Data loggers

A data logger is an electronic device that automatically measures and records environmental parameters – most commonly temperature, but also humidity, CO2, and differential pressure – over time. Data loggers range from simple USB devices that store readings locally to wireless systems that transmit data in real time to a cloud platform.

In regulated industries like pharma, biotech, and healthcare logistics, data loggers are used to document that products are stored and transported within required temperature ranges. The type of data logger you need depends on your compliance requirements, the number of monitoring points, and how you need to access and report on the data.

See how Eupry's wireless data loggers work.

Wireless data loggers continuously measure environmental conditions – temperature, humidity, CO2, pressure – and transmit the data via Wi-Fi to a server or cloud platform at regular intervals. The logger also stores measurements locally as a backup.

If a reading falls outside the specified range, the system can send an immediate alert by SMS or email, allowing you to act before the deviation becomes a compliance issue. This makes wireless data loggers the standard choice for regulated environments where real-time visibility and fast response times matter.

Not all data loggers are built for highly regulated environments like pharma. If you need to demonstrate compliance, here are the specifications that matter most.

• Accuracy and calibration: Your data logger's accuracy is only as reliable as its calibration. Look for loggers calibrated to ISO 17025 standards with a documented calibration uncertainty. Equally important: how recalibration is handled. Some providers include it in the service model; others leave it to you, which means sourcing a calibration lab, shipping equipment, and managing downtime.

• Wireless connectivity: In GxP environments, manual data exports create risk – both from gaps in documentation and from the operational disruption of removing loggers from their positions. Wi-Fi data loggers that transmit automatically to a cloud platform eliminate both problems.

• Software and platform: The logger is only half the solution. The platform it connects to determines how you access data, generate reports, manage deviations, and prepare for audits. Look for user management, deviation workflows, automatic audit report generation, and compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 or EU Annex 11.

• Alarm functionality: Real-time alerts by SMS or email when readings fall outside your specified range. Without automated alarms, deviations can go unnoticed for hours or days – turning a minor excursion into a compliance event.

• Sensor range and flexibility: Match the logger's measurement range to your application. Standard temperature sensors typically cover -50°C to +50°C (-58°F to 122°F), but ultra-low freezers or high-temperature processes may require extended-range probes down to -200°C (-328°F) or up to +200°C (392°F).

• Cost structure: Some data loggers are sold as one-time purchases with no included service. Others come as a subscription that includes software, calibration, and sensor replacements. The upfront price of a standalone logger can look lower, but the total cost over 3–5 years – including annual recalibrations, software licenses, and replacement equipment – is often higher than a service model.

Also read: How to choose the right temperature mapping equipment

Data loggers are used across any industry where environmental conditions affect product quality, safety, or compliance.

Some of the most common applications are:

• Pharma and biotech: Tracking temperature in cold storage, warehouses, stability chambers, and during transport. Required for GMP, GDP, and GxP compliance. Eupry for pharma | Eupry for biotech

• Healthcare logistics: Documenting temperature conditions throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain — from warehouse storage to last-mile delivery. GDP compliance requires continuous, traceable records. Eupry for logistics

• Laboratories: Tracking conditions in incubators, freezers, and environmental chambers to protect research samples and comply with GLP requirements. Eupry for laboratories

• Hospitals and pharmacies: Tracking vaccine storage temperatures, medication refrigerators, and blood bank conditions. Eupry for pharmacies

• Food production and cold chain: HACCP compliance, cold storage documentation, and transport temperature records.

Calibration ensures your data logger measures accurately by comparing its readings against an accredited reference standard. In most regulated industries, annual recalibration is required, and the calibration certificate is a key audit document.

How calibration works, what accredited vs. non-accredited means, and how to manage recalibration without operational disruption, all of this is covered in the full calibration guide.

Also read: Your guide to temperature and humidity calibration in GxP