Onset HOBO MX2202 Waterproof Bluetooth Pendant Light and Temperature Data Logger

I have purchased two of these to measure light at several locations in our roof, to try to evaluate the feasibility of installing solar panels. We have some trees around us, so I am trying to quantify precisely the amount of light that we get. A colleague of mine that has solar panels installed put the HOBO sensor next to his panels, and the power output of the panel correlated well with the HOBO light intensity.The sensor is easy to use, communicates well using bluetooth with my Android phone. The data are plotted on the app, or they are also easy to download to a computer and plot. I would highly recommend these sensors.

Did the job

This review covers two complementary Onset dataloggers.I went looking for a low-cost, remotely downloadable datalogger to record both insolation and air temperature at a rural home site, for sizing a solar array and selecting fruit trees that would thrive. This unit seemed ideal for use on a sensor pole: it was affordable, included both functions, and could be downloaded from up to 100 feet away to my Android phone. I contacted the vendor when the unit would not activate, and was referred on to the manufacturer.Onset was very helpful. They said it was a bad on/off switch that they had encountered in another unit from that batch, and shipped a replacement that day. While I had them on the phone, Onset tech support confirmed that the normalized performance curve provided in the manual could be used to correct lumens for sunlight from other angles than the sensor axis (in the same spreadsheet where I would adjust for incidence angle). They also clarified that the temperature reading would be high unless the unit was sheltered from the sun in a shade housing. Since I needed chill hour records, I purchased a MX2201 temperature-only unit and the Solar Radiation Shield, RS1.With the MX2202 mounted at the proposed array height, azimuth, and tilt, I have gathered a month of 5-minute lumen data that indicates those shading trees that I need to clear. The MX2201 is separately pole-mounted and has delivered a month of temperature data at 10-minute intervals. The dataloggers can record over a year of data at these sampling intervals, but once my solar horizon has been substantially cleared, we will download monthly. (To remotely download, be sure to reconfigure your MX220? sensors after every download, turning OFF the "Bluetooth Always Off" function. Otherwise you must manually turn on each unit to download.) Installed as I have them, I must be within 25-30 feet of the dataloggers for a recognition/download signal. The temperature-logging capability of the MX2202 is not useful for my application, but may be for others.In summary, these sensors are the cat's meow. All-in, two sensors and the housing cost me under $200. The loggers can be configured to a wide range of settings, and the lumen data can be easily massaged for estimating solar production.

I use this to track the temp in my freezer so that I know what's happening in the event of a power failure. I use this one because we used them at my work. There are lots of items sorta like this one but this one has a great combination of being fairly easy to use and, once set up properly, working just fine. But, the interface is quirky, I guess because it's intended for technical use and not really for regular civilians and the metal tabs that hold in the battery are really fragile and, if you're not lucky, can break causing you to replace the unit entirely.

The seller was great, super fast shipping. I use the sensor to collect data during fieldwork. The sensor seems robust sn the battery lasts long enough. However, the button to activate the sensor is hard to find and the sticker in top feels cheap. Furthermore, I recommend exporting the data for each day or session once you finish. The sensor will overwrite the previos dataset and it will be impossible to recover. The Bluetooth interface is good and intuitive.

I bought this in order to do some shipping test , testing how long heat packs will work in 5-20F weather. Tests worked out real well , got some GREAT flow chart data. Also started using them to calibrate the thermometers verses heater in my 100 fish tanks. Also worked great . Don't know how accurate it is but using it as a base point works .Also is kinda cool to use to see how well my lights are doing in different tanks . Again not to worried about absolute accuracy but a general idea of how well the lights get to the bottom at different depths is good.Nice thing is with the blue tooth I don't have to remove the sensor in-order to pull the readings. I can leave it in the fish tank or the shipping box and just hold the phone close and it connects and shows the current temp and light .Over all a very good investment. Not something I will have to buy another one of and something that will not get used every day but is a very good item to have around .

happy with product so far

My 1 star rating came from deep confusion due to Hobo apps. The Hobo connect is being phased out.The return call and walk through with an Onset expert is leading to me buying more. This device does not require a cloud connection, which caused some of my confusion as well.Once you understand the device you immediately see the power. I am using mine for tracking light and heat on solar panels. One goes on each panel.The manual is a good 9 pages. It was no real help to me for set up. Onset would do well to have step by step for setup...like my DVD player.The techy at Onset was awesome. If you have issues call and have them walk you through it.I went from 1 star to 5 stars with plans to buy 3 more. This thing does more than advertised.