurement
  • Affordable, including dedicated software
Try equipment anomaly detection and predictive maintenance for free. Please feel free to contact us. Free Trial

 

Please contact NSXe for any issues regarding facility maintenance

Company Name NSXe Co.Ltd - Nakayama Hydrothermal Industry Co., Ltd.
Head Office 7686-10 Hirano-cho, Suzuka, Mie513-0835, Japan zip code 513-0835
Phone +81-90-2189-1398
FAX +81-59-379-4704
Business Hours 8:00~17:00
Office Regular

Holiday

Saturday afternoons, Sundays and public holidays
URL https://conanair.com/

Please contact NSXe for any issues regarding facility maintenance

Company Name NSXe Co.Ltd - Nakayama Hydrothermal Industry Co., Ltd.
Head Office 7686-10 Hirano-cho, Suzuka, Mie513-0835, Japan zip code 513-0835
TEL +81-90-2189-1398
FAX +81-59-379-4704
Business Hours 8:00~17:00
Office Regular

Holiday

Saturday afternoons, Sundays and public holidays
URL https://conanair.com/