Photone lets you measure PPFD right on your android or iphone

Here is proof on it’s accuracy when compared to an Apogee MQ-500 ($600 light meter)

Have you ever wanted to measure or test the light intensity of your LED grow lights?? You could be too bright or dim and without an actual measurement, the only thing you could go by is the light’s PPFD map.

But what if it’s not accurate? I found this app called PHOTONE that lets you measure and test the light intensity and according to their data, it’s 95% accurate.  

You could download it both iOs and android phones and it comes with presets for different light sources. Some of the sources are free, but the one I will be using is the Full Spectrum LED source which costs $6. That’s relatively cheap when compared to $500 Par meter.

For iphones, youll have to make a diffuser before using it and the tools you will need is a scissor, white printing paper and a piece of tape. We have found that the most accurate paper stock is the staples 22lb bright white($14.50 on staples):

[lasso sitestripe=”true” id=”11501″ ref=”amzn-staples-multipurpose-paper-8-1-2-x-11-bright-white-ream” link_id=”2490″]

All you have to do is cut a piece that’s about a inch thick and wrap it around your phone. Just make sure it covers your front camera and tape it on the back to secure it. The diffuser helps distribute light evenly around your camera for a more accurate reading. Once its done, you can hold your phone face forward under your light and measure the PAR values across your canopy. Based on the readings you could modify your lights distance or intensity using a dimmer to match efficient values.

Here is a link to my ULTIMATE CHART FOR THE BEST PAR VALUES at different stages of the plants life.

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