You may have been used to display screens with other devices, so why doesn't Conserv have them?
Some collections care professionals we have talked to prefer, or would like to have, data loggers with display screens so they can walk around a space and see the numbers on the screen. This is a suggestion we've received a few times. However, there are also good reasons to not have a screen.
1. Display screens reduce battery life
Every feature on a device is a trade-off. In the case of display screens, they require battery to be able to show you the information you wish to see.
Conserv offers instead a mobile app that will show you the information on all your sensors in just a couple clicks. It also means that you can see the information from anywhere at all, and it makes the screen redundant if your purpose is to be able to see the data in real-time.
2. Display screens are extra hardware and increase both device cost and potential errors.
Have you noticed that in other brands it's possible to get a slightly cheaper version of the exact same data logger with the main difference being the LED screen? Adding a screen means adding another component that will make the data logger more expensive and also introduce more variables which can then cause malfunctions.
Since the screen is not strictly necessary for a good data logger to work well, we'd rather give you those cost savings and reduce the possibility of hardware errors.
3. I'd be able to see a strange number immediately on a screen!
Yes, you definitely would, but you would have to be conveniently walking by just at that moment and, again, this is not necessary. Most, if not all, wireless data logger solutions today will allow you see your live data remotely and/or set up alerts so that you will get notifications about strange conditions without needing to walk by your sensors or be constantly looking at the live data to notice them.
What if your LED screen showed a weird number about an hour ago, but now that you're walking past, it's gone back down to normal. Then you won't see the strange number at all during your walk, so the screen in this case did not help at all.
4. You say you will save me the time it takes to walk around. I want to walk around!
We hear you! Walking around with the excuse that you need to check the little display screens is a great opportunity to also look at other things that a sensor does not pick up. You can see bugs, broken infrastructure, minor vandalism, and many other things that only a human eye can catch.
You can use your walk to check visitor interactions, talk to the docents, check in with security, and just generally have a walk away from the desk because it's important to get those steps in every day!
But see, we're not saying you should stop walking around, and we're certainly not trying to stop you from making your rounds! Please take your walks and make your rounds. They are another key aspect of your preventive conservation measures.
All we are saying is that looking at the little LED screen should not be the main purpose of your walk - Excuse? Sure! Purpose? No, not in the 21st century.
You are pressed for time. We want the walking around to be a strategic choice, not an obligation.
If you still prefer the screen because this feature is particularly important to you, please add it to our Ideas Portal. We are happy to develop the features that our users are most interested in.