Temperature Monitoring System: The Core Element of Cold Chain Management

Medicine, vaccine, drugs, biological samples, and frozen foods have one thing in common; they all need to be appropriately stored in optimal refrigerated or freezer temperature to ensure their quality and usable condition. But what if suddenly there is a power failure or problem with the refrigerator? Imagine the situation when your freezer and HVAC system stopped working and you didn't have any temperature/ humidity sensors at your remote sites. You had absolutely no idea that the temperature was rising until it was too little too late.

That is the main reason why temperature monitoring revolves around using technology to prevent the loss of all your drugs and sensitive products, together with maintaining temperature integrity along a cold chain.

What is a temperature monitoring system?

A temperature monitoring system controls and regulates the temperature of a particular environment. In recent years, cold chain monitoring system has become an essential aspect in healthcare, hospitals, laboratories, clinics, pharmacies, food & beverage, server rooms and other industries. You can track, control, and regulate the temperature of products in a specified environmental setting with a monitoring system to ensure products are kept secure throughout shipment and storage.

What to look for when choosing a temperature monitoring system?

Increasingly businesses and healthcare organizations are using temperature monitoring systems to safeguard their products and satisfy regulatory demands. You may know that you need a monitoring and alarming system but aren’t sure how to purchase or use one. To complicate matters, this technology comes in the form of many different models with different features. Whether you’re a purchasing agent or you’re going to be the end user, you can ensure that you’re getting the right system by learning a bit about the most important parts to focus on.

We’ve listed the top features and qualities that you should consider when choosing a temperature monitoring system, and how FC-BIOS temperature monitoring system has your lab covered on each.

1. Extensive application

Many temperature monitoring systems may monitor temperature only, or have an otherwise limited range of capability. While temperature is a main component in laboratory monitoring, there will undoubtedly be other equipment and variables that you need to monitor. Our cold chain system will monitor a variety of equipment and parameters at your facility. Whether you want to monitor temperature, humidity, power loss or interruption, CO2, ULT, LN2 or differential pressure, our system has a sensor for all of your needs.

2. Legal & safe to use

It’s extremely important to make sure any temperature monitoring system you choose will not interfere with any of your other surrounding equipment. Temperature monitoring system is categorized as communication equipment or device which shall be certified by the Commission or its registered certifying agency in accordance with the Communications and Multimedia (Technical Standards) Regulations 2000. MCMC is the regulator for the converging communications and multimedia industry in Malaysia. All temperature monitoring systems supplied by FC-BIOS are SIRIM tested with MCMC approval certificate number.

3. 24/7 Real-time alerts

Real-time temperature monitoring system aims to save the day if there is power loss or any out-of-range temperature happen on your equipment, which would put all your perishable goods at risk. This problem will come in handy with our peace-of-mind solution as it helps you to automatically send an instant notification and not just through SMS but also with call, email, desktop & mobile app notification, and on-site siren alarm. The ability to get real-time alerts when monitored equipment moves outside acceptable parameters, and the ability to receive these alerts on a number of different devices, is invaluable. With our system, you get real-time alerts on any device you use, whether its personal computer, tablet or mobile, and data can be viewed from anywhere, at any time. We even have a free and user-friendly interface mobile App & web user portal to view your data.

4. Cloud-based data storage

While all monitoring applications require some type of immediate data reporting, most also include recording values for historical purposes. Cloud-based storage is a must when choosing a temperature monitoring system, which helps to keep your data safe and secure. With FC-BIOS hosted solution, all of your data is stored securely in the cloud and available for you to view 24/7. Data is stored in our secure private cloud with server redundancy and automated system backups, making sure that your valuable data is never lost. Besides being able to view your operation from anywhere, at any time, some of the benefits of our hosted solution in the cloud include: (1) never having to worry about costly server space, or if your server goes down; (2) E-Control Systems can act as an extra set of eyes, should a problem arise.

5. Reliable network connectivity

Selecting the right network type is paramount to your sensor-to-controller connectivity. Temperature monitoring systems are designed with variety of wireless connectivity technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and LoRaWAN^®. In a normal office setting, Wi-Fi is often the default choice due to its low cost and broad availability. But what happens when power is lost? Since your monitoring system is key to a critical equipment like refrigerator, freezer, and HVAC, you may need a connectivity option separate from the building’s infrastructure. In addition, microwaves, neighboring WiFi networks, refrigerators, and even Christmas lights can interfere with WiFi signals. In this scenario, LoRaWAN^® can be fantastic and is becoming popular in environments where Bluetooth & cellular is not an option or WiFi is susceptible to interference. It is able to transmit data over long distances and through dense environments, so it’s ideal for the rigorous temperature monitoring system.

6. Wireless over wired system

Wired sensor is the first generation of digital continuous temperature monitors, providing significant benefits over wireless sensor. However, wired solutions can be expensive to install depending on number of sensors required, physical attributes of the area you want to monitor and the level of difficulty involved in installing the embedded wiring. In this scenario, wireless solution is more recommended which is inexpensive and relocating them is easier.

7. Continuous support & service

Many temperature monitoring systems claiming a “do-it-yourself” readiness, are anything but easy to setup, and may require a service appointment after the fact. This can be very costly and time consuming. FC-BIOS has spent many years innovating user-friendly, easy-to-install solutions for monitoring temperature and other physical parameters. Nonetheless, it is often beneficial for our expert technicians to provide on-site services, notably depending on site size and configuration, as well as technical resources you may have available internally. Our professional sales & support team offer you personalized assistance on pre-installation site survey & consultation, system installation & configuration, user training & service maintenance.

At FC-BIOS, we deliver a complete solution for monitoring and traceability of temperature, humidity, and other critical physical parameters. Our temperature monitoring systems are designed with the latest IoT technology to help you ensure the integrity and compliance of your sensitive products in production, storage, and shipping phases. We have a specialized team to provide full support, maintenance, and repair services to customers throughout Malaysia. Contact us for consultation as our trained team of professionals is ready to help you through the process from start to finish.