If your school is moving to iPad, you may wonder what the most cost-effective path to use Vernier sensors would be. Each school is a bit different, so this guide is intended to help you navigate some of the most common questions.
If you are starting from scratch, the answer is easy—purchase Go Direct sensors. These will connect directly to iPad by Bluetooth.
If your school is like most, you probably already have at least some Vernier sensors. If so, and they are still in working order, you will have to decide whether you want to invest in new interfaces, such as LabQuest 3 (LABQ3), that will allow your students to use existing sensors with iPads or start over with Go Direct sensors. The number of existing sensors and their age are both important factors to consider in the decision. Additional information to help you decide is below.
Sensors
The biggest part of a school’s investment is usually in the sensors themselves. Good news—most sensors manufactured after the year 2002 are iPad-compatible, as long as you have a LabQuest Stream (LQ-STREAM), LabQuest 2 (LABQ2), or LabQuest 3 (LABQ3) interface. Of these three interfaces, only the LabQuest 3 is still available to purchase.
Connector Type | iPad Compatible? | Notes |
---|---|---|
Yes | Go Direct sensors have both USB and Bluetooth built in. You will connect to the iPad using Bluetooth even if the iPad has a USB-C port. | |
BTA sensors |
Not directly | The sensor needs to connect to the iPad though an interface that has Bluetooth or through Data Sharing. See the interface options and information on Data Sharing below. |
BTD sensors |
Not directly | The sensor needs to connect to the iPad though an interface that has Bluetooth or through Data Sharing. See the interface options and information on Data Sharing below. |
DIN sensors |
No | These sensors are more than 20 years old and cannot easily be used with iPad. There is a complicated path involving additional hardware and software that might let you get your data onto iPad, but it is probably not worth the trouble for most people. Contact support@vernier.com if you really want to try to make this work. |
Go!Temp |
Not directly | This sensor can only be used with an iPad through Data Sharing from another device. See below for information on Data Sharing. |
Go!Motion | Not directly | This sensor can only be used with an iPad through Data Sharing from another device. A Digital Sensor Cable (MDC-BTD) (sold separately) may also be required. See below for information on Data Sharing. |
Go Wireless Temp and pH Sensors |
Yes | Go Wireless sensors are the older cousins of the Go Direct sensors. Go Wireless Temp, Go Wireless pH, and Go Wireless Electrode Amplifier can be used with iPad. However, these older sensors require the Graphical Analysis GW app for iPad rather than Graphical Analysis or Graphical Analysis Pro.
Note: Go Wireless Heart Rate and Go Wireless Exercise Heart Rate are the only Go Wireless products that are fully compatible with Graphical Analysis and Graphical Analysis Pro. |
Interfaces
Interfaces are used to connect sensors to a device, or, in the case of LabQuest 2 or LabQuest 3, it is the device itself.
Interface | iPad Compatible? | Notes |
---|---|---|
Go!Link | Not directly | Since iPad does not have a compatible USB port (USB-C ports on iPads cannot be used for sensor communication), Go!Link is not directly compatible. The only way to get the signal from a BTA sensor through a Go!Link to an iPad is through Data Sharing from another device. See below for more info about Data Sharing. |
LabPro | Not directly | (No longer available) Since iPad does not have a compatible USB port (USB-C ports on iPads cannot be used for sensor communication), LabPro is not directly compatible. The only way to get the signal from a sensor through a LabPro to an iPad is by Data Sharing from Logger Pro running on a computer. See below for more info about Data Sharing. |
Go Wireless Link | Yes | (No longer available) The Go Wireless Link is compatible with iPad. Go Wireless Link requires the Graphical Analysis GW app rather than Graphical Analysis or Graphical Analysis Pro. |
Original LabQuest | No | (No longer available) Since iPad does not have a compatible USB port (USB-C ports on iPads cannot be used for sensor communication), the original LabQuest is not compatible. The only way to get the signal from a sensor to an iPad is through Data Sharing. See below for more info about Data Sharing. |
LabQuest Stream | Yes | (No longer available) LabQuest Stream lets you connect any BTA or BTD sensor to iPad via Bluetooth. |
LabQuest Mini | No | Since iPad does not have a USB port, the LabQuest Mini is not compatible. The only way to get the signal from a sensor through LabQuest Mini to an iPad is through Data Sharing from another device. See below for more info about Data Sharing. |
LabQuest 2 | Yes | (No longer available) LabQuest 2 connects to the iPad by WiFi and can broadcast data to multiple student iPad devices at the same time via Data Sharing. See below for more information about Data Sharing. |
LabQuest 3 |
Yes | LabQuest 3 connects to the iPad by WiFi and can broadcast data to multiple student iPad devices at the same time via Data Sharing. See below for more information about Data Sharing. |
Others | No | We made several other interfaces over the years, including ULIs, Serial Boxes, MPLIs and more. These older interfaces are not compatible with iPad. |
Data Sharing
One of the most popular ways to use an iPad with older, wired sensors is to couple the iPad with a LabQuest 2, LabQuest 3, or a computer running Logger Pro 3. The data are collected on one source device, then shared with multiple student iPad via WiFi. This is best explained in our short video at: https://www.vernier.com/video/data-sharing-with-labquest-2-overview/
The subscription-based Graphical Analysis Pro app has the ability to data share via an internet connection. The main difference from what is noted above is that the students you are data sharing with do not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. For additional information, see:
How can I use Data Sharing in Graphical Analysis Pro for remote learning?
Software
A lot of people ask us if we have “Logger Pro for iPad”. Since there is no way to convert Mac or Windows software to iOS, we now offer the Graphical Analysis app. If you saw an early version of this, we encourage you to take a fresh look. We have made many improvements since the first release, and can now perform all of the activities from our core lab books on iPad. Some of the more advanced/specialized features that teachers grew to love in Logger Pro need the more advanced features in Graphical Analysis Pro. One other big difference for physics teachers is that video analysis is now in its own app, Vernier Video Analysis.
For more details about what you can’t do on iPad (yet), see:
What are the differences between Graphical Analysis Pro app and Logger Pro?
Additional apps that can be used with iPad are:
- Graphical Analysis – free app for use with most sensors
- Graphical Analysis Pro – subscription-based upgrade to Graphical Analysis
- Spectral Analysis – a free app for use with Vernier Spectrometers
- Instrumental Analysis – a free app for use with a Go Direct Mini GC and other instruments
- Vernier Video Analysis – a subscription-based web app for analyzing motion of objects in a video
- LabQuest Viewer for iPad – a for-purchase app use to view and control a LabQuest using the iPad
Lab Books
We updated our most popular lab books to include instructions that work with Graphical Analysis and our other “Analysis” apps. In most cases, you do not need to re-write the instructions; we have already done that. You can always get the updated version of any book you have purchased by logging into your Vernier web site account at:
https://www.vernier.com/account
Conclusion
We are here to help! We can help you find the best solution for your classroom and budget, including reviewing your school’s purchase records from 1997 to now and figure out how to update your technology without spending a lot of money. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for advice.
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