Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding WeatherTRAK Administrative Tools

The WeatherTRAK Administrative Tools are a set of features that allow users to manage their own access and permissions for WeatherTRAK Central controllers. This feature set enables you to control who has access to your controllers and what level of permissions they have, without needing to contact customer support for every change.

By default, customer support handles account setup and access management for most customers. However, the administrative tools provide direct control over your security features for users who prefer to manage these settings themselves. This is particularly valuable for organizations that need daily management of user access and want to maintain tight control over their system security.

The administrative tools are turned off by default and must be specifically requested and enabled for your account before you can access them. WeatherTRAK uses a permissions-based system as part of its network security, where each user account identifies not only which sites and controllers they can access, but also which features they can use within those controllers.

Who Benefits from Administrative Tools

Several types of users find significant value in having direct access to administrative tools:

Large Retail Organizations: Major retailers with hundreds or thousands of sites often have a dedicated site administrator who manages access for all locations. For example, one retail partner has a single administrator managing access for 1,700 sites nationwide. Having the power to control access without involving customer service for every change provides significant efficiency and security benefits.

City and Municipal Administrators: City administrators managing multiple parks and public facilities benefit from being able to add and remove user access on a daily basis without going through customer support. This allows them to quickly respond to staffing changes and maintain security over their irrigation systems.

Large Property Managers: Facilities managing extensive properties, such as major sports stadiums and their surrounding grounds, use administrative tools to manage access for subcontractors and various personnel who need to interact with the irrigation system. This provides centralized control over who can view and modify their account settings.

Organizations with Multiple Irrigation Technicians: Cities, school districts, and other organizations with multiple irrigation technicians and management personnel who need access benefit from being able to quickly add or modify user accounts as staffing changes occur.

It's important to note that contractors typically do not have access to administrative tools because you must be the owner of the controller to authorize permissions. However, understanding how these tools work helps contractors understand what their user profile looks like behind the scenes and what access and permissions their account has been given.

Accessing the Admin Tab

Once you have been granted administrative permissions, you will see an Admin tab appear in your WeatherTRAK Central interface. This tab is only visible to users who have been assigned administrative features.

1. Log in to WeatherTRAK Central (weathertrak.net).

2. Look for the Admin tab in your navigation menu. If you don't see this tab, you do not currently have administrative features enabled on your account.

3. Click on the Admin tab to access the administrative tools interface.

The admin tools interface is where you will control user permissions and access settings for all users under your management.

Creating a New User Account

Setting up a new user account is the first step in managing access to your WeatherTRAK controllers. There is no cost to adding WeatherTRAK accounts.

1. From the admin tools interface, click on the Users button.

2. In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click the Add New User button.

3. Fill out the user information form with the following details:

• User's full name
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• Any other requested basic user data

4. Click Save to create the user profile in the WeatherTRAK network.

Once saved, this user account will be created and you can proceed to manage their access and permissions. To view or edit an existing user account, simply click on that user from the users list and select Edit to see the same information screen.

Managing User Access Levels

After creating a user account, you need to determine what controllers, sites, and accounts that user will be able to access. WeatherTRAK offers three levels of access granularity: account level, site level, and controller level.

1. Navigate to the user account you want to manage from the users list.

2. Click on the More tab within that user's profile.

3. You will see three categories for managing access: Accounts, Sites, and Controllers.

Account Level Access

Account level access provides the broadest level of access, allowing a user to see and manage all controllers within an entire account. This is the highest level of access you can grant.

For example, a city administrator for the City of Fort Lauderdale with account level access can see all controllers across all city properties that are part of the Fort Lauderdale account. This is appropriate for administrators who need oversight of the entire irrigation system across all locations.

To grant account level access, select the appropriate account from the Accounts section and add it to the user's access list.

Site Level Access

Site level access allows you to break up an account and give users access only to specific sites within that account. When a user has site level access, they can see and manage all controllers at their designated sites, but cannot access controllers at other sites within the same account.

This is particularly useful for organizations with multiple irrigation technicians where each technician is responsible for specific properties or zones. For example, if you have several irrigation techs, each one can be authorized to only see and manage the controllers and sites that are assigned to them.

1. Click on the Sites section under the More tab.

2. You will see a list of all sites that you have been authorized to manage within the account.

3. Click on any site and drag it into the user's access list.

4. Repeat for all sites you want this user to access.

5. Click Save to apply the site access changes.

Controller Level Access

Controller level access is the most granular level of access, allowing you to grant access to individual controllers one at a time. This is useful for temporary access situations or when you need to limit access to very specific equipment.

A common use case for controller level access is when you have a subcontractor working on a specific project. You can grant them access only to the controllers and stations they need for the duration of their project, without giving them visibility into your entire irrigation system. Once the project is complete, you can easily remove their access to those specific controllers.

To grant controller level access, select individual controllers from the Controllers section and add them to the user's access list, then save your changes.

Understanding Permission Categories

WeatherTRAK features are broken down into different categories or "buckets," each with its own permission settings. For each category, you can set the permission level using a dropdown menu. The available permission levels typically include:

• None: The user has no access to this feature
• Reader: The user can view information but cannot make changes
• User: The user has full access to use and modify this feature

Different feature categories may have different permission options available.

WeatherTRAK Mobile Permissions

All permissions you set in WeatherTRAK Central apply equally to WeatherTRAK Mobile. The permissions system is unified across both platforms, so any access or feature restrictions you configure will be enforced whether the user accesses the system through the web interface or the mobile app.

For example, if you turn off the ability to change programs in a user's account, they will not be able to modify program settings in either WeatherTRAK Central or WeatherTRAK Mobile. However, they will still have manual access to run irrigation if that permission is enabled. Similarly, if you set controller pages to view-only, the user will not be able to change station settings in either platform.

Setting User Permissions

After determining which controllers, sites, or accounts a user can access, you need to set their permissions. Permissions control what features and functions the user can use within WeatherTRAK. This is where you can create view-only accounts, restrict certain functions, or grant full administrative rights.

1. Navigate to the user account you want to manage.

2. Click on the Access and Permissions tab.

3. You will see a list of every account that the user has been given access to.

4. Click Edit next to the account for which you want to modify permissions.

Admin Tool Permissions

The Admin Tool permission category controls whether a user can access the administrative tools themselves. By default, all user accounts have their admin tool permissions set to None.

To make another user an administrator:

1. Locate the Admin Tool category in the permissions list.

2. Click the dropdown menu, which will initially show None.

3. Change the setting to User to grant administrative rights.

4. Save your changes.

This will give that user the ability to manage other users' access and permissions, just as you are doing.

Controller Page Permissions

The Controller Pages category includes access to the program page and all essential irrigation functions. This is where you control whether users can make changes to irrigation programs and settings.

To create a view-only account where users can see all WeatherTRAK information but cannot make any changes:

1. Locate the Controller Pages category in the permissions list.

2. Change the permission level from User to Reader.

3. Save your changes.

This removes all save buttons from the user's WeatherTRAK experience. They can view programs, schedules, and settings, but cannot modify anything. This setting applies to both WeatherTRAK Central and WeatherTRAK Mobile accounts issued to that user.

Restricting Manual Watering

If you want to restrict a user's ability to run manual watering while still allowing them to view information, you can adjust the controller page permissions accordingly.

When you set the Controller Pages permission to Reader (view-only), this restriction applies to both WeatherTRAK Central and WeatherTRAK Mobile. The user will not be able to manually run irrigation programs through either platform. They will still have access to view information, but all manual irrigation controls and program changes will be disabled.

Document Manager Permissions

The Document Manager is another feature category where users have no default access. This feature allows you to store and organize documents in the WeatherTRAK cloud. Like the admin tool, this must be specifically enabled for users who need access to stored documents.

Copying Permissions Between Users

When you need to set up multiple users with similar access and permissions, you don't have to manually configure each account from scratch. WeatherTRAK provides a tool to copy permission sets from one user to another.

1. Navigate to the Users page in the admin tools.

2. Locate the user whose permissions you want to copy.

3. Use the Copy Permissions feature to duplicate that user's permission set.

4. Apply the copied permissions to the new user account.

While this is a manual process, the copy permissions tool makes it efficient to set up multiple users with consistent access levels.

Copying Permissions to New Properties

When you add a new property or site to your account, you can use the copy permissions feature to automatically apply your existing administrator settings to the new property. This ensures consistent access management across all your sites without having to manually configure permissions for each new addition.

Sending the Welcome Email

After you have created a user account, managed their access to sites and controllers, and set all their permissions, you must send them a welcome email. This is an essential step that provides the user with their login credentials.

1. From the user's profile page, locate the Send Welcome Email option.

2. Click to send the welcome email to the user.

The welcome email will come from HydroPoint Support and will include:

• A welcome message to WeatherTRAK
• The user's username
• A temporary password

3. The user should log in using the temporary password provided in the email.

4. Upon first login, the user will be prompted to set their own secure password.

Resetting User Passwords

The welcome email feature also serves as a password reset tool. If a user has lost or forgotten their password, you can send them a new welcome email as an administrator.

1. Navigate to the user's account in the admin tools.

2. Send a new welcome email.

3. This will reset their password to the temporary password contained in the welcome email.

4. The user can then log in with the temporary password and set a new secure password.

Removing User Access

When an employee leaves your organization or when you need to remove a contractor's access to your system, you can revoke their access through the administrative tools. This is particularly important for landscaping companies when they gain a new account or stop servicing an existing account, as it prevents accidental damage or liability.

1. Navigate to the Admin tab and click on Users.

2. Locate and click on the user account you want to remove access from.

3. Go to the More tab to view their access settings.

4. Remove all sites, controllers, and accounts from their access list by selecting them and removing them.

5. Save your changes.

Note that you do not delete the user account itself. Instead, you remove all access from it. The user can still log in to WeatherTRAK, but they will not be able to view or control any controllers. This approach maintains the account history while effectively revoking all system access.

Viewing the Account Security Report

WeatherTRAK provides an Account Security Report that shows all users on a site or account and their related permissions. This report is available to users with administrative features.

1. Log in to WeatherTRAK Central (weathertrak.net).

2. Navigate to the Reports page.

3. Look for the Account Security Report in the administrator section.

4. Run the report to view all users and their access levels.

This report requires administrative features to be enabled on your account. If you are a contractor or user without administrative access and need this information, contact customer support and they can provide the report for you.

Tracking User Actions with Change History

WeatherTRAK maintains a Controller Settings Change History Report that logs all changes made to controllers and identifies which user account made each change. This is the most secure way to track changes and monitor who is managing your systems.

The change history report puts a "thumbprint" on all changes, showing:

• What settings were changed
• When the changes were made
• Which user account made the changes

This provides accountability and helps you track system modifications over time, which is particularly valuable for troubleshooting and security purposes.

Becoming a Network Administrator

To gain access to the administrative tools for your WeatherTRAK account, you must meet certain requirements and complete a formal process. These protocols are in place to protect the security of all customers while enabling those who need administrative features.

Requirements to become a WeatherTRAK administrator:

1. Permission from the Controller Owner: You must have authorization from whoever is paying the bill for the controller. The account owner (the person or organization paying for the service) is considered the owner and must sign off on you as an administrator.

2. Account Level Access: You must have the top level of access on the account you want to manage. You cannot manage administrative features for an account unless you have account-level access to it.

3. Complete Administrator Training: You must schedule and complete a 15-minute training session that covers all the details of the administrative tools, including security protocols and best practices not covered in general training materials.

To request administrative access, contact HydroPoint customer support at support@hydropoint.com or call them. They will verify that you meet the requirements and schedule your administrator training session. Once you complete the training, the administrative features will be enabled on your account and the Admin tab will appear in your WeatherTRAK Central interface.

Video Walkthrough

Video originally published April 2021.

If you have questions, here are 3 ways to get answers:

1. Search within this WeatherTRAK knowledgebase

2. Visit the WeatherTRAK support page

3. Call 800-362-8774 or email support@hydropoint.com, hours are Mon-Fri 3:00 AM – 6:00 PM PT and Sat 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM PT.