Many LogTag loggers including TRIX-16, TREX-8, and HAXO-8, have a simple battery diagnostic circuit, which measures the battery voltage and returns either ‘OK’ or ‘LOW’. This is just a status and it is not possible to calculate a the actual remaining battery life from this data. The point at which the battery reports ‘LOW’ is typically when around 15%-20% capacity is left, which in normal operating conditions is equivalent to around 2-3 months of typical use.
The TRIL-8 has a battery life monitoring system. This logger not only returns the actual battery voltage to the software, but also keeps track of the logger’s activities so LogTag Analyzer can calculate a ‘% battery life remaining’ value, once the battery capacity falls below 50% of its original value. TRID30 and TRED30 models report high or low based on battery voltage.
An incorrect low battery indication can occur if the recorder is still very cold during communication, as it is more difficult for the battery to deliver power at low temperatures due to the chemistry used. The battery condition is therefore more representative when reported at room temperature, around 20°C.
If a LogTag reports a battery as ‘OK’ during configuration, there is typically enough operational life left to complete a trip before being completely exhausted. Sometimes such a trip can even last several months, as the battery threshold that triggers a ‘LOW’ reading has enough safety margin built in to allow for the battery to go ‘low’ during the trip. If, however, a product shows ‘LOW’ when being configured or downloaded, it should not be used again, but discarded in accordance with local regulations.
If you continue to use the recorder despite a LOW battery warning, there may not be enough power left to correctly record and store data, or to communicate with a PC. Often this leads to data corruption and sometimes complete data loss.
Latency, when it comes to temperature logging, refers to the delay between a change in temperature and when that change is detected and recorded by the logger. This delay can be due to the sensor’s design, the materials it’s placed in, or the logging interval. While it might sound like a disadvantage, latency can actually serve a useful purpose in certain environments—particularly where short-term temperature spikes are common but not harmful.
For example, in a busy commercial fridge, the temperature may briefly rise every time the door is opened. A logger with high latency won’t immediately react to these short fluctuations, helping to avoid unnecessary alarms or false data indicating a problem when there isn’t one. In these cases, a slight delay in response acts like a filter, focusing attention on real issues—such as prolonged exposure to unsafe temperatures—while ignoring the everyday ups and downs that don’t affect product quality or safety.
Depending on the type of logger you have, connecting your logger to your PC means either:
First Generation LogTags use a separate Reader (sometimes called a dock) for configuration and for downloading recorded data.
The Second Generation loggers only require a USB port or cable. Apart from saving the cost of the Reader, this makes them much better suited for shipping, because the recipient doesn’t need a LogTag Reader to download a report about the shipment’s journey.
