What Happens After You Sign: The VIE Onboarding Process
Thirty days from installation to machine health baseline. That is the standard VIE deployment timeline. No IT integration project precedes it. No internal team is pulled off other work to support it. The process runs between VIE's team and the field technician doing the installation, with your operations team brought in when the data starts arriving.
Here is what happens in that window.
Hardware Ships
After the contract is signed, VIE ships the sensor and gateway hardware to the installation site. Each transformer in scope receives three sensors. Each site receives one gateway per cluster of transformers, sized to the sensor count and site geometry discussed during scoping.
The shipment includes sensors pre-labeled for the installation, the DeployVIE mobile app login credentials for the installing technician, two-part epoxy and Adiseal sealant for sensor bonding, and documentation for the installation procedure.
No special tools are required beyond a surface grinder, alcohol wipes, and a mobile device running DeployVIE.
Installation Is Scheduled
Installation does not require a transformer shutdown or outage window. Sensors are mounted on energized equipment. A qualified field technician — either from VIE's team, a partner organization, or the customer's own staff following VIE's installation guide — completes the installation.
The installation procedure is covered in detail in [How to Install a VIE Sensor: Self-Install Guide]. The typical installation time per transformer is two to four hours, depending on site access and the number of sensors being installed.
VIE's application engineers are available during the installation window to answer questions and review photos in real time through the DeployVIE platform.
DeployVIE Records the Installation
During installation, the technician uses the DeployVIE mobile app to:
- Scan each sensor QR code and link it to its transformer asset and installation position
- Record the height of each sensor above the transformer base
- Photograph each installed sensor in position
- Photograph the transformer nameplate for asset record creation
- Power on the gateway and confirm BLE connectivity to all sensors
- Confirm LTE or wired upstream connectivity to the VIE cloud platform
- Photograph the installed gateway
The completed DeployVIE record is submitted to VIE at the end of the installation. VIE application engineers review all installation photos and confirm that sensor placement and gateway configuration meet deployment standards before the monitoring period begins. If any sensor placement needs adjustment, the technician is notified before leaving site.
Baseline Collection Begins
Once the installation record is approved, the monitoring period begins. For the first several weeks, VIE's analytics engine is building the baseline: learning the relationship between each transformer's applied load, voltage, ambient temperature, and the resulting vibration signature.
This baseline period is not a waiting period. The platform begins collecting and displaying data immediately. Health metrics begin populating in myVIE as soon as the baseline relationship is established for each metric category. The timeline varies slightly by transformer based on load variability and operating conditions — a transformer running at consistent load in a stable environment baselines faster than one with highly variable loading.
Thirty days from installation is the standard expectation for initial machine health data to be available across all monitored assets.
The First Health Report
When the baseline is established, VIE's application engineers work with the customer's reliability or asset management team to review the initial health report. This review covers:
- The baseline values established for each metric on each transformer
- Any metrics that flagged during the baseline period and what they indicate
- How to read the health report going forward
- How to configure alert thresholds for the specific fleet
- How to use the collaboration features in myVIE for team communication around flagged assets
After the first review, the customer's team operates the platform independently, with VIE's application engineers available for questions and for review of any significant flag events.
No new infrastructure is required after this point. No ongoing site visits are needed for normal monitoring operation. The system runs over the existing LTE or wired connection, configured and updated over the air.