Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Signatrol
Signatrol has been manufacturing data loggers in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire since 1994. The SL Series miniature loggers, the SL7000 multi-input instruments, and the patented SpYdaq wireless monitoring system have earned a loyal following across UK pharmaceutical, food, and hospital storage facilities. For North American organizations that have encountered Signatrol through a UK parent company, a distributor recommendation, or industry connections, a practical question arises: can a UK-focused data logger manufacturer with UKAS-traceable calibration and desktop-based software meet the continuous monitoring, regulatory, and support demands of FDA-regulated facilities operating across different time zones?
Understanding Signatrol
Signatrol Ltd was founded in 1994 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK, where it continues to operate as a privately held company. Over three decades, Signatrol has developed a portfolio centered on the SL Series of miniature data loggers — from the SL51T and SL53T single-parameter temperature loggers to the SL7000 series, which accepts up to four universal inputs including RTD, thermocouple, mA, and voltage signals. The SpYdaq wireless system, for which Signatrol holds a patent on its radio communications technology, provides real-time monitoring through a base station that receives data from up to 16 wireless transmitters and can relay it via USB, Modbus RTU, or GPRS to the SpYdaq cloud portal. On the software side, TempIT-PRO and the newer TempIT5 serve as the desktop graphing and analysis applications for the SL Series.
Signatrol offers calibration services from its Tewkesbury facility using UKAS-accredited reference equipment, issuing UKAS-traceable calibration certificates with a standard 5-day turnaround. It is worth noting that Signatrol’s calibration service is UKAS-traceable rather than UKAS-accredited — an important distinction for organizations whose quality systems require calibration from an accredited laboratory.
Signatrol’s recognized strengths include:
- UKAS-Traceable Calibration Services — The Tewkesbury facility provides temperature and humidity calibration using UKAS-accredited equipment, with 5-day turnaround and 10-year minimum record retention. For UK-based organizations, this provides convenient, documented calibration without third-party lab involvement
- Deep UK Market Knowledge — Three decades serving UK pharmaceutical manufacturers, food processors, and NHS hospital storage operations has built institutional knowledge of UK regulatory expectations and industry-specific monitoring requirements
- Versatile Logger Portfolio — The product line spans single-use temperature loggers to multi-input universal instruments (SL7000) and patented wireless monitoring (SpYdaq), covering a range of monitoring scenarios from transit cold chain to fixed-location facility monitoring
Common Challenges with Signatrol
Organizations evaluating or currently using Signatrol frequently encounter these considerations:
- TempIT desktop dependency for SL Series loggers: The primary workflow for Signatrol’s SL Series involves physically connecting each logger via USB to a Windows PC running TempIT-PRO or TempIT5 software. Data sits on the logger until someone retrieves it. For facilities with dozens of monitoring points, the USB download rounds consume technician hours and create monitoring blind spots between collection cycles. TempIT5 added calibration status tracking, but the fundamental workflow remains desktop-bound
- SpYdaq’s ceiling as a monitoring platform: The SpYdaq wireless system offers real-time monitoring through its base station and cloud portal, but each base station supports a maximum of 16 transmitters. Larger facilities need multiple base stations. The SpYdaq cloud portal provides basic web viewing and email alerts, but it is not a full compliance platform — FDA 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signatures, automated audit trails, and integrated validation documentation are not native features
- No North American presence: Signatrol operates entirely from Tewkesbury, UK. There is no North American office, no local support team, no NA-based calibration facility, and no direct understanding of FDA or Health Canada regulatory requirements. North American organizations dealing with Signatrol face UK business hours support (roughly 3 AM to 11 AM Eastern), international shipping for hardware and calibration, and customs logistics that add weeks to turnaround times
- UKAS-traceable versus UKAS-accredited calibration: Signatrol’s calibration service uses UKAS-accredited equipment but the laboratory itself is not UKAS-accredited. For quality systems that specifically require calibration certificates from an accredited laboratory — a common requirement in FDA-regulated environments — this distinction matters. The UKAS-traceable certificate demonstrates traceability but does not carry the same weight as a certificate issued directly by an accredited lab
- Limited compliance automation: Signatrol’s product ecosystem was designed for data logging and retrieval, not regulatory compliance management. Generating compliance reports, managing audit documentation, and maintaining electronic records for regulatory inspections requires manual effort outside the Signatrol software tools
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Cloud-Native Platform Replacing Desktop Downloads: For organizations where Signatrol’s TempIT-based workflow means technicians walking floor-to-floor with USB cables to collect data from SL Series loggers, ATEK’s cloud-native platform eliminates that process entirely. Every sensor transmits data automatically at 30-second intervals to the cloud. No software installation on workstations, no USB retrieval rounds, no data sitting on loggers waiting to be downloaded. For pharmaceutical and biotech facilities monitoring clean rooms, cold storage, and stability chambers across multiple buildings, a single cloud dashboard replaces the combination of TempIT desktop sessions and SpYdaq web portals.
North American Regulatory Expertise Replacing UK-Focused Compliance: Signatrol’s products were designed for UK regulatory expectations. ATEK’s platform was built for FDA-regulated environments from the ground up, with native 21 CFR Part 11 compliance including electronic signatures, automated audit trails, ALCOA+ data integrity, and included IQ/OQ/PQ documentation. For organizations operating under FDA or Health Canada oversight, this eliminates the gap between what Signatrol’s tools provide and what North American regulatory agencies require. Canadian data hosting ensures PIPEDA and provincial privacy compliance without the question of where UK-stored monitoring data resides.
24/7 Local Support Replacing UK Business Hours: Signatrol’s support operates during UK business hours, which translates to roughly 3 AM to 11 AM Eastern. When a temperature excursion alarm fires at 2 PM in a Boston pharmaceutical warehouse or at midnight in a Montreal hospital pharmacy, Signatrol’s team is either ending their day or asleep. ATEK’s Montreal-based specialists answer within 5 minutes, any hour of any day. For hospital pharmacy monitoring and other environments where excursion response time directly impacts patient safety and product integrity, the time zone gap is not a minor inconvenience.
A2LA-Accredited Lab Replacing International Calibration Logistics: Sending SL Series loggers or SpYdaq transmitters from North America to Tewkesbury, UK for calibration involves customs documentation, international shipping costs, 2-3 week transit times in each direction, and monitoring gaps while instruments are out of service. ATEK’s in-house A2LA-accredited calibration lab handles calibration locally with no border crossings. A2LA accreditation is recognized under the international mutual recognition arrangement alongside UKAS and other national accreditation bodies, and ATEK’s calibration is included in the per-monitoring-point pricing rather than invoiced separately.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Signatrol | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK market presence and knowledge | 30+ years, Tewkesbury HQ | No UK operations | Signatrol |
| SL7000 multi-input universal logger | 4 universal inputs, RTD/TC/mA/V | Not offered | Signatrol |
| Patented radio technology (SpYdaq) | Patented wireless protocol | WiFi/LoRaWAN/LTE | Signatrol |
| Primary software platform | Desktop (TempIT-PRO/TempIT5) | Cloud-native | ATEK |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance | Limited | Native, included | ATEK |
| Data collection method | USB download / SpYdaq radio | Automatic 30-second cloud sync | ATEK |
| Support availability | UK business hours | 24/7/365, 5-minute guarantee | ATEK |
| Calibration lab accreditation | UKAS-traceable (not accredited lab) | A2LA-accredited in-house | ATEK |
| North American presence | None | Montreal HQ, local teams | ATEK |
| Pricing model | Hardware + software + calibration separately | All-inclusive per point | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
- North American subsidiaries of UK companies currently using Signatrol who inherited the SL Series or SpYdaq system from their parent organization but need local support, FDA-compliant monitoring, and calibration without international shipping
- Facilities outgrowing SpYdaq’s 16-transmitter base station limit that need enterprise-scale wireless monitoring across large floor plans, multiple buildings, or campus environments without daisy-chaining base stations
- Organizations whose quality audits have flagged the UKAS-traceable versus UKAS-accredited calibration distinction and need calibration certificates from an accredited laboratory to satisfy FDA or Health Canada audit requirements
Making the Transition
Switching from Signatrol to ATEK accounts for the mixed-equipment reality of most Signatrol deployments, where standalone SL Series USB loggers and SpYdaq wireless transmitters often coexist:
- Deployment mapping — We catalog your current Signatrol installation: which positions use SL Series USB loggers versus SpYdaq wireless transmitters, how TempIT-PRO or TempIT5 is configured, SpYdaq base station locations and transmitter counts, current alarm thresholds, and how calibration is managed through Signatrol’s Tewkesbury service
- Parallel sensor installation — ATEK wireless sensors deploy alongside existing Signatrol equipment. Both systems capture data simultaneously during the qualification period. For USB-only SL Series positions, ATEK sensors provide immediate real-time visibility that the standalone loggers never offered
- Compliance qualification — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included. For positions transitioning from manual USB-download logging to continuous cloud monitoring, qualification protocols demonstrate that the automated system meets or exceeds compliance standards. Organizations moving from UKAS-traceable to A2LA-accredited calibration gain a documented upgrade in calibration credential
- Signatrol decommission — Once ATEK is validated, TempIT desktop installations are removed, SL Series loggers retired, and SpYdaq base stations decommissioned. ATEK’s cloud platform replaces the entire Signatrol stack — desktop software, USB workflows, radio base stations, and separate calibration invoices — with a single managed service
Request a demo to walk through the transition plan for your specific Signatrol deployment.
When Signatrol May Be the Right Fit
Signatrol remains a sensible choice for organizations operating entirely within the United Kingdom that value the convenience of a local Tewkesbury-based supplier with 30 years of UK regulatory knowledge. Facilities that need the SL7000’s multi-input universal logging capability — accepting RTD, thermocouple, mA, and voltage inputs on a single instrument — have specialized hardware that ATEK does not replicate. Organizations already invested in SpYdaq wireless infrastructure with fewer than 16 monitoring points per zone, satisfied with the SpYdaq cloud portal’s capabilities, and operating under UK regulatory frameworks rather than FDA oversight may find Signatrol meets their requirements without the need for a cloud-native compliance platform.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- Cloud-native continuous monitoring replacing TempIT desktop software and USB data retrieval rounds across SL Series loggers
- Native FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures and automated audit trails that Signatrol’s ecosystem does not provide
- A2LA-accredited calibration from an accredited laboratory, not UKAS-traceable certificates from a non-accredited facility, without international shipping
- 24/7 support from a North American team that answers during your business hours, not UK business hours ending at 11 AM Eastern
- All-inclusive pricing replacing Signatrol’s separate invoices for loggers, TempIT software licenses, SpYdaq subscriptions, and calibration services
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ATEK offer FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance like Signatrol claims?
Signatrol references FDA 21 CFR Part 11 on its website, but the SL Series loggers and TempIT desktop software were designed primarily for UK regulatory requirements. Native electronic signatures, automated audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity are not standard features of the Signatrol ecosystem. ATEK’s platform provides full 21 CFR Part 11 compliance as a built-in capability — electronic signatures, complete audit trails, and data integrity controls are included in every deployment, not layered on afterward.
Can ATEK replace Signatrol’s SpYdaq wireless monitoring system?
Yes. ATEK wireless sensors using WiFi, LoRaWAN, and LTE cellular replace SpYdaq’s proprietary radio-based transmitters. Where SpYdaq supports up to 16 transmitters per base station using a patented radio protocol, ATEK’s infrastructure scales without per-base-station limits. LoRaWAN provides greater range and better wall penetration than SpYdaq’s radio technology, which is particularly relevant for cold storage environments and large facilities.
How does ATEK’s calibration compare to Signatrol’s UKAS-traceable service?
ATEK operates its own A2LA-accredited calibration laboratory. A2LA accreditation means the lab itself is accredited and audited, not just that the equipment is traceable to accredited standards. Signatrol’s service is UKAS-traceable — they use UKAS-accredited equipment, but the Tewkesbury facility is not itself a UKAS-accredited laboratory. For FDA-regulated environments where quality audits examine calibration credential depth, the distinction matters. ATEK’s calibration is also included in pricing rather than billed separately.
Is it practical to use Signatrol from North America?
It is possible but carries operational challenges. Hardware ships internationally from Tewkesbury with associated customs and transit time. Calibration requires sending instruments to the UK and back. Support is available during UK business hours only (approximately 3 AM to 11 AM Eastern). There is no North American regulatory expertise for FDA or Health Canada requirements, no French-language support for Quebec facilities, and no local service infrastructure. Organizations that started with Signatrol through a UK connection often find the logistics increasingly difficult as their NA operations grow.
How long does it take to switch from Signatrol to ATEK?
Timeline depends on the size and complexity of your Signatrol deployment. A facility with a dozen SL Series USB loggers can typically transition within weeks. Larger installations with SpYdaq wireless infrastructure, multiple base stations, and integrated TempIT workflows require a structured parallel deployment period, usually 4-8 weeks. The parallel operation ensures zero monitoring gaps and continuous compliance documentation throughout the transition.
What happens to historical data stored in TempIT software?
Historical data in TempIT-PRO or TempIT5 can be exported before the transition. ATEK’s migration team assists with data retention planning to ensure compliance archive requirements are met. During parallel operation, both Signatrol and ATEK systems capture data simultaneously, providing overlapping documentation. Exported TempIT records remain available for historical reference and regulatory inquiries.