About
A lab on a shady knoll.
Shady Knoll Labs LLC is an independent lab started by Martin Abbott in 2022 to build practical tools where hardware and software meet everyday life.
Our mission
Shady Knoll Labs builds focused, trustworthy tools — the kind we rely on ourselves.
Plant sensors that tell the truth, check-ins that stay private, firmware updates you can verify.
How it started
Most plant-care advice comes down to “bright, indirect light,” which isn’t something you can measure. Professional light sensors can, but they cost more than most hobbyists will spend. SKL started with one question: how close can a small, affordable sensor get to telling you what light a plant really receives? That became Gnode and GnodeHub.
Where it’s going
Building Gnode meant building the tools around it, so SKL-WebConsole and SKL-OTA grew out of the firmware work and were released for other makers to use for free.
The same approach now goes into work that matters well beyond the windowsill. Second Watch gives fire, EMS, dispatch and law enforcement agencies a confidential way to check in with their people after a critical incident and connect them with their own peer support team. It’s built for the scrutiny that deserves: per-agency encryption, strict separation between agencies, a full audit trail, and documentation written for the IT and legal reviewers who have to sign off on it.
What guides the work
- Honesty about numbers: estimates are labeled as estimates, with their limits spelled out. See how Gnode estimates light for an example.
- Plain language: if the person using it can’t follow it, it isn’t finished.
- Privacy as a default: collect only what the job needs, and protect it like it matters, because for some users it really does.
- Openness: build things people can understand, inspect, and keep running.
Who’s behind it
SKL is small on purpose. It’s run by Martin Abbott, who designs and builds the hardware and software himself and uses it every day, with a lot of feedback from early testers along the way. Each tool does one job, and nothing ships that the lab wouldn’t trust with its own plants, devices or people.
Working with SKL
Shady Knoll Labs LLC handles sales, invoicing and support for every SKL product in one place. Prices are published, and small teams can use Second Watch free. Agencies and organizations can pay by invoice against a purchase order, and a W-9 or vendor paperwork is available on request. See billing for details.