PoolLab 2 Integration: Automatic Water Test Results in Your Compliance Log

The PoolLab 2 photometer from Water-i.d. removes the entire chain of manual steps between testing your pool water and getting a compliance record. It measures pH, free chlorine, total chlorine, alkalinity, and cyanuric acid with laboratory-grade precision — and now, it pushes those results directly into your PoolComply compliance log over WiFi. You test the water, press the WiFi button, and the chemistry is already in your log before you've walked back to the plant room.

This is the integration I built PoolComply to eventually have. Here's exactly how it works.

What is the Water-i.d. PoolLab 2?

The PoolLab 2 is a professional photometer — the same technology used in laboratory water analysis, in a handheld device you can dip in your pool. Unlike DPD comparator tests that rely on visual colour matching, the PoolLab 2 uses four-wavelength LED photometry to produce objective, consistent readings that aren't affected by your eyesight, ambient light, or how long since you last changed your test reagents.

Key specifications relevant to pool compliance:

Parameter	Range	Method
pH	6.50 – 8.40	Phenol Red (tablet or liquid)
Free Chlorine (fCl)	0.00 – 6.00 mg/l	DPD 1 tablet
Total Chlorine (tCl)	0.00 – 6.00 mg/l	DPD 3 tablet
Combined Chlorine (cCl)	Calculated	tCl minus fCl
Alkalinity	0 – 200 mg/l	Alkalinity-M tablet
Cyanuric Acid	0 – 100 mg/l	CYA Test tablet

Crucially, it can measure up to three parameters simultaneously in its triple cuvette — so you can run pH, free chlorine, and total chlorine in one test cycle rather than three separate ones.

How the PoolComply Integration Works

The integration works via the PoolLab 2's built-in WiFi. When you press the WiFi button on the device after taking a measurement, it connects to your network and sends the results directly to PoolComply. No app, no cable, no intermediary — the data goes from the device to your compliance log in seconds.

Here's the flow from poolside to log:

What the PoolLab 2 Measures — and What Doesn't Sync Automatically

It's worth being clear about what the photometer integration covers. The PoolLab 2 measures chemistry — it cannot measure bather numbers, water clarity, or dosing unit readings. Those still need to be entered manually when you complete the log.

This hybrid approach is deliberate. The PoolLab 2 handles the chemistry you can't reliably do by eye — the stuff that has to be right for PWTAG compliance. The manual fields capture the operational context that a photometer can't observe. Together, they produce a complete, audit-ready record.

Getting Started: Setup Takes About 10 Minutes

Setting up the PoolLab 2 integration with PoolComply is a one-time process that takes around 10 minutes. You'll need your PoolLab 2, a laptop or Android phone with Chrome or Edge, and your WiFi network name and password.

1. Register your device in PoolComply — go to Settings > Devices > Add Device. Enter your serial number (on the back of the device). PoolComply generates a unique device token — keep this page open.
2. Open the PoolComply setup tool — visit poolcomply.co.uk/setup in Chrome or Edge. Enable Bluetooth on your laptop or Android phone.
3. Connect to your PoolLab 2 via Bluetooth — double-press the lower-right button on the device to enable Bluetooth (the icon turns green). Click Connect in the setup tool and select your device.
4. Enter your WiFi details — the setup tool configures your device: account credentials, pool list, timezone, and clock. This takes about 30 seconds.
5. Take your first test — the PoolLab 2 will now push results to PoolComply whenever you press the WiFi button after testing.

Why This Matters for Compliance

The honest answer is: errors in pool chemistry records are a liability. If your water test log shows free chlorine of 1.2 mg/l but your photometer would have read 0.4 mg/l, you have a compliance problem — either a transcription error or a test that wasn't done properly. Either way, if a waterborne illness incident leads to an investigation, that discrepancy is exactly what an investigator looks for.

Direct photometer sync eliminates two of the three most common sources of error in pool compliance records:

• Transcription errors — values written down incorrectly when copying from the device display
• Interpretation errors — values estimated by eye from a comparator block in poor light conditions

The third source — human error in actually carrying out the test — is reduced by the PoolLab 2's guided measurement process and the fact that it tells you when you've done something wrong (residue in the cuvette, insufficient reagent dissolved, etc.).

For hotel, spa, and leisure centre operators who hold personal liability for pool water quality under HSG179 and the Health and Safety at Work Act, having an objective, device-generated record that feeds directly into a timestamped, attributed compliance log is a meaningful risk reduction — not just a convenience.

How to Get the PoolLab 2 Integration

The integration is available to all PoolComply subscribers. If you already have a PoolLab 2, you can register your device in Settings and follow the setup guide. If you don't have one yet, the PoolLab 2 is available directly from Water-i.d. at poollab.org.

The full getting started guide — including the step-by-step setup walkthrough and the iPhone alternative process — is available at:

If you have questions about the integration or run into issues during setup, contact us at support@poolcomply.co.uk. I set this up myself on our spa facility at The Coniston Hotel, so I know exactly where the tricky bits are.