Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Monnit
With 80+ ALTA wireless sensor types and entry-level pricing that starts under $100, Monnit Corporation has made IoT monitoring accessible to businesses that previously could not justify the investment. Brad Walters founded the company in 2010 in Salt Lake City with a clear mission: make wireless sensors affordable and simple enough for anyone to deploy. For non-regulated environments, that mission succeeds. But when pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospital pharmacies, and biotech labs need monitoring that satisfies FDA auditors rather than just facility managers, the gap between general-purpose IoT and purpose-built compliance becomes the defining factor.
Understanding Monnit
Monnit Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in South Salt Lake City, Utah, with an estimated 50-100 employees. Their core product line is the ALTA wireless sensor platform, which uses a proprietary 900MHz (North America) and 868MHz (international) radio protocol designed for long range and low power consumption. ALTA gateways connect via Ethernet, WiFi, or cellular to relay sensor data to the iMonnit cloud platform (formerly branded separately, now unified under the Monnit name).
Monnit also offers Express Temp, a product line specifically targeting pharmaceutical and food safety temperature monitoring with enhanced compliance features compared to standard iMonnit.
Monnit’s recognized strengths include:
- 80+ Sensor Types — The broadest catalog in the wireless monitoring market. Beyond temperature and humidity, ALTA sensors cover open/close, water detection, voltage, air quality, light, vibration, accelerometers, and dozens of specialized parameters. For organizations needing to monitor diverse conditions across a facility, this variety is genuinely unmatched.
- Affordable Entry Point — ALTA sensors range from approximately $50 to $150 per unit, with gateways at $150-$300. The free iMonnit Basic tier means organizations can start monitoring with minimal upfront cost, making Monnit one of the lowest-barrier options in the market.
- DIY-Friendly Deployment — Sensors pair to gateways with minimal configuration. No dedicated IT staff, no professional installation, no complex network infrastructure. A facilities manager can have monitoring running within an hour.
Common Challenges with Monnit
Organizations evaluating or currently using Monnit for regulated environments frequently encounter these considerations:
- General-Purpose Platform in a Regulated World: iMonnit was architected for broad market monitoring — HVAC optimization, agricultural monitoring, cold storage oversight. When pharmaceutical or biotech teams attempt to use it for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, they discover the platform’s audit trail features are basic logging, not ALCOA+ compliant records designed to withstand regulatory scrutiny.
- No Electronic Signatures: FDA 21 CFR Part 11 requires electronic signatures with the same legal weight as handwritten signatures. Monnit’s platform does not offer electronic signature functionality, which means any GxP workflow requiring signed acknowledgments, approvals, or reviews cannot be completed within the monitoring system.
- Proprietary Wireless Lock-In: ALTA sensors communicate exclusively over Monnit’s proprietary 900MHz protocol. If an organization outgrows iMonnit or needs to consolidate onto a different platform, the entire sensor fleet becomes obsolete. There is no migration path that preserves the hardware investment.
- Business Hours Support for 24/7 Operations: Monnit’s phone and email support operates Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Mountain Time. Pharmaceutical manufacturing and hospital pharmacies operate around the clock. A critical temperature excursion at 11 PM on a Saturday reaches voicemail, not a live technician.
- No Validation Documentation: Monnit does not provide IQ/OQ/PQ documentation packages. Organizations in regulated environments must create their own validation protocols or hire consultants, adding cost and timeline to any deployment in a GxP setting.
- Basic Reporting for Auditors: iMonnit’s reporting is designed for operational visibility, not regulatory audits. Generating the documentation an FDA inspector or Health Canada auditor expects — complete with tamper-evident records, access controls, and data integrity proof — requires manual effort and workarounds.
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
ATEK’s platform was built specifically for regulated environments where monitoring data must satisfy auditors, not just inform facility managers. Each capability below directly addresses a gap that Monnit customers encounter when their monitoring requirements evolve from operational convenience to regulatory obligation.
Purpose-Built FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance: Where Monnit’s iMonnit platform offers basic audit logging designed for general facility oversight, ATEK Cloud provides native FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures, ALCOA+ data integrity, role-based access controls, and tamper-evident audit trails. Organizations managing pharmaceutical monitoring do not need to retrofit compliance onto a general-purpose platform — it is built into every workflow from the start.
24/7 Live Support with 5-Minute Response: Monnit’s business-hours support model works for HVAC monitoring where an overnight alert can wait until morning. For hospital pharmacy refrigerators storing biologics or a biotech freezer holding irreplaceable cell lines, waiting until 9 AM Mountain Time is not acceptable. ATEK’s Montreal-based team guarantees a live human response within 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — in English and French.
A2LA-Accredited In-House Calibration: Monnit customers who need calibration certificates must use third-party calibration services, adding cost, turnaround time, and logistical complexity. ATEK maintains an A2LA-accredited (ISO 17025) calibration laboratory in-house, delivering NIST-traceable certificates with calibration included in monitoring pricing. No separate vendor, no additional invoices, no gaps in calibration coverage.
All-Inclusive Pricing vs. Tiered Fees: Monnit’s pricing model appears affordable at the sensor level — $50-$150 per sensor, free or $2/month cloud tier. But for regulated environments, the true cost includes third-party calibration, consultant-built validation documentation, compliance reporting workarounds, and the operational overhead of a platform not designed for the task. ATEK’s per-monitoring-point pricing bundles hardware, software, calibration, IQ/OQ/PQ validation, training, and 24/7 support into a single predictable cost.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Monnit | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor variety | 80+ ALTA sensor types | Environmental monitoring focus | Monnit |
| Per-sensor hardware cost | ~$50-$150 | Bundled in pricing | Monnit |
| DIY self-install | Yes, minimal IT needed | Professional + self-install options | Comparable |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 | Partial (basic audit logging) | Full native compliance | ATEK |
| Electronic signatures | Not available | Included | ATEK |
| Support availability | M-F, 9-5 MT | 24/7, 5-min guarantee | ATEK |
| Calibration | Third-party NIST | A2LA in-house, included | ATEK |
| Validation documentation | Not provided | IQ/OQ/PQ included | ATEK |
| Wireless protocol | Proprietary 900MHz | Standards-based | ATEK |
| Bilingual support | English only | English and French | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
Organizations in these situations see the greatest impact when moving from Monnit to ATEK:
- Facilities that started with Monnit for general monitoring and now face regulatory requirements — a growing pharmaceutical operation, a research lab pursuing GLP compliance, or a hospital pharmacy upgrading from basic temperature logging to full 21 CFR Part 11
- Organizations where iMonnit Premiere’s basic alerts are no longer sufficient and auditors are asking for electronic signatures, validated workflows, and audit-ready compliance reports
- Canadian pharmaceutical or biotech facilities requiring bilingual support, Canadian data hosting with PIPEDA compliance, and a team that understands Health Canada and provincial regulatory frameworks
- Multi-site operations tired of managing third-party calibration across dozens of ALTA sensors when an all-inclusive solution with in-house A2LA-accredited calibration would eliminate that overhead
Making the Transition
Migrating from Monnit’s ALTA ecosystem to ATEK follows a structured approach that accounts for the proprietary wireless protocol transition:
- Discovery — We map your current Monnit deployment: ALTA sensor locations, gateway configurations, iMonnit alert rules, reporting workflows, and any Express Temp setups. Because ALTA sensors use proprietary 900MHz radio, a hardware transition plan is developed alongside the software migration.
- Parallel Deployment — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside your existing ALTA sensors. Both systems run simultaneously, providing redundant monitoring coverage while ATEK’s system is validated. No monitoring gaps, no compliance risk during the transition.
- Validation — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included at no additional cost. Our team builds the validation package your QA team needs, covering installation qualification, operational qualification, and performance qualification for every monitoring point.
- Cutover and Training — Phased transition by zone or facility, with 24/7 ATEK support active from day one. Staff training on ATEK Cloud, alarm management, compliance reporting, and calibration workflows ensures your team is confident before Monnit hardware is decommissioned.
Ready to evaluate the transition? Request a demo to see how ATEK handles your specific monitoring requirements.
When Monnit May Be the Right Fit
Monnit is a genuinely strong choice for organizations that need affordable, broad-parameter wireless monitoring without regulatory compliance obligations. If your primary need is HVAC optimization, agricultural monitoring, cold storage oversight for non-regulated products, or general facilities management — and you value having 80+ sensor types at industry-low prices with a simple self-install experience — Monnit’s ALTA platform delivers real value. The free iMonnit Basic tier makes it one of the most accessible entry points in the IoT monitoring market, and for non-GxP use cases, the platform does exactly what it promises.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance that withstands audits — not partial audit logging retrofitted onto a general-purpose IoT platform, but native electronic signatures, ALCOA+ trails, and validated workflows
- 24/7 live phone support — a guaranteed 5-minute response at 2 AM Saturday, not business-hours email that waits until Monday morning
- A2LA-accredited calibration without third-party logistics — in-house ISO 17025 lab with calibration included in your pricing, eliminating the calibration vendor management Monnit requires
- Standards-based wireless — no proprietary 900MHz lock-in that makes your sensor fleet obsolete if you ever change platforms
- Canadian regulatory readiness — bilingual support, Canadian data hosting, PIPEDA/FIPPA compliance, and a team that understands Health Canada requirements
- All-inclusive pricing for regulated environments — validation, calibration, training, and 24/7 support bundled, not layered on top of $2/sensor/month cloud fees
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Monnit’s iMonnit platform FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant?
Partially. iMonnit includes basic audit trail functionality and user access controls, but it does not provide electronic signatures, ALCOA+ compliant data integrity, or the validated workflows required for full FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. Monnit’s Express Temp line offers somewhat better compliance features for temperature monitoring, but neither product provides the comprehensive GxP framework (including IQ/OQ/PQ documentation) that FDA and Health Canada auditors expect. ATEK’s platform is natively built for 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with all required components included.
How does Monnit’s pricing compare to ATEK for regulated environments?
At the sensor level, Monnit is more affordable: ALTA sensors cost $50-$150 each with iMonnit Premiere at approximately $2/sensor/month. However, for regulated environments, the total cost must include third-party calibration services, consultant-built validation documentation, compliance reporting workarounds, and the operational overhead of adapting a general-purpose platform for GxP use. ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing bundles hardware, software, A2LA calibration, IQ/OQ/PQ validation, training, and 24/7 support — often resulting in a lower total cost of ownership for regulated operations.
Can I reuse my Monnit ALTA sensors with ATEK?
No. ALTA sensors use Monnit’s proprietary 900MHz wireless protocol and can only communicate with Monnit gateways. When transitioning to ATEK, new sensors are deployed as part of the all-inclusive package. ATEK’s parallel deployment approach ensures both systems run simultaneously during migration, so there are no monitoring gaps while the transition occurs.
Does ATEK offer the same sensor variety as Monnit’s 80+ types?
ATEK focuses on the environmental monitoring parameters critical to regulated industries: temperature, humidity, differential pressure, and related conditions found in pharmaceutical facilities, hospital pharmacies, cleanrooms, and research labs. Monnit’s broader catalog includes sensors for parameters like light, vibration, and soil moisture that serve non-regulated markets. For life sciences monitoring, ATEK covers every parameter you need with sensors designed for GxP environments.
Do I need FDA compliance if Monnit doesn’t require it?
If you are monitoring pharmaceutical products, biologics, vaccines, or any materials subject to FDA or Health Canada regulations, compliance is not optional — it is a regulatory requirement. Many organizations start with Monnit for basic monitoring and later discover during an audit or regulatory inspection that their monitoring system does not meet 21 CFR Part 11 requirements. Evaluating compliance needs early avoids costly platform migrations under regulatory pressure.
What support does ATEK provide compared to Monnit’s business hours model?
Monnit offers phone, email, and live chat support Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Mountain Time, with no published SLA. ATEK provides 24/7 live phone support with a guaranteed 5-minute response time, staffed by a bilingual (English and French) Montreal-based team with direct expertise in pharmaceutical and life sciences monitoring. For facilities operating outside Mountain Time business hours — which includes most pharmaceutical manufacturing and hospital pharmacy operations — the difference is between reaching a live expert or leaving a voicemail.
Start with a free compliance assessment to see how ATEK compares to Monnit for your specific regulatory and monitoring requirements.