Data Collection & Telemetry
ZL6
Advanced Cloud Data Logger
Easier, more advanced, and more robust, the ZL6 introduces cloud-based data delivery, Bluetooth® configuration, and integrated metadata.
- Configure via Bluetooth or USB connection
- Stores 80,000+ records
- Simple setup
Maximize your data productivity
With the advent of big data, you can’t be constantly fussing with complex programming, installation headaches, downloads, data gaps, or maintenance. You need a data logger that puts near-real-time data at your fingertips—whenever, wherever, and however you want it—so you can maximize your paper output.
This data logger breaks new barriers, so you can too
With the ZL6 data logger, there are no limits. Easier, more advanced, and more robust, the ZL6 data logger offers cloud-based data delivery, GPS, integrated metadata, and configuration via Bluetooth® using the ZENTRA Utility app, all of which simplify and speed up the process of data collection, management, and sharing. It does the legwork for you, so you can spend more time being a data visionary.
Less work. More discovery.
The ZL6 data logger uses ZENTRA Cloud to deliver near-real-time data wherever and whenever you need it. This means you can spend less time downloading data in the field and more time generating results. Accessing data on ZENTRA Cloud speeds up your analysis by enabling you to correlate event factors, see important trends, or discover problems almost instantly, all from any location with an internet connection.
Choose between hardware that allows data upload via cell service or via Wi-Fi. Whichever you choose, data can also be downloaded directly via USB. Whether your site is within reach of cell service or relies on a local internet connection, ZL6 operates where you work, sending data effortlessly to ZENTRA Cloud for easy access and analysis.
Plus, data are now incredibly easy to distribute and share using ZENTRA Cloud. Simply enter an email address and send an invitation. Your collaborators can instantly see what you see. The ZL6 data logger and ZENTRA Cloud allow you and others to review data the way you want, whether it’s an annotated map, short graphs, a list, or downloaded to data-analysis packages.
Uncomplicated. Almost unbreakable.
We engineered the ZL6 to be extremely robust and low maintenance, so you can almost forget about your data logger completely. The ZL6’s integrated solar charging panel means there’s hardly any power maintenance required. An IP56-rated enclosure designed for shedding rain makes sure water doesn’t get in. More secure cable handling ensures sensor cables don’t get yanked out. A hidden antenna limits breakage. And we’ve added fully round clasps and hinges that won’t break.
Good at everything, so you don’t have to be
With the ZL6 data logger, you no longer have to be a specialist in every discipline. Using the ZL6 is like having a meteorologist, a soil physicist, and more at your disposal, allowing you more time to focus on your specialty. How? The ZL6 data logger connects up to six different types of METER sensors, so you can monitor different parameters, such as weather, soil moisture, and soil water potential, all at the same time, giving you deeper insight. We’ve also integrated barometric pressure to eliminate the need to install extra sensors. And because everything is plug and play, you don’t have to be an expert at wiring or programming.
You’ve got research. We’ve got you.
Want each of your grad students to write one more peer-reviewed paper? Now they can. With the ZL6, you can focus on data, not distractions. Together, the ZL6 data logger and ZENTRA Cloud make it easy to connect all the critical tools you need to understand the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, so you can analyze your data faster, and at a much deeper level.
Feature summary
- Ultra-rugged and durable construction
- Configure via Bluetooth with the ZENTRA Utility app or via laptop using a USB cable
- Plug and play with METER sensors
- Six sensor ports
- Download data directly from the data logger using a USB connection
- Integrated GPS and barometric pressure measurement
- Simple setup
- Built-in solar panel for extended deployments
- Rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries
- Can store 80,000+ records, depending on sensor configuration
- Combine the ZL6 data logger with ZENTRA Cloud to view near real-time data in your web browser
- See signal strength and connection quality in real time: test connectivity at your site BEFORE installation
- Data is simultaneously transmitted to ZENTRA Cloud and backed up in the data logger memory, providing extra data protection
Measurement Specifications
Sensor Logging Interval
5 min to 12 h (average or accumulation of 1-min sensor reading)
Logger Reporting Interval
Hourly with additional charges for more frequent reporting
Time Keeping
Synchronize automatically and on-demand; GPS, cellular or Wi-Fi communication, or ZENTRA Utility software
Communication Specifications
Computer Communication
Standard USB cable, USB A to micro-USB B
Internet Downloads
SSL/TLS encrypted
Cellular Communication
(ZL6 and ZL6 Pro)
4G LTE-M: USA, Canada, and select other countries
4G LTE-M specifications: 4G LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular
4G LTE-M coverage: Verizon® in USA. AT&T® and T-Mobile® in USA, 550+ global partner carriers. Cellular and data hosting service provided by METER
4G LTE Cat 1 Cellular Communication
4G LTE Cat 1 specifications: LTE Cat 1 cellular module with 3G and 2G fallback
4G LTE Cat 1 coverage: AT&T® and T-Mobile® in USA, 550+ global partner carriers. Cellular and data hosting service provided by METER
Wi-Fi Communication
Specifications: IEEE 802. 11b/g/n 2.4 GHz
Supported Channels: 1-11 in the USA and most regions of the world
12-13 when hardware detects ETSI/UKCA region
Supported Wi-Fi Networks: Open personal networks
Secure personal networks
Secure personal networks using WPA/WPA2/WPA3
Enterprise networks using LEAP and PEAP security methods
Mobile Communication
Bluetooth 5.2 supporting Bluetooth Low Energy protocol for communication with iOS and Android mobile devices
GPS Communication
Type: Integrated 56-channel GPS/QZSS receiver
Update: Daily (automatic) and on-demand (manual)
Accuracy: ±3 m, with a good sky view
Physical Specifications
Dimensions
Length: 14.9 cm (5.9 in)
Width: 6.3 cm (2.5 in)
Height: 25.0 cm (9.9 in)
Enclosure Material
Weather-, impact-, and UV-resistant polymer
Enclosure Rating
IP56, NEMA 3R
Enclosure Access
Hinged door with latches and eyelets for lock or zip tie
Sensor Input Ports
6 (supports METER analog, digital, or pulse sensors)
Sensor Port Type
3.5 mm stereo plug connector
Memory Type
Nonvolatile flash, full data retention with loss of power
Data Storage
8 MB (40,000 to 80,000+ records depending on configuration)
Battery Capacity
6 AA NiMH or alkaline batteries
Battery Life
Alkaline: 3–12 months depending on configuration
NiMH: 3+ years with unobstructed view of sun. Charging through solar energy harvesting or USB
Operating Temperature Range
Minimum: –40 °C
Maximum: +60 °C
Other
Compatibility
Compliance
EM ISO/IEC 17050:2010 (CE Mark)
GSA
ZENTRA Utility
ZENTRA Utility enables you to interact with your METER data logger over a Bluetooth Low-Energy wireless connection. Using your smartphone or tablet, you can view information about the logger and attached sensors, configure the logger according to your needs, and test long-range telemetry communications.
DESKTOP
ZENTRA Utility Installer For PC (For Use with EM60/ZENTRA Family) Installer EXE, 40.4MB
ZENTRA Utility Installer for Mac (For use with EM60/ZENTRA Family) InstallerPKG, 62MB
MOBILE
ZENTRA Utility Mobile App (Android)
ZENTRA Utility Mobile App (IOS)
ZENTRA Cloud
Connect everything. Miss Nothing.
ZENTRA Cloud and the ZL6 data logger work together to simplify your ability to visualize, manage, and share measurements from up to six different types of sensors. With METER’s multi-parameter sensors, you can potentially visualize dozens of different near-real-time measurements at once. Add more ZL6’s to your site, and you can track even more measurements. Remote data management means you can reconfigure sensors while sitting at your desk. Use the GPS mapping feature to illustrate to a colleague or a class how a site is configured. And simplified sharing of near-real-time data makes it easier for your colleagues or students to see exactly what you see, when you want to see it.
NEAR-REAL-TIME DATA, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. Use ZENTRA Cloud to see and analyze your data in near-real time from wherever you are.
A research partner as committed as you are
Now, see important trending information as it happens, instead of having to comb through imported spreadsheets. Near-real-time visualization of several different data streams means you can easily check on—and share—current site conditions, such as recharge from the last rain event or plant available water. Pull near-real-time data up at a conference to illustrate a point, or share current data with your students to teach them how to model evapotranspiration.
ZENTRA Cloud does all the data legwork, with minimal effort, so you and your students can spend less time collecting data and more time publishing it.
A platform built for researchers
Customized graph viewing, remote sensor configuration, tool tips, easy data sharing, and automatic battery alerts. Built around your workflow and your needs, ZENTRA Cloud doesn’t try to serve everyone.
That means, more responsiveness to scientific problems, and relevant features like custom calibrations that you can’t find in other software solutions.
Real-time data— wherever, whenever
Real time means you can see your data the same hour it happens, which increases your ability to see important trending information and share it with collaborators. Discuss research site needs, performance, and ideas with a colleague, all while looking at the same graph. ZENTRA cloud makes it easy with automated graphing of your data as it happens. And you can access your data from wherever you are, whether you’re at a conference, a classroom, or behind your own desk.
The power to see your data differently. ZENTRA Cloud lets you visualize your data in different ways so you can accelerate your insights or make informed decisions, such determining the evaporative demand for your field.
For example, seeing NDVI data in near-real time for canopy interception may help you understand when it’s time to make leaf area index measurements or apply some foliar fertilizer.
Graphing of near-real-time data at different time scales and sensor resolutions, customized calibrations, summary statistics, and more, let you view the data the way you want and make it easier to think outside the box. In addition, you can analyze your site configuration and how it relates to the data with GPS mapping.
Be a data visionary
Automated tool tips allow you to see what the value of a parameter is at a certain time point, so you can make comparisons quickly. One researcher uses tool tips to count lightning strikes every quarter hour so he can analyze how they relate to precipitation. With tool tips you can look at site behaviors today compared to all of last year, or show your class what current soil moisture data look like. To investigate your data further, simply click the download button.
See both the forest and the trees. ZENTRA Cloud uses the ZL6’s six sensor ports to enable you to visualize many measurements at once.
Plug in three TEROS 12 sensors to get soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity at three different depths.
Add an ATMOS 41 weather station to correlate 10 different weather parameters with soil moisture.
ZENTRA Cloud field app
Download the ZENTRA Cloud Field App for easy access to charts, latest readings, device status, and notifications when you’re out in the field.
ZENTRA Cloud lets you manage your data loggers, fix setup errors, and reconfigure sensors remotely, from the comfort of your office, eliminating unnecessary field visits and wasted time.
Easy firmware updates using Bluetooth connection via ZENTRA Mobile means you never have to wonder if your logger has the latest operating system.
You can even use ZENTRA Cloud to make sure your technician completed all the necessary field tasks correctly. Spend less time maintaining your data and more time doing what you love.
Say goodbye to lost spreadsheets
Staffing changes over time. Cloud data doesn’t. If a grad student leaves your program, you no longer need to worry that the data will go with them. ZENTRA Cloud provides a simple place for all the data to be stored over the longevity of your research, making searching for lost data files on individual computers a thing of the past.
Automatically record important metadata.
The ZL6 automatically records important metadata, such as sensor type, serial number, firmware version, and logger location and saves it to the cloud. That metadata, along with user-input metadata such as sensor depth and sensor height, become permanent parts of your data record, which will never be lost.
Environmental modeling made easy
Customized graph viewing, remote sensor configuration, tool tips, easy data sharing, and automatic battery alerts. Built around your workflow and your needs, ZENTRA Cloud doesn’t try to serve everyone.
That means, more responsiveness to scientific problems, and relevant features like custom calibrations that you can’t find in other software.
Light speed collaboration
ZENTRA Cloud’s simple and secure data sharing capabilities let you and your collaborators see the stories unfold at the exact same time. No more emailing data files back and forth, unsuccessfully trying to communicate what’s happening after the fact. Talk over site issues with collaborators while looking at the same problems in near-real time, or share current data with attendees after a presentation.
Rocket past complexity
Data sharing has never been this easy. Enter an email, and send an invitation. Bam. Your research partners can instantly see what you see.
No more limits
Every collaborator can review and manipulate the data in the way they want, whether it’s in map format, short graphs, a list, or downloading to data-analysis packages. And, all units and ranges on the graphs are specific to each viewer.
Let’s Connect
Need assistance? Get in touch with our team.