Antenna monitoring system including cloud based server communication via cellular telephone transceiver and related methods

An antenna monitoring system for a plurality of directional antennas at different geographic antenna sites, the antenna monitoring system comprising:

• a cloud based server;
• and
• a plurality of sensor devices to be mounted at respective directional antennas, each sensor device comprising
• at least one alignment sensor configured to sense alignment of the respective directional antenna at the respective geographic antenna site,
• a cellular transceiver, and
• a controller configured to collect alignment data from the at least one alignment sensor, and communicate with the cloud based server via the cellular transceiver;
• the cloud based server comprising a processor and a memory coupled thereto and configured to cooperate with the controllers of the plurality of sensor devices to provide at least one user interface for reviewing the alignment data, administering thresholds for determining out of bounds conditions of the alignment data, and commissioning and decommissioning sensor devices.

A sensor device for a directional antenna comprising:

• a portable housing to be mounted at the directional antenna at a respective geographic antenna site;
• at least one alignment sensor carried by the portable housing and configured to sense alignment of the directional antenna at the respective geographic antenna site;
• a cellular transceiver carried by the portable housing;
• and
• a controller carried by the portable housing, and configured to collect alignment data from the at least one alignment sensor, and communicate with a cloud based server remote from the plurality of geographically spaced-apart antenna sites via the cellular transceiver so that the cloud based server cooperates with the controllers of the plurality of sensor devices to provide at least one user interface for reviewing the alignment data, administering thresholds for determining out of bounds conditions of the alignment data, and commissioning and decommissioning sensor devices.

A method for monitoring a plurality of directional antennas at a different geographic antenna sites, the method comprising:

• operating a plurality of sensor devices mounted at respective directional antennas, each sensor device comprising
• at least one alignment sensor configured to sense alignment of the respective directional antenna at the respective geographic antenna site,
• a cellular transceiver, and
• a controller configured to collect alignment data from the at least one alignment sensor, and communicate with a cloud based server via the cellular transceiver;
• and
• operating the cloud based server to cooperate with the controllers of the plurality of sensor devices to provide at least one user interface for reviewing the alignment data, administering thresholds for determining out of bounds conditions of the alignment data, and commissioning and decommissioning sensor devices.