Wireless data loggers & alarms: which one do you need?

Wireless is the umbrella term: WiFi, cellular and NFC loggers all get readings into the cloud with no cable and no PC. A WiFi data logger joins your existing 2.4 GHz network and needs no subscription. A cellular data logger has a built-in eSIM, so no WiFi is needed (it can also use WiFi as a backup) and it keeps alarming through a power outage on its AA batteries; year one of cellular is included, then about $26.67/year (about $2.22/month) per device, billed annually. Neither needs a hub or gateway. NFC loggers are single-use tags for shipments that you read by tapping them with an iPhone or Android phone running the free NFC app.

Yes. When an EDGE runs on USB-C power and that power drops, it sends a power-outage alert by push, email and text to everyone it is shared with, at its next recording (within 10 minutes at the default 10-minute recording interval, about a minute if it records every minute), while its AA batteries keep it logging and alarming. On EDGE Cellular that alert gets out even when your WiFi router lost power too. A WiFi model needs the router and internet to still be on to send it, so if building-wide outages worry you, choose Cellular.

No. EDGE Cellular models have a built-in eSIM and work with no WiFi, no router and no internet: there is no SIM card to insert and no carrier contract, and the eSIM works in 170+ countries with no roaming charges. They can also use WiFi and switch between the two automatically, so you keep coverage if one connection drops.

When a reading crosses the limits you set, MaxLinc alerts you by text message, automated phone call, email and push notification, and, once you switch it on, the EDGE device sounds its loud buzzer. Add as many people as you want: owner, staff, family, the neighbour (on WiFi, adding new people after the first year needs Premium; everyone already on the list keeps their alerts). Alerts repeat until the reading is back within your limits, and anyone can acknowledge an alarm with a note (the log keeps who, when and what they did). Email and push alerts are free and unlimited. Texts and calls run on prepaid alert credit: every EDGE and BLOCK logger comes with about $3.70 (enough for 250 texts), a text costs about 1.5¢, a call about 3.7¢, and you can top up anytime. Every alarm text shows your remaining credit, and the buzzer on the device never uses credit. Single-use NFC loggers do not alert during transit: when the receiver scans the tag on arrival, any out-of-range reading sends a free email and push notification to everyone the account is shared with.

Choose the single-use NFC logger for one-way shipments where the logger won't come back: drop one in each parcel, and the receiver taps it with an iPhone or Android phone running the free NFC app to read the trip. It logs every 10 minutes as standard and holds 4,000 records, about 4 weeks; a free custom setup can set any interval from 1 minute to 24 hours. Choose a reusable EDGE WiFi or cellular logger for rooms, fridges, freezers and trailers you monitor every day, with live alerts and a 2-year limited warranty.

Not on WiFi. Every EDGE and BLOCK logger includes Premium for year one; after that, WiFi loggers keep working with no subscription: live data, every alarm, 45 days of history and Excel export stay free. Premium is optional at about $17.78/year (about $1.48/month), billed annually, for advanced reports, full history and adding new people. Cellular loggers include everything for year one, then about $26.67/year (about $2.22/month) per device, billed annually, to stay connected, with no contract and nothing charged before year two. NFC loggers never need a subscription: they upload to a free MaxLinc cloud account, and sharing, out-of-range alerts, full history and all PDF or Excel reports stay free. Your data is hosted in Canada.

Every order is covered by our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: send back any unused item in its original packaging within 30 days and we pay the return shipping. Every EDGE also carries a 2-year limited warranty from the date of purchase (your invoice date). Questions first? Call a real person at 1-888-365-8880.

Yes. We ship across the United States, and in-stock orders ship within 3 business days; NFC 50-packs can also be backordered when out of stock and then ship in about 60 days. Shipping is free on orders over $100, and orders shipping to the US are priced and charged in US dollars. Hardware loggers ship from Canada, and a US order that includes the NFC 50-pack ships DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): duties and customs fees for the whole order are included. Returns are accepted up to 30 days after delivery for items in new, unused condition with original packaging, and return shipping is free.