PLAATO Airlock V3 - WiFi Fermentation Analyzer for Homebrewing

Setup was pretty easy, no different that other products that connect to WiFi. And that’s one of the great thing about this, when you look at the app, it connects almost immediately, no matter where you are, very stable. The information it gives you about your fermentation seems very accurate, been doing it manually for a long time and it seems to match up with the numbers I get and without the hassle or opening the fermenter. I would totally recommend getting it, but I would still learn how to do it manually first so that you can truly appreciate what it’s doing.

The media could not be loaded.  I bought this as a test to see how I liked it before ordering their “pro” models for my winery. Testing on a 6 gallon batch of mead. The airlock is bubbling as it should not even 24 hours after pitching the yeast. However, the app didn’t show any of the fermentation taking place throughout the night. It read the temperature, but not the amount of CO2 coming through. After a bunch of wiggling, jiggling, unplugging and plugging back in, it did start to read the bubbles. It’s a little sporadic though. It definitely makes me hesitate before buying into their PLAATO PRO. I also read that they are discontinuing the home brew versions like this one. Only supporting the app until November 2025. I would t say it’s a waste of money for me, just a lesson learned. However, if you’re reading this thinking about doing some home brewing with it, I wouldn’t waste your money. I really hope their pro version is a little more consistent. I think I’ll hold off until I talk to a few fellow wineries or breweries that are using them first to see if they are any better. At least it’s functioning as a decent airlock…..

I really wanted to like the Plaato airlock but I just can’t. Tracking data on fermentation, temperature monitoring, telling SG without exposing to oxygen? Sounds awesome. But it never worked from the beginning. I RMA’d it. The RMA’d model didn’t work right either.Setup is not terrible, the interface is alright, and being able to access it wherever is cool. But the data is wildly inaccurate. I’ve used it on about 10 batches since purchasing and it is never accurate. Not even close. When it releases co2, sometimes its a large bubble, sometimes it’s a burst of 3-8 small ones, so it’s never gathering correct data. I had one batch at 1.04 OG. Plaato was reporting it only went down to 1.026. Take measurement with actual hydrometer and it’s 1.004.Literally the only thing this is good for is telling you if there’s some kind of yeast activity, and it’s super disappointing

The media could not be loaded.  I was super hyped when this came out on Kickstarter a while back. Having used it on a few 5gal-10gal batches I have a few product wishes:1. I wish the clear airlock did not distort in shape after a few days of fermentation causing the lid to not seal properly. It does not effect the functionality, but it's annoying.2. I wish Plaato sold just the Airlock itself separately in the event of having a super active yeast and getting clogged with kreusen. I they sold an extra housing, you could directly swap the unit with no issues.Outside of these two complaints, my Plaato has been very insightful for when I am using new yeast strains and I'm not familiar with the yeast attenuation. The SG calculation tends to be a little off, but I really didn't buy the unit for that. Wanting to know how active my fermentation is and be alerted to any outside variables is where I find Plaato's value. The data webhooks will be a nice feature once I get them to consistently update to my Brewer's Friend account. While I don't think this is a most have for every home brewer, if you have the proper setup to utilize this airlock, I would recommend it. I doubt I will not be brewing without it.

I wanted to wait to complete at least 1 batch of beer with this before reviewing it. I'm currently on my second after great results with the first. It tracks specific gravity perfectly, it was dead on and way more convenient than using my old manual hydrometer. Being able to check up with the app is great peace of mind!

I initially like the airlock, liked it so much I ordered a second. I actually ordered this as part of the kick-start and have had no issues with that unit and figured I would try few more so I ordered 2 from Amazon. The concept is really cool and well executed, the app is really cool and the product is super easy to use. The problem I had with units I ordered on Amason was the 1 of bubbler started to leaking back into my fermenter. I figured I did something wrong, checked the unit to make sure it was connected correctly, refilled the bubbler and totally drained again. The major problem is Plaato recommends that you use water and not sanitizer, so I leaked back "water" in the fermenter. I figured it was an isolated incident with this single unit and ordered a replacement. I then started the second unit I ordered from Amazon and that also started to leak back into the fermenter. The original unit I received from the kick-starter has not leaked once but the 2 I received from Amazon both did. Not sure what the issue is but I returned them both. Good luck if you try these, I really wanted them to work.