Temp Stick

[Doyle]

Has anyone integrated the "Temp Stick" Device into Hubitat? I did some searching and found very little info on this device. I'd like to use it to monitor my Refridgerators and Freezers. I've had limited success with Zigbee/Zwave devices and don't really want to use external wires and probes unless I have to. According to Temp Stick, their device integrates with Alexa and IFTTT. They also have an API.

I got this response from their Tech Support in regards to integration:

"Thank you for your questions. Yes, you can integrate the Temp Stick with a Hubitat Home Automation Hub. Additionally, I'm glad to say that the Temp Stick supports IFTTT integration, which can help you connect your Alexa devices to your home automation hub for notifications based on Temp Stick readings."

Here is their API info:

Temp Stick API Documentation

Here is their website:

Temp Stick® by Ideal Sciences — Official Website

I'm not that technical. Would we need to write a Driver, or use an integration through ALexa or IFTTT to integrate temperature readings and alerts into my Hubitat environment?

Thanks,

Ron

[csteele]

It's WiFi and Cloud based, so it wouldn't be at the top of most driver developer's To-Do list. But indeed, maybe there's someone with too much idle time on their hands

Thanks for finding the API docs.

If the TempStickAPI.com site ever goes away, then of course this device is a $140 paperweight. Given it's their only product, there's a solid chance they will vanish and in doing so, abandon all their customers when the money runs out.

[aaiyar]

@Doyle

I'd like to use it to monitor my Refridgerators and Freezers.

Then I would recommend getting the ecowitt gateway (~$25) and ecowitt WN31 sensors (~$15). There's a local ecowitt integration with Hubitat.

[marktheknife]

@csteele

$140 paperweight

That seems ridiculously expensive even while it still functions as a temp and humidity sensor…

[Doyle]

I agree $140 is expensive. But so are Hue outdoor Sensers with Lithium batteries and then additional Zigbee outlets to extend my mesh, and then still getting drops and no readings.

I prefer a better solution. Maybe Econet is it.

[aaiyar]

@Doyle

Maybe Econet is it.

Ecowitt. Econet is a different company

The Misolie gateway and sensors are identical to those made by ecowitt and about half the price.

An inexpensive alternative to ecowitt sensors that works with Hubitat

ecowitt sensors are very reliable and integrate well with Hubitat using integrations from @snell and @sburke781 both of which are linked below: These sensors are actually fairly inexpensive for their quality, running in the $15-30 range for moisture and temperature/humidity sensors. However, I found a cheaper alternative that also works with the ecowitt integration. Basically, you need a gateway made by Misolie; the Misol GW1000 is exactly identical to the ecowitt GW1000. It costs about $…

[Doyle]

Yes, Ecowitt. Sorry. I also have Econet on my Rheem Water Heater. Thanks

[aaiyar]

@Doyle

But so are Hue outdoor Sensers with Lithium batteries

They take regular alkaline batteries. And, if you are so inclined, very easy to hardwire:

Part number for the best "outdoor" motion sensor

Also recommend the Hue outdoor sensor. Mine are placed in locations where it got to be a chore to change batteries; also the battery cover is a PITA to remove. So the last time I had to change batteries, I hardwired mine to 3VDC adapters. [IMG_2493] This may be something to consider depending on where you're planning to install them.

@Doyle

additional Zigbee outlets to extend my mesh,

A zigbee mesh built with high-quality repeaters will not suffer from dropouts. I use Tuya usb zigbee repeaters (indoors) and Sonoff USB zone dongles flashed as routers outdoors. I cannot remember the last time In had a device drop off the mesh.

[Doyle]

By dropouts I mean that the HUE Outdoor Motion Detector in my GE freezer in my Garage simply stopped reporting a temperature to Hubitat for days. It worked fine for a few days then just stopped reporting in to the hub. I verified this via the Device last activity. I added 4 Third Reality Zigbee outlets as repeaters between my Hub and my Garage to try to remedy the issue. It did not work. Prior to the HUE's, I had tried IRIS V1 contact sensors and they did not work. So now I've ordered the Ecowitt GW1100 WIFI gateway and two WN31 RF Sensors for the Fridge. I'm hoping WIFI and the Ecowitt integration into Hubitat works solid. Perhaps my 20-year-old GE profile freezer just has a tough skin. I don't know, but it doesn't seem like Zigbee devices work with it to monitor my freezer to my Hubitat hub.

Ron

[marktheknife]

@Doyle

I'm hoping WIFI and the Ecowitt integration into Hubitat works solid.

Solid as can be for me, although I haven’t put any sensors inside a fridge or freezer.

[aaiyar]

@marktheknife

although I haven’t put any sensors inside a fridge or freezer.

I have. Even have one inside a safe.

[mavrrick58]

I have a Iris Gen2 contact/Temp sensor in my fridge freezer. It works great and batteries generally last a year or so.

[Doyle]

Received my Ecowitt WN31 Sensors and GW1100 WIFI Gateway from Amazon. Installed the Ecowitt APP on my iPhone and setup an account. Installed the Ecowitt WIFI Gateway on Hubitat. Many thanks to sburke781 for his documention on the installation located on GitHub - sburke781/ecowitt: Hubitat Ecowitt Gateway Integration

Everything went very smooth and easy. The sensors are working fine. I really like the Ecowitt APP on the iPhone. It's very informative and provides alert emails based on temperature ranges. I've had it all running for 2 days now and no connection issues between the fridge sensors, the WIFI gateway, or the Hubitat Hub. I really like the Ecowitt solution so far.

Thanks for all of the advice.

Ron

[Doyle]

Almost a month later and the Ecowitt sensers are working flawlessly. No dropped connections. Solid as a rock. Love the Ecowitt App/Interface. Can't go wrong at this price point. Added the Hubitat Ecowitt integration and it works seamlessly with the dashboard tiles.

[user2164]

@Doyle I'm thinking about replacing my Temp Stick with Ecowitt to get HE integration.

To preserve battery life, my Temp Stick reports every hour. I replaced the batteries a few months ago, and they still show 100%. I'm using lithium AA batteries. The signal strength shows three bars.

Can you tell yet what the battery life will be on the Ecowitt sensors when they are inside a refrigerator? Do you use lithium batteries? How far is your gateway from the sensor(s)? I would like to get at least a year out of the batteries in the refrigerator. I don't have a Temp Stick in the freezer, so I have no idea what battery life to expect in the colder environment.

I'm thinking about getting the GW2000 to take advantage of the wired LAN connection.

I used the Ambient Weather version of the sensors years ago to monitor room temp, attic temp, etc., but never tried them in a refrigerator. They worked well back then, but I never tried integrating them into anything.

[aaiyar]

@user2164

Can you tell yet what the battery life will be on the Ecowitt sensors when they are inside a refrigerator?

1.5 years. I haven't replaced the batteries yet, after installing them in February of 2022.

@user2164

Do you use lithium batteries?

Nope. Regular Duracell alkaline AA.

@user2164

How far is your gateway from the sensor(s)?

30 feet and two walls away. The GW1100B gateway is in the shed. And the sensors are in the kitchen freezer and fridge. Haven't missed a beat.

[velvetfoot]

Here's my Hue indoor motion in the freezer.
Haven't changed batteries yet, going on 3 years.
Alkaline.
Clocks in every 10 minutes.

[Doyle]

I've replaced my Ecowitt GW1100 with a new GW2000 unit using Ethernet. Seems as if my GW1100 unit went bad after 4-5 months and wouldn't keep a connection to my WiFi network. The GW2000 via Ethernet cable solves that. It is about 100' from my garage fridge and seems to work w/o issues so far. I use Lithium AA batteries and they should last over a year.

Ron