Review: EvoDevices Solar Irradiance monitor $85

Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4oIy7uO Price as reviewed: $85 Solar Power Meter – Measures Solar Radiation Intensity & Daily Solar Radiation Energy, 180-Day Data Logging, Real-Time Graphs & CSV Export, Weather-Resistant Outdoor Solar Irradiance Monitor From the EvoDevice Store This device comes with an extra AAA battery (one is already installed inside) and the Philips screwdriver needed to replace the battery, as well as a ground mounting stake. Download the EvoDevices app, grant it local Bluetooth devices / location privileges, push the button, and it finds the solar monitor. The app is very simple, it shows the current SRE (in watts per m^2) and if the device has been logging data for a while it will download the data and show you a summary averaged by day (DSRE) and a log of the average over each 10 minute segment of the day. I initially didn't realize it was working, as the graphs show 0 to 8am by default, and you have to swipe sideways to scroll to the more interesting 8am-8pm timeframe where there is actually solar activity. You can also export the data as an XSLX file which saves to your phone (and you can transfer it to a computer to open with an office spreadsheet document). Although I don't have a calibrated sensor to compare it to, the watt per m^2 reading matched that of my outdoor weather station, and the daily log graph looked a lot like a similar graph generated by my solar power station, so it appears to be accurate. One downside is that you can ONLY connect to the device with the phone app after pressing the orange button on the device, so you have to physically visit the device to download the collected data. Other than that, it appears to work just fine. The price feels a little expensive for such a single purpose device, but it does work well.