Temperature Data Loggers (Wi-Fi, 4G, Ethernet, USB & Standalone)

A thermometer tells you the temperature now. A temperature recorder, the older chart or pen type, draws a trace that someone has to read and file. A temperature data logger samples the sensor at a fixed interval, keeps the readings in memory and turns them into a record you can search, trend and hand to an auditor. Connected loggers go one step further and push each reading to a cloud dashboard, so an excursion raises an alarm while there is still time to act.

On Ideabytes loggers the default polling interval is 15 minutes and it is configurable. The connected models hold 90 days of readings internally at that interval, so data captured during a network or power outage is not lost, and an internal Li-ion battery keeps them logging through a power cut.

Connectivity decides how data leaves the logger, how quickly you hear about an excursion and what your IT team has to approve. Choose it before you choose the range.

Pick the range from the coldest and hottest point the probe will see, not the set point. Ideabytes temperature loggers cover four bands, all with 0.1 °C resolution on the single and dual-channel models.

The model number tells you the band: 120 means -50 °C to +120 °C, 350 means -200 °C to +350 °C and TR4 or TR8 means a multi-channel PT100 logger.

A logger is only as useful as the record it leaves behind. Connected Ideabytes loggers send readings to web and mobile apps (iOS and Android) with live alerts and push notifications, SMS alerts, alarm logs and trend graphs. Reports are available on demand or on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, and include mean kinetic temperature (MKT), which pharmaceutical and vaccine stores are often asked to report.

Reports are 21 CFR Part 11 compliant PDFs with an audit trail, and excursions can be closed with a CAPA entry, which is what a regulator or NABH or GMP auditor expects to see. Software features are provided in different plans, so confirm the report and alert features you need when you request a quote.

If you are monitoring several chambers in one room, a single multi-channel logger is usually cheaper and simpler than several single-channel units: one power supply, one network connection and one device to calibrate and maintain. The 4 and 8-channel PT100 loggers also store 40,000 records in memory during a network failure and have an 8000 mAh battery with up to 18 hours of back-up.

A dual-channel logger suits a fridge-freezer pair or a chamber where you want a redundant probe. Where monitored points are far apart, in separate rooms or buildings, single-channel loggers avoid long probe cables. Probes for the external-sensor models are ordered separately and cable length can be customised.

Ideabytes IoT is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with its development centre in Hyderabad and manufacturing in India, and has built data loggers since 2009. It is registered on GeM, so government hospitals, labs and PSUs can procure directly, and it is a QCI-approved OEM.

The temperature-only loggers carry HSN codes under heading 9025 (90251990 on most models); confirm the code for each model on the quotation. The products are marked FDA 21 CFR Part 11, CE, FCC and IC, and NABL-traceable calibration certificates are available on request.

Work through these points before comparing models in the table above; they narrow the catalogue to two or three candidates quickly.