Note: This advice applies mainly to fixed position loggers e.g. in a fridge or freezer
Some people like to reconfigure their logger after each download. This means that their downloaded reports contain only the data for the period since their previous download. i.e. If you download every week, each report has the data for one week only.
This makes for nice neat reports, but it does have some risks. These are two common scenarios that we get calls about.
Scenario 1 – Complete data loss
You insert the LogTag into the Reader. Then you open the LogTag Analyzer software. Because you did the steps in this order, the automatic download is not triggered and your data is not saved. You click on Quick Reconfigure. All your data is wiped. Only then do you realise that you haven’t done the download. But now the data is gone forever.
Scenario 2 – No data recorded
You download the data and then reconfigure the LogTag. Then you put the LogTag back in the fridge. But you forgot to restart it after the reconfigure. Your logger sits there without recording any data. Only when you go to do the next download do you realise that the logger is not recording.
Both of these scenarios involve human error – not following the procedure exactly. But it does happen.
LogTag can store a fair bit of data in their memory. When the memory is full, one of two things happens, depending on how the logger is configured
If you select the first option, the logger will record until its memory is full (in this case 56 days) and then start overwriting the oldest data with new readings. This means you will always have the most recent 56 days worth of data. In most cases, this is our recommended option.
If you select the second option, the logger will record until its memory is full (or until the number or days or number of recordings are reached) and then stop. This can be useful for shipping, but not for fixed position loggers.
So…
As long as you have the first option selected, you don’t actually need to reconfigure. All you need to do is make sure you download the data regularly, which you should be doing anyway.
Here is a PDF of our recommended procedure that you can download.
If you follow this, you completely rule out the problems outlined in the two scenarios above.
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.
