Reliable OUTDOOR temperature sensor

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#1

Looking for a reliable outdoor sensor, temperature and humidity.
I am putting one of these in my cabin, where I do not have everyday access, so important that they are reliable.

Wish list:
Reliable
zig bee or z-wave (if z-wave must be available for European frequencies)
Long lasting battery power

I was looking into Aeotec aërQ Temperature & Humidity Sensor which looks like a good one, but hesitating since the stated temperature range is 14 to 146°F and I easily get sub zero temperatures most part of the winter.

Anyone that have tested it, or have other ideas?

#2

I don't know what the temperature limits are on it, but my Hue outdoor motion sensor (zigbee) reports temperature, and the battery still reports 100% after about a year. It is very reliable. I have three of them and am considering a fourth.

But it does not report humidity.

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#3

I second the Hue Outdoor have 2 of them and they are both great and like you battery life is exceptional

Doesn't do Humidity though

#4

Check out Ecowitt products, very reliable, not ZigBee or z-wave.
No internet needed, but does connect to HE via Wi-Fi.
Various accessories (WH32 Exterior Sensor) available.

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#5

FWIW I've had a Aqara temp/humidity/pressure (Zigbee) in my covered porch here in New England. Its been there for nearly two years. A few weeks ago I changed the battery after 13 months.

In its location it doesn't get direct water or sunlight.

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#6

FWIW, I have 3 outdoor Hue Motion Sensors, and they are terrible for temperature. Oh, they report ok, but the dark case plays merry heck with accurate ambient temp readings. Sun Loading is a huge issue with these. If you don't care about motion or illuminance, then using one placed in an always shaded place might work for reasonably accurate temp measurements.

YMMV though.

S.

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#7

I have a fibaro Z-Wave sensor in my shed, to detect motion as part of HSM. It also does temperature, and is almost always aligned with the outdoor temperature from google on cold days. However on sunny days it does go off a bit....the shed is metal, so i see 45C on a sunny day.

#8

I use the Sensative Strips Comfort (temperature and ambient light).
They claim:
"Up to 10 year battery life means no charging or changing batteries.
Suitable for outdoor use (-20°C to +60°C | -4°F to +140°F)."
The battery can not be replaced so the useful life of the device is the battery life. I have one of these in my attic and one on the front porch - they have been reliable and seem to be fairly accurate. I have not compared them to a high accuracy thermometer to see how accurate.
Both of mine are still showing 100% battery after three years.
I also have several of the Strips contact (door/window) sensors and one of them was down to 1% battery after almost five years (I have now replaced it with another brand).
The Strips are entirely sealed which, I believe, adds to their durability. But, being sealed, all interaction with the device is done by moving a magnet in a specific pattern across the device. I find it to be a major PITA. You should only need to do this for initial pairing and if you move to a different hub and need to exclude and re-pair.

#9

Thank you all, for the suggestions!

I am a bit skeptical to Aqara, all do I have a bunch of them in my house, I had my outdoor senor to break two weeks ago...

I actually think I will go for the Sensitive stip with a backup hue sensor.

#10

I have the Hue outdoor motion sensor and have been using it for a year now. In the past year it has dropped off exactly one time; when I did some rearranging of repeaters indoors and forgot about it. As far as temp sensing goes, I have it on the north side of my house so it has been very accurate. I think any sensor is going to be skewed if placed in the sun.

#11

I have the Hue and the Sensative both on my front porch so they are shaded. They read within a half a degree (F) when I have checked them.

Right now . . .

Sensative

image

Hue

image

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#12

ya unshaded they really dont work at all in sun.. but unfortunately my front door is south facing with no way to get shade.. i put it inset in a side window to the door but that is only 2" inset so doesnt really help.

#13

I have recently tried the Aqara and the AOETEC and they both are terrible. The Aqara never worked reliably. The AOETEC works for a while, then decides "nah, it's too cold" (usually around 0 deg C) and stops sending events.

I have a sensor from WirelessTag.net and it's been working reliably for many years. It also uses way less power than Zigbee or Z-Wave. But, it requires it's own hub. And, did another order from WirelessTag.net last week and they haven't bothered to ship it out to me yet.

So, the search continues...

Anyone else have any better ideas?

#14

Maybe the Homeseer FLS-100+ G2 sensor? You can buy a cheap flood light or install on existing one if you have the right adapter.

Not sure if you can get this in Europe though so apologies if not.

This is mine still withering away in my basement sadly:

PXL_20210215_025904492
PXL_20210215_0259044921512×2016 1.16 MB

#15

I've used the Homeseer battery-powered leak detector (also does temp) in an outdoor generator housing and found it worked reasonably well down to at least the teens F, and maybe lower (just can't remember). I can't remember the model number but it's the small, flattish, rounded triangle-looking one easily found on their site. The only issue is that it takes 1/2 AA batteries that I must order from Amazon (not found in most stores) and I've found the battery reporting to be lousy, so you need to either change them out every 3-6 months or risk them dying suddenly, when used in cold temps. They're REALLY good at room temps, btw, and batteries in that situation last more than a year, I've found.

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#16

I use a nodemcu/konnected with a ds18b20.

Rock solid.

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#17

Interesting, I have an Aqara in my bedroom and on the open porch. I even put one in the refrigerator, they all work fine with no dropouts over a period of close to two years.

I have 5 zigbee repeaters (cc2530 based) so my zigbee signals don't drop below -75.

#18

Yeah but refrigerators and freezers don't usually get very cold compared to typical Canadian winters. I'm excited about the possibilities of EcoWitt, but I'm going to wait for my WirelessTag shipment to show up before ordering anything from EcoWitt.

#19

I'll test it in our freezer :slight_smile:

#20

Please do! But your freezer is probably also not very cold...

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