Not what it's represented to be
I purchased this item to monitor the water in my 28 foot diameter (with "deep area") above ground pool using the Frog Leap mineral water system. This unit only monitors the pH, water temperature and ORP (Oxygen Reduction Potential) measured in mV (millivolts). It then calculates (estimates) the free chlorine concentration in parts per million (PPM) based upon pH, temperature and mV values. All other pool chemical values must still be determined by testing at your local pool store, and then are entered manually.
As for the unit itself, it does not come with software. I went through the online registration process, and did not automatically receive an email with a link to the software download. So, I called customer service, around 4 PM on Friday afternoon, and heard a recording telling me that they close at 1 PM Mountain standard time on Friday, and reopen on Monday at 8 AM. I was finally able to find the software link using Google and the name and model number of the unit, but it was not a simple process and Windows 10 would not open the zip file, so I had to open it on an older computer, write the file to CD ROM, and then install it on the Windows 10 laptop.
When I got the software loaded, I attached the USB cable supplied by the manufacturer, and the cable was faulty. I was able to get it working using my own micro-USB cable, but the whole process was an exercise in frustration and disappointment.
A bottle of Potassium Chloride solution included with the unit for storage and calibration of the sensor had leaked inside the package, losing about half its contents.
I wish I had purchased a "strip reader" type testing system instead (at about half the price), because even with continuous readouts of pH, temperature and ORP, I still have to go to the pool store to get the water tested in order to get the whole picture about my pool's water chemistry.
Once you get the system working, it does provide a pretty accurate temperature measurement, and after a heavy rain last night, it told me how much baking soda to add to adjust the pH. I am not confident that the ORP and PPM free chlorine values are accurate since the device does not actually measure free chlorine, so, I'm off to the pool store to get a sample checked and see if I can figure out how to use this thing to my advantage. It is possible that the estimated PPM values provided by the unit will match the free chlorine measurements provided by a strip reader, and if so, that will be useful information, but I won't know until after I get the analysis results from the pool store.
I am an engineering school graduate, and took college chemistry. A person without a science/math background is likely to be frustrated by this system. I am not sure yet if it was a complete waste of money, but if I had known how it all actually worked and about the incomplete information it provides, I would not have purchased it.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New