Museums & Heritage
Protect collections for future generations
Continuous environmental monitoring for museums, galleries, archives and historic buildings, helping you preserve collections, understand changing conditions and make confident conservation decisions.
Trusted by Canterbury Cathedral, the Natural History Museum, Westminster Abbey, the RAF Museum and more.
Why Eltek
Monitoring built for galleries, archives and historic interiors
From museums and galleries to archives, libraries and historic buildings, Eltek helps preserve irreplaceable collections by monitoring temperature, humidity, light and environmental conditions in real time. Wired or wireless, the same connected solution scales from a single display case to a cathedral, and has been trusted by leading heritage organisations for over 40 years.
What is a museum data logger, and how does it protect a collection?
A museum data logger is a wireless sensor that monitors temperature, relative humidity and light levels continuously inside galleries, stores and historic interiors. Eltek’s battery-powered GenII transmitters require no cabling through listed fabric and deliver time-stamped, audit-ready records so conservators can evidence conditions, respond to alarms, and act before environment-driven damage occurs.
Wireless and non-invasive
Battery-powered GenII transmitters mean no cabling through listed, painted or fragile fabric, so sensors go exactly where the collection needs them, with minimal visual impact. Wired options are available where a permanent connection suits.
Temperature, humidity and light
Monitor the conditions that drive deterioration, temperature, relative humidity and visible and UV light exposure, continuously and in one place.
Built for preventive conservation
Long-term data with floor plans and trend analysis lets conservators see patterns, investigate causes and act before damage occurs.
Scales across the whole estate
Repeaters extend radio range across large, multi-room and multi-building sites. Canterbury Cathedral alone runs around 70 wireless transmitters across roughly 200 channels.
Supports loans and accreditation
Clear, audit-ready reports help satisfy lenders, loan agreements and accreditation, and prove the environment your collection was held in.
Areas we serve
Explore by the kind of site you look after
Historic Houses & Heritage Buildings
Cathedrals, country houses and historic estates. Battery wireless monitoring for buildings you cannot drill, cable or visit often.
ExploreArchives & Collections Storage
Archive stores, off-site repositories and special collections. Continuous temperature and humidity monitoring for the conditions paper, photographs and rare books depend on.
ExploreGalleries, Exhibitions & Loans
Temporary exhibitions, travelling shows and incoming or outgoing loans. Continuous temperature, humidity and light records that evidence the conditions a lender agreed.
ExploreThe platform
The Darca Solutions Suite
One connected platform, wired and wireless, for protecting museums, galleries, archives and historic buildings.
Darca Collect
Wireless GenII transmitters, light and RH/T sensors and repeaters placed without invasive cabling, plus wired probes where a permanent connection suits, the sensing layer for galleries, stores and historic interiors.
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Darca Connect
The SRV450 hub keeps data flowing and SMS450 alarms notify the right person the moment conditions drift.
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Darca Command
Floor plans, trend analysis and audit-ready reporting so conservation and facilities teams see every space at a glance, from anywhere.
ExploreProven in heritage
Trusted to protect Britain’s, and the world’s, most important collections
Canterbury Cathedral has run Eltek monitoring since 2007, now spanning roughly 70 wireless transmitters across 200 channels of structure, glass and wall paintings. At the Natural History Museum, around 600 transmitters protect 80 million-plus specimens at home and on tour, and, in the words of Senior Conservation Officer Gill Comerford, “in effect we can police our specimens remotely.” At Trinity College Dublin, Chief Conservator Dr John Gillis watches over the Book of Kells and the Long Room from anywhere via Darca Command, “it’s a real game changer.”
“I’d recommend Eltek every time.”
- Canterbury Cathedral
- Natural History Museum
- Trinity College Dublin
- RAF Museum
- Carmarthenshire County Council
Speak to an Eltek expert
Tell us what you need to monitor, and our UK engineers will help you specify the right connected solution for your museums & heritage application.
Other applications
Life Sciences
Labs, biobanks, IVF clinics and cold chain. Continuous, validated monitoring where regulatory failure is not an option.
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Manufacturing & Industrial
Process monitoring, manufacturing and multi-site estates. Rugged, scalable wired and wireless networks from the factory floor to the cloud.
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Built Environment
Offices, hospitals, universities and commercial estates. Indoor air quality, temperature and humidity monitoring for healthier, better-performing buildings.
ExploreFrequently asked questions
What is BS 4971 and how does it apply to museum environmental monitoring?
BS 4971 is the British Standard for the care and conservation of archive and library collections, and it underpins the environmental conditions many UK museums and heritage sites monitor for. Eltek’s wireless sensors track temperature, humidity and light continuously, with time-stamped records and alarms, so conservation teams can evidence that agreed environmental tolerances are being maintained.
Can environmental monitoring protect a museum without invasive cabling?
Yes. Eltek’s wireless GD10 and GC10 transmitters extend across galleries, stores and historic fabric without drilling or running cable, which matters in listed buildings and historic interiors. Institutions including Canterbury Cathedral, the Natural History Museum and Trinity College Dublin monitor temperature, humidity and light this way.
Which museum data logger is right for a heritage collection?
The right museum data logger depends on what needs to be measured and the sensitivity of the fabric. Eltek’s GenII wireless transmitters monitor temperature, relative humidity and light without invasive cabling, making them well suited to listed buildings and delicate interiors. For sites where permanent wired connections suit, wired probes are available on the same connected Darca platform. Canterbury Cathedral, the Natural History Museum and Trinity College Dublin all run wireless Eltek systems across collections of national and international significance.
What are best practices for environmental monitoring in collections care?
Good collections care means monitoring temperature, relative humidity and light continuously rather than by occasional spot checks, watching the rate and range of change as much as absolute values, and keeping long-term records to evidence conditions. Eltek supports this with wireless sensors, floor plans, trend analysis and audit-ready reports, so conservators can spot patterns and act before damage occurs.
How does environmental monitoring protect a museum collection from humidity damage?
Unstable humidity drives many forms of deterioration, from mould to the cracking and warping of organic materials, so protecting a collection means catching humidity swings early. Eltek monitors relative humidity alongside temperature and light continuously, alarms when conditions drift outside agreed tolerances, and logs time-stamped records, giving conservators both the early warning and the evidence to intervene before humidity damages the collection.