It’s tempting to just toss your LogTag into the space you’re monitoring and call it a day. But a poorly positioned logger can give you misleading data – and that can mean missed breaches, unnecessary alarms, or compliance headaches.
Let’s look at some best-practice guidelines for different environments.
These fridges are tightly regulated, so positioning is crucial.
Never place the LogTag near the back wall or on a glass shelf. These spots can have extreme fluctuations due to airflow and defrost cycles.
Avoid putting it in the door or near the light. These areas warm up quickly when the door is opened.
The best spot is in the centre of the fridge, in the middle of a shelf, ideally between or next to vaccine boxes (not sitting directly on top of them). LogTags come with a carabiner so you can hang them from the shelf, not touching cold packs or walls.
For loggers with an external probe, the probe should sit where the vaccines are stored – not jammed into a corner or under a drawer. Ideally, it should be placed in a vial of non-freezing liquid, such as glycol.
In large, open spaces, temperature can vary more than you’d expect.
Keep the LogTag out of direct airflow. Don’t hang it right in front of a fan or next to the evaporator – you’ll get artificially cold readings.
Avoid placing it on the floor or too close to the ceiling. Temperature can stratify, especially if airflow isn’t great.
Mount it at about chest height in a representative part of the room – not near doors or heat-generating equipment.
If you’re monitoring product temperature, consider using a probe placed inside a dummy load (like a water bottle or glycol bottle) to simulate product conditions.
Even small rooms can have big temperature swings.
Airflow is the main issue. Don’t place your LogTag right in front of an aircon vent – it might read cool while the rest of the room is warming up.
Avoid placing it behind hot equipment or near ceiling tiles. These spots can get hot and give you false alarms.
Try to place it in the centre of the room or cabinet, about halfway up the rack if you’re logging inside a server rack.
For multiple racks, you may need more than one logger, or at least move it around during setup to find hotspots.
Use a stand, hook or clip to suspend the logger. It helps keep the sensor clear of surfaces and gives a more accurate air temperature.
Check for dead spots or hotspots. A quick test with a handheld thermometer can help you find better locations.
Make sure the logger is visible and accessible, especially if you’re downloading it manually.
Label its location if you have multiple loggers. That way, you know exactly what part of your storage each one is monitoring.
A temperature logger is only as useful as the data it collects – and that starts with smart placement. If in doubt, ask us. We’re happy to help you figure out the best setup for your environment.
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.
