Best indoor temperature sensor?
MartinHolladay
| Posted in General Questions on
I want to buy a temperature sensor that I can mount on an indoor wall in my house. This temperature sensor should allow me to check the indoor temperature on a web site or with my cell phone. I’m looking for a product that can be used without paying a monthly fee.
Any suggestions?
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Replies
Accurite makes such a product, as part of their weather station line. You need the little Internet monitor gizmo, and then at least one sensor to monitor. BE SURE to check the measurements against something else too, as the accuracy of the sensors is not always all that great.
Bill
Bill,
I bought an Acurite sensor years ago, with free web site monitoring, but then the company either went out of business or cancelled their free web site monitoring offer. Basically, they told me, "You're out of luck. The system is no longer supported."
That was when they discontinued their old Internet bridge device, and replaced it with the Acurite Access. They handled that transition in a very poor (from a customer service standpoint) way, basically just saying "support and service for you ends on x date, go buy our new gizmo if you want to continue using the service". The new Access device is, and was, overpriced for what it is, but it does work. There was such a backlash against Acurite that they gave all their current customers at the time (which I was) a discounted price for the new Access device that was significantly less than what they were selling it for. I have the new device, and it's been working for several years now. The service is limited, but it works.
If you want something cheap, I'd recommend Acurite since their sensors are pretty cheap, and they do work. If you want something much more reliable, far more robust, and much better supported, go with Davis Instruments. Davis makes semi pro up through professional level equipment, and their stuff is more expensive than Acurite, but not as much as you might think at the lower end of their line. If I were to do things over, I'd get Davis equipment. I'll probably replace my existing Acurite equipment with Davis equipment when the Acurite stuff eventually breaks, or if they try any more of that "upgrade or else" stuff.
I might try the new "Ambient Weather" as a cheaper option than Davis, but I have no personal experience with their equipment (yet).
Bill
I have the Ambient weather (I'll have to look up the sp3cific model) weather station.
, which supports multiple temp/RH channel sensors. I have, I think, 5 throughout the house. It uses wifi so I can check from my phone, including when I'm not home so long as the Internet is working.
Before purchasing that, I used a SensorPush device which is simple and has a nice interface. It's Bluetooth, so I must be nearby to get readings. I think they offer an web connector device though if desired. Buying 5+ sensor push devices would have cost more than the multi channel ambient weather station (I wanna say it's WS-2000 or something like tbat).
Deleted
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions. I really appreciate it.
I have used SensorPush devices for many years. I have the Wifi hub so no bluetooth is required and I can see the data in the app from anywhere on the planet that I have an internet connection to my phone. No monthly fees. There is also a website hub you can view the data on from any computer with an internet connection.
SensorPush also integrates with smart home (I use a Hubitat) devices so you can use them to trigger rules, e.g., if humidity goes above 55%, turn on dehumidifier.
I can't comment on the accuracy (because I'm no expert and don't have the ability to calibrate) but I can say that if I put all 10 of my sensorpush sensors on the same table within a foot or two of each other, all of their temperature and humidity readings will be within about 0.3 degrees and 3-4% humidity of each other, so at least they are consistent from device to device.
I was an Acurite user for many years, but switched to Ambient Weather when the internet bridge was orphaned. Better products, better support, and an active user community. You can choose to share data with Weather Underground, PWS Weather, and Weathercloud in addition to Ambient Weather's own site. It will also connect to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTT if you desire. All of that for no monthly fee. I only share data from my outdoor sensors. Sample:
https://www.pwsweather.com/station/pws/KCTOLDSA23