One software environment for hydraulic test and monitoring
23 September 2026 
Hydrotechnik’s new Watchlog Connect platform has been developed to bring Bluetooth, USB and Wireless hydraulic test and monitoring into one cross-platform software environment, allowing engineers to view live data, record tests and generate reports across desktop and mobile devices. H&P takes a closer look
Hydraulic engineers have long accepted a fragmented approach to testing and condition monitoring as part of the job. A pressure sensor may connect through one interface, a flow sensor through another, while data logging, analysis and reporting are often handled through separate software packages entirely. The result is a workflow that can slow diagnostics, complicate reporting and make field testing unnecessarily cumbersome.
Hydrotechnik believes that model is overdue for change. The company’s newly launched Watchlog Connect platform has been developed to bring hydraulic test and monitoring functions together within a single software environment operating across desktop and mobile devices. Rather than functioning as another standalone sensor app, the platform is intended to provide a unified workflow for connecting sensors, viewing live data, recording tests and generating professional reports.
At its core, Watchlog Connect has been designed around a practical engineering reality: hydraulic testing rarely happens in one place, on one device or with one type of sensor.
A workshop engineer may begin diagnostics on a desktop PC using USB sensors, while a field service technician later continues the work remotely using Bluetooth sensors on a tablet or smartphone. In many cases, engineers are forced to move between different interfaces and disconnected software tools simply to complete a single investigation.
Watchlog Connect addresses that issue by bringing Bluetooth, USB and Wireless sensor communication into one crossplatform application compatible with macOS, Windows, Android and iOS. According to Hydrotechnik, the goal is to provide engineers with the same core
software environment regardless of whether they are working in the workshop, on-site or in the field.
The software supports Watchlog Bluetooth sensors, Bluetooth Plus transmitters, high-speed USB sensors and medium-range Wireless (500m) devices. Importantly, those devices can operate together within the same application, enabling mixed-sensor monitoring during live testing procedures. For mobile applications the software can also read CAN Bus signals via a CAN to Bluetooth ridge that is easy to deploy and select the
channels on the bus to display and record.
For hydraulic engineers, the value of a unified platform is not simply convenience. Diagnostic work often depends on understanding the relationship between multiple machine parameters in real time. Pressure, temperature, flow and hydraulic power measurements plus real time CAN messages all contribute to the overall picture of machine performance during fault-finding, commissioning, preventative maintenance and workshop testing.
To support this, Watchlog Connect includes live value tiles, dual-axis trend charts, min/max tracking, alarm thresholds and configurable channel
layouts designed to provide immediate visibility of machine behaviour during testing. The software also incorporates calculated channels, allowing users to derive new values directly from live sensor data. Having external sensor data plus CAN bus messages, all on a unified timeline gives valuable real-world insights.
In practical terms, this allows engineers to compare pressures, calculate differentials or monitor hydraulic power dynamically as operating conditions
change. Rather than exporting data to external tools for post-processing, many calculations can be handled directly within the live monitoring environment.
“The idea behind Watchlog Connect was to give hydraulic engineers one simple, modern software environment for test and monitoring work,” says Richard Price, Managing Director of Hydrotechnik UK Test Engineering Ltd. “By bringing Bluetooth, USB, Medium range Wireless and analogue inputs together in one cross-platform application, we are making it easier for customers to capture data, understand machine performance and
produce professional results wherever they are working.”
The ability to move rapidly from live measurement to documented results is becoming increasingly important as service teams are expected to diagnose problems quickly while also delivering clearer reporting to customers and OEM support departments.
Hydrotechnik has therefore placed strong emphasis on reporting and recordkeeping within the platform. Users can record data at rates ranging from 5 mS using USB sensors up to 10-second intervals, depending on the application. Test sessions can be annotated, compared side by side and exported into branded PDF reports containing charts, statistics, alarm events and notes. CSV export and re-import functionality is also included to
support further analysis and long-term review.
Another feature aimed directly at practical field use is the platform’s visualisation page. This allows live sensor tiles to be positioned over photographs or schematics of the machine or system under test, creating a more intuitive representation of complex multi-channel setups. In hydraulic applications where several pressure and flow measurements may need to be monitored simultaneously, that visual context can simplify both testing and communication of results
Hydrotechnik is also expanding the platform beyond conventional hydraulic sensing. A forthcoming addition will introduce support for 4–20 mA, 0–10 VDC and -10 to +10 VDC signals via the WLBAN Bluetooth transmitter.
The addition also broadens the platform’s scope into applications where hydraulic and analogue electrical measurements need to be monitored
together. Many machines continue to rely on analogue signals alongside hydraulic measurements, particularly in proportional control testing, analogue signal verification and electro-hydraulic systems.
By allowing analogue and hydraulic data to be monitored within the same software environment, Watchlog Connect gives engineers the ability to view
command signals and machine response together in real time, rather than piecing together information from separate instruments and software packages.
For many hydraulic engineers, the appeal of Watchlog Connect will not necessarily be the number of features alone, but the fact that it reduces the
amount of software, hardware interfaces and manual handling involved in day-today testing.
Whether carrying out fault-finding, commissioning machinery, workshop testing or producing customer reports after a service visit, engineers are
increasingly expected to move quickly from live measurement to documented evidence. Bringing monitoring, recording and reporting together into one platform simplifies that process considerably.
Rather than replacing existing hydraulic test methods, Watchlog Connect appears aimed at making them easier to manage, particularly for service teams and engineers working across multiple machines, sensor types and operating environments.
For further information please visit: www.hydrotechnik.co.uk