3 questions to ask when buying a temperature logger

It’s reasonable to say that building managers are paying more attention to indoor temperatures now than they have in the past.

For example, evidence has shown that office temperatures impact employee productivity. A study conducted by researchers from Helsinki University of Technology and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that personnel performance may decrease 2 per cent when temperatures rise by one degree Celsius.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that organisations have taken an interest in climate control. As a building manager, you depend on temperature data loggers to monitor facilities. Here are three questions you should ask yourself when looking for such instruments:

1. How many rooms am I monitoring? 

Asking this question helps you not only determine how many data loggers you need, but also identifies the functions they must possess. You may install one instrument in a walk-in refrigerator and another one in a call centre. Each room has its own climate requirements.

Thanks to smartphones, it’s not difficult to receive information from anywhere with an internet connection. Some temperature data loggers, such as the Testo Saveris 2, can connect to local Wi-Fi networks. This allows the instrument to send information to Testo’s cloud, from which you can pull room temperature data.

All in all, this workflow is much more convenient than visiting each room at a time.

2. What kind of facilities are you monitoring? 

The World Health Organization (WHO) advised technicians to purchase loggers that match their facilities.

For instance, let’s say you’re the building manager of a large pharmaceutical warehouse. Such a facility may consist of vaults, cages, cold rooms, walk-in coolers, primary warehousing and mezzanine floors.

Therefore, you’d do well to purchase temperature data loggers that are easy to configure. Consider buying a data logger that can also calculate indoor humidity levels.

3. What are the requirements for wireless connections? 

In regard to the first two questions, it’s possible you’ll need temperature data loggers that can connect to your Wi-Fi. Now, you need to think about the back-end functions and protocols associated with this convenient function.

Consider the differences between accessing temperature data from a secure website or a smartphone app. In addition, note WHO’s recommendation to buffer data. This means your data loggers will store information for a set period of time before sending it across networks. The process ensures data isn’t lost in the event of a network outage.

You should consider a number of other factors before buying a logger, but the three above will help you address the fundamentals.