We have had a spate of support calls lately from users who have had checked their log only to find that they haven’t actually been logging temperatures at all. Unfortunately, quite a few of these calls have come after a temperature breach.
Here are our top five tips for making sure your temperature data is up to scratch.
There are two ways a LogTag can work.
If you are logging vaccine temperatures, you want the first one.
Most LogTags have a non-replaceable, non-rechargeable battery. When that battery dies, you will need to replace the whole LogTag. The exceptions are the models that have LCD displays – these have a replaceable battery.
The replaceable batteries should last about a year. The non-replaceable batteries should last between 2 and 3 years. They are designed to output a consistent voltage right up until they die, so when you see a low battery warning, it is time to act quickly.
You can check your battery status in the top line of your report.
On models with LED lights, if your logger is running, the OK light (or the Alert light) will flash every few seconds.
On loggers with a LCD display, the REC symbol will show that the logger is recording.
Make it a habit to check for the green OK light every time you visit the fridge.
Everyone will have their own schedule. You may download every day or only once a week – but we recommend it is no longer than that.
If your LogTag is set up the way we recommend, you do not have to configure or start the LogTag each time. Simply retrieve it from the fridge, connect it to the computer, wait for LogTag Analyser to download the report, and return it to the fridge. The whole process should take less than a minute.
The easiest way to quickly interpret the results is to click on the Report tab at the bottom of the page.
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.
