During a recent firing, I was running back and forth to check on my kiln, which is located in my garage. I have the Skutt Kiln Link system, but wondered if there was a way to get eyes and ears monitoring it as well.
I had an old smart phone laying around and realized that the phone could be used as a monitoring device. I downloaded a baby monitoring app on both my old phone and my current one and was able to link the two phones together with the app, which works on both iPhone and Android operating systems. I plugged my old phone in, connected it to my Wi-Fi network, which luckily extends to the garage, and placed it on a step stool in front of the kiln. Through the baby monitor app, I was able to hear all the clicks and see the lights running in the background.
The app allows me to set alerts for certain noise volumes as well, so it could send me a special update if the kiln beeped due to an error or when it beeps at the end of the firing. This of course isn’t a complete substitute to checking on your kiln. It is important to be on site when firing a kiln in case of an emergency. That said, this setup is a very useful way to keep a closer eye on your kiln when it is firing while getting more done in the studio at the same time. See more at www.tryonart.com.
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During a recent firing, I was running back and forth to check on my kiln, which is located in my garage. I have the Skutt Kiln Link system, but wondered if there was a way to get eyes and ears monitoring it as well.
I had an old smart phone laying around and realized that the phone could be used as a monitoring device. I downloaded a baby monitoring app on both my old phone and my current one and was able to link the two phones together with the app, which works on both iPhone and Android operating systems. I plugged my old phone in, connected it to my Wi-Fi network, which luckily extends to the garage, and placed it on a step stool in front of the kiln. Through the baby monitor app, I was able to hear all the clicks and see the lights running in the background.
The app allows me to set alerts for certain noise volumes as well, so it could send me a special update if the kiln beeped due to an error or when it beeps at the end of the firing. This of course isn’t a complete substitute to checking on your kiln. It is important to be on site when firing a kiln in case of an emergency. That said, this setup is a very useful way to keep a closer eye on your kiln when it is firing while getting more done in the studio at the same time. See more at www.tryonart.com.
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