Ok people…ive put alot of trust into this app. My direct question, has any1 compared photone app on android with NO diffuser to apogee quantum meter? I have seen people using the sun setting for best accuracy but even the guys from the photone app say that is wrong way to do it. So im curious on a android on full spectrum, how accurate is the photone? Once im at full power i can compare to chart but im dimmed down since im still in veg. Thank you for any and all responses.
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Can’t say for android but on IPhone, sunlight was the closest to the reading on an apogee meter. The iPhone requires the diffuser so there may be a difference there. I’m sure some android users will be along shortly.
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I hope so…seems like evey1 who has the apogee also has iphones…lol but thank you for your response
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I can’t speak for people on this group or from personal experience but I have seen plenty of YT videos with people saying they have tested and it is well within range to do well enough. Let someone else who has experience chime in but I’ve seen multiple people say it is close enough so to speak.
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It’s not exact. But it’s close enough for what we need it for. I personally tested it as did @Hellraiser on one of his threads. I wouldn’t do light reviews using it but 50 or so ppfd difference ain’t going to make or break us.
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I agree. But hell did his using iphone and diffuser, just want to hear some1 who did it on android without a diffuser. I just do not wanna pay 500$ for the apogee. If it was accurate within 50 on Android, i could relax my concern.
@Blastfact hey brother, if memory serve’s, you have a apogee as well right? Have you compared your 350r’s using photone in comparison to apogee? More importantly in my case, using android?
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OOOO yeah. My wifes U22 still reads low and wont hold calibration be it calibrated with the Apogee or Apogee’s clearskycalculator website. If at 300 ppfd the driod is only out 25 ppfd. But at 900 ppfd it’s 200 ppfd low. So the more ppfd the more it’s out. Calibrate it and reboot it. All calibration is gone. My iPhone 13 Pro Max is good now and I would say it’s useable but a big PITA to use. It use to read high by 200 ppfd and now it’s only max 50 ppfd high and it now holds calibration. But to use it and get the very best out of it I have to take it out of it’s case and then slip the diffuser on and then the rounded corners also make the diffuser slip around on it. Also I keep our phones with screen protectors on them and I think, but cant prove the screen protector on my iPhone causes a bit of light refraction bouncing around under the diffuser. Of note I keep our phones protected with automotive ceramic coating paint protector. So the diffuser on my iPhone slips around a lot because of the added surface slickness.
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Accuracy, Have no clue, but relative.
It reads and display changes with movement.
Free, so it works for me. Consistant with available science.
Mapping my 4x4 as 4 quadrants and 20 inches above.
Probably can lower lighting, but with temps rising, not now.
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Seems to me I read somewhere the light sensor on the Samsungs were far superior to the iPhone and offered better sensitivity all around. If that’s the case seems to me the Samsung would be more accurate.
Apple actually buys parts from Samsung for the iPhone if that tells you anything…
I use PPFD meter - I wonder how that stacks up against Photone? I thought Photone was iPhone app, not Samsung.
I know Samsung has the superior cameras so I’m sure that adds to the accuracy of it.
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In this thread this is discussed at great length.
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Im aware of that topic, and to my knowledge all testing was on iphones. But thanks for your input
I was under the impression it was both, my bad. Ive read a bit on this and there isnt any concessus. I wouldnt use it if I was growing food and would starve or not based on its accuracy. Is it free and reasonably accurate? Yes. As accurate as a 400+ dollar sensor…not likely. works for me on a galaxy s9+. Good luck finding your answer.
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I just wanna thank every1 who chimed in. Each grow ive been trying to get more scientific and eliminating my old school habits and technique. In conclusion! I found the best way to ensure the photone app is accurate. So after a bunch of research, i found that taking a lux reading with phone, which does not need all the specifics in type of light like ppfd, that it is much easier to convert the lux to ppfd on the hlg conversion table! The best part is too convert in a normal world you need the light specifics to go from lux to ppfd. But on the hlg site u can select the type of light, in my case the qb648 (350r diablo) and it will convert all info automatically. I checked the photone app with two hlg 350r’s at 190watts a piece and was within 30 ppfd by converting from lux as well. Now i have a way to check my readings and be confident with the reading. One very important note, i had selected full spectrum on the photone app and NOT sun direct. Which is what every1 is recommending, i forgot to compare that setting but will in the near future. Thank you every1 again.
Poseidon
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The guy from migro has done a video on it he is helping them to get set up right they have done a upgrade to it he tells you what they have been doing to it look on YouTube migro channel
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As the author of the thread i use a Samsung S8.
Works great.
Hope sunlight setting helped make things right.
@Docnraq thnx for sharing the knowledge and link.
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You can use it once you get some use, same could be said for a lux meter. And this is what that Photone app is really, a lux meter. No way it can convert a Smartphone into a PAR meter. It just does the calculations for you. And it’s not that accurate. I compared the app to my Apogee 500 and some spots were on others were way off, so that Photone app isn’t a reliable tool but one you can work with. Better than nothing.
It is close enough to not buy a 500$ apogee. Would love one but with this it is not that necessary. Plus or minus 10% i can live with.
You can find them half the price (used of course) on Ebay. And it’s more like 30% off (Photone), and usable like you said.
I have compared the iPhone Photone app with a reputable photometer and was impressed with the results, however, if you are not paying for your specific light design through the in-app purchases menu your results will be terrible. You can’t tell it your measuring a cfl bulb and try to get accurate readings for a full spec LED.
I believe all measurements were within 3% of the $$$$ photometer
