Options for cheap and “open” wireless thermometer/humidity sensors

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I'm starting to explore IoT in my home, the first step being to connect a raspberry pi 3 B+ to a DHT22 temp/humidity, record DHT readings in a database which I then surf via a node server running on the pi. All good.



I got help from e.g.: http://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-the-dht11-humidity-sensor-on-the-raspberry-pi/



I'd like to broaden this now to add some cheap wireless temperature/humidity sensors, but most of the ones I've found appear to be locked to their manufacturer, e.g. Xiomi.



The answer to this question suggests connecting a RF module to the pi to receive data from sensors. This instructable also seems promising, suggesting purchasing these transmitter/receivers.



So maybe I'd be able to connect something like this sensor to such a setup?



Will using RF 433MHz be a good way for me to keep costs down?










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    up vote
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    favorite












    I'm starting to explore IoT in my home, the first step being to connect a raspberry pi 3 B+ to a DHT22 temp/humidity, record DHT readings in a database which I then surf via a node server running on the pi. All good.



    I got help from e.g.: http://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-the-dht11-humidity-sensor-on-the-raspberry-pi/



    I'd like to broaden this now to add some cheap wireless temperature/humidity sensors, but most of the ones I've found appear to be locked to their manufacturer, e.g. Xiomi.



    The answer to this question suggests connecting a RF module to the pi to receive data from sensors. This instructable also seems promising, suggesting purchasing these transmitter/receivers.



    So maybe I'd be able to connect something like this sensor to such a setup?



    Will using RF 433MHz be a good way for me to keep costs down?










    share|improve this question







    New contributor




    minisaurus is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















      up vote
      1
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      1
      down vote

      favorite











      I'm starting to explore IoT in my home, the first step being to connect a raspberry pi 3 B+ to a DHT22 temp/humidity, record DHT readings in a database which I then surf via a node server running on the pi. All good.



      I got help from e.g.: http://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-the-dht11-humidity-sensor-on-the-raspberry-pi/



      I'd like to broaden this now to add some cheap wireless temperature/humidity sensors, but most of the ones I've found appear to be locked to their manufacturer, e.g. Xiomi.



      The answer to this question suggests connecting a RF module to the pi to receive data from sensors. This instructable also seems promising, suggesting purchasing these transmitter/receivers.



      So maybe I'd be able to connect something like this sensor to such a setup?



      Will using RF 433MHz be a good way for me to keep costs down?










      share|improve this question







      New contributor




      minisaurus is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      I'm starting to explore IoT in my home, the first step being to connect a raspberry pi 3 B+ to a DHT22 temp/humidity, record DHT readings in a database which I then surf via a node server running on the pi. All good.



      I got help from e.g.: http://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-set-up-the-dht11-humidity-sensor-on-the-raspberry-pi/



      I'd like to broaden this now to add some cheap wireless temperature/humidity sensors, but most of the ones I've found appear to be locked to their manufacturer, e.g. Xiomi.



      The answer to this question suggests connecting a RF module to the pi to receive data from sensors. This instructable also seems promising, suggesting purchasing these transmitter/receivers.



      So maybe I'd be able to connect something like this sensor to such a setup?



      Will using RF 433MHz be a good way for me to keep costs down?







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          My solution to this was to use ESP8266 boards with various temp sensors like a TMP102 or LM75A. The ESP chips then send their data using MQTT to a Pi which is running Home Assistant.



          Here are some links that might help:



          https://www.hackster.io/colinodell/mqtt-temperature-and-humidity-monitor-for-home-assistant-27b8d1



          https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2015/10/11/measure-temperature-with-esp8266-and-report-to-mqtt/






          share|improve this answer










          New contributor




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            up vote
            1
            down vote













            As always with a wireless solution, the critical parameters for selecting a solution are required range and power consumption.



            You might be able to identify a cheaper pair of sensors, or even find a MCU which is integrated with the sensors you need (and a radio) if you're lucky.



            The sensors you found seem to simply broadcast digital data continuously, so whilst you could connect one of these to a 433 MHz transmitter, you will only get one channel.



            A more standard approach would be to use a Wifi/BLE/ZigBee/ah-hoc wireless module which exposes a limited amount of spare processing power, and use the wireless module to control when to send data samples. These modules come in at $2-3 (wifi seems cheaper than BLE) and ought to be suitable for battery power applications. You will of course need to learn a new software/toolchain approach, but with luck your endpoint application is a simple example which you can just import with minimal modification.



            Once you accept an MCU into your endpoint, you can use any sensor, using a 'single pin self timed', SPI/I2C digital interface, or even an analogue input if you find a device with a spare ADC input. In fact, there is a wide range of options which will allow you to try and compete with this pre-built ESP8266 implementation, but you will struggle to come in at better than the sort of prices that Xiomi are achieving. I guess that the device I linked there is 'open' to some extent, but need to wait and see.






            share|improve this answer




















            • Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
              – minisaurus
              1 hour ago










            • Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
              – Sean Houlihane
              1 hour ago










            • Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
              – minisaurus
              1 hour ago










            • Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
              – Sean Houlihane
              1 hour ago










            • My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
              – minisaurus
              35 mins ago










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            2 Answers
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            2 Answers
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            up vote
            2
            down vote













            My solution to this was to use ESP8266 boards with various temp sensors like a TMP102 or LM75A. The ESP chips then send their data using MQTT to a Pi which is running Home Assistant.



            Here are some links that might help:



            https://www.hackster.io/colinodell/mqtt-temperature-and-humidity-monitor-for-home-assistant-27b8d1



            https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2015/10/11/measure-temperature-with-esp8266-and-report-to-mqtt/






            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





















              up vote
              2
              down vote













              My solution to this was to use ESP8266 boards with various temp sensors like a TMP102 or LM75A. The ESP chips then send their data using MQTT to a Pi which is running Home Assistant.



              Here are some links that might help:



              https://www.hackster.io/colinodell/mqtt-temperature-and-humidity-monitor-for-home-assistant-27b8d1



              https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2015/10/11/measure-temperature-with-esp8266-and-report-to-mqtt/






              share|improve this answer










              New contributor




              Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.



















                up vote
                2
                down vote










                up vote
                2
                down vote









                My solution to this was to use ESP8266 boards with various temp sensors like a TMP102 or LM75A. The ESP chips then send their data using MQTT to a Pi which is running Home Assistant.



                Here are some links that might help:



                https://www.hackster.io/colinodell/mqtt-temperature-and-humidity-monitor-for-home-assistant-27b8d1



                https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2015/10/11/measure-temperature-with-esp8266-and-report-to-mqtt/






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                My solution to this was to use ESP8266 boards with various temp sensors like a TMP102 or LM75A. The ESP chips then send their data using MQTT to a Pi which is running Home Assistant.



                Here are some links that might help:



                https://www.hackster.io/colinodell/mqtt-temperature-and-humidity-monitor-for-home-assistant-27b8d1



                https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2015/10/11/measure-temperature-with-esp8266-and-report-to-mqtt/







                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.









                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer








                edited 15 mins ago









                anonymous2♦

                3,3522836




                3,3522836






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                answered 42 mins ago









                Garrett Banuk

                211




                211




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                New contributor





                Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                Garrett Banuk is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote













                    As always with a wireless solution, the critical parameters for selecting a solution are required range and power consumption.



                    You might be able to identify a cheaper pair of sensors, or even find a MCU which is integrated with the sensors you need (and a radio) if you're lucky.



                    The sensors you found seem to simply broadcast digital data continuously, so whilst you could connect one of these to a 433 MHz transmitter, you will only get one channel.



                    A more standard approach would be to use a Wifi/BLE/ZigBee/ah-hoc wireless module which exposes a limited amount of spare processing power, and use the wireless module to control when to send data samples. These modules come in at $2-3 (wifi seems cheaper than BLE) and ought to be suitable for battery power applications. You will of course need to learn a new software/toolchain approach, but with luck your endpoint application is a simple example which you can just import with minimal modification.



                    Once you accept an MCU into your endpoint, you can use any sensor, using a 'single pin self timed', SPI/I2C digital interface, or even an analogue input if you find a device with a spare ADC input. In fact, there is a wide range of options which will allow you to try and compete with this pre-built ESP8266 implementation, but you will struggle to come in at better than the sort of prices that Xiomi are achieving. I guess that the device I linked there is 'open' to some extent, but need to wait and see.






                    share|improve this answer




















                    • Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                      – minisaurus
                      35 mins ago














                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote













                    As always with a wireless solution, the critical parameters for selecting a solution are required range and power consumption.



                    You might be able to identify a cheaper pair of sensors, or even find a MCU which is integrated with the sensors you need (and a radio) if you're lucky.



                    The sensors you found seem to simply broadcast digital data continuously, so whilst you could connect one of these to a 433 MHz transmitter, you will only get one channel.



                    A more standard approach would be to use a Wifi/BLE/ZigBee/ah-hoc wireless module which exposes a limited amount of spare processing power, and use the wireless module to control when to send data samples. These modules come in at $2-3 (wifi seems cheaper than BLE) and ought to be suitable for battery power applications. You will of course need to learn a new software/toolchain approach, but with luck your endpoint application is a simple example which you can just import with minimal modification.



                    Once you accept an MCU into your endpoint, you can use any sensor, using a 'single pin self timed', SPI/I2C digital interface, or even an analogue input if you find a device with a spare ADC input. In fact, there is a wide range of options which will allow you to try and compete with this pre-built ESP8266 implementation, but you will struggle to come in at better than the sort of prices that Xiomi are achieving. I guess that the device I linked there is 'open' to some extent, but need to wait and see.






                    share|improve this answer




















                    • Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                      – minisaurus
                      35 mins ago












                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote










                    up vote
                    1
                    down vote









                    As always with a wireless solution, the critical parameters for selecting a solution are required range and power consumption.



                    You might be able to identify a cheaper pair of sensors, or even find a MCU which is integrated with the sensors you need (and a radio) if you're lucky.



                    The sensors you found seem to simply broadcast digital data continuously, so whilst you could connect one of these to a 433 MHz transmitter, you will only get one channel.



                    A more standard approach would be to use a Wifi/BLE/ZigBee/ah-hoc wireless module which exposes a limited amount of spare processing power, and use the wireless module to control when to send data samples. These modules come in at $2-3 (wifi seems cheaper than BLE) and ought to be suitable for battery power applications. You will of course need to learn a new software/toolchain approach, but with luck your endpoint application is a simple example which you can just import with minimal modification.



                    Once you accept an MCU into your endpoint, you can use any sensor, using a 'single pin self timed', SPI/I2C digital interface, or even an analogue input if you find a device with a spare ADC input. In fact, there is a wide range of options which will allow you to try and compete with this pre-built ESP8266 implementation, but you will struggle to come in at better than the sort of prices that Xiomi are achieving. I guess that the device I linked there is 'open' to some extent, but need to wait and see.






                    share|improve this answer












                    As always with a wireless solution, the critical parameters for selecting a solution are required range and power consumption.



                    You might be able to identify a cheaper pair of sensors, or even find a MCU which is integrated with the sensors you need (and a radio) if you're lucky.



                    The sensors you found seem to simply broadcast digital data continuously, so whilst you could connect one of these to a 433 MHz transmitter, you will only get one channel.



                    A more standard approach would be to use a Wifi/BLE/ZigBee/ah-hoc wireless module which exposes a limited amount of spare processing power, and use the wireless module to control when to send data samples. These modules come in at $2-3 (wifi seems cheaper than BLE) and ought to be suitable for battery power applications. You will of course need to learn a new software/toolchain approach, but with luck your endpoint application is a simple example which you can just import with minimal modification.



                    Once you accept an MCU into your endpoint, you can use any sensor, using a 'single pin self timed', SPI/I2C digital interface, or even an analogue input if you find a device with a spare ADC input. In fact, there is a wide range of options which will allow you to try and compete with this pre-built ESP8266 implementation, but you will struggle to come in at better than the sort of prices that Xiomi are achieving. I guess that the device I linked there is 'open' to some extent, but need to wait and see.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered 2 hours ago









                    Sean Houlihane

                    8,56511251




                    8,56511251











                    • Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                      – minisaurus
                      35 mins ago
















                    • Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                      – minisaurus
                      1 hour ago










                    • Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                      – Sean Houlihane
                      1 hour ago










                    • My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                      – minisaurus
                      35 mins ago















                    Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                    – minisaurus
                    1 hour ago




                    Thanks @Sean Houliane, do you mean a solution something like this: tzapu.com/… ?
                    – minisaurus
                    1 hour ago












                    Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                    – Sean Houlihane
                    1 hour ago




                    Yes, although note there that it's identified that there are problems with trying to deep-sleep the device.
                    – Sean Houlihane
                    1 hour ago












                    Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                    – minisaurus
                    1 hour ago




                    Or maybe this setup? - opensource tho' not so cheap openenergymonitor.com/emonbase-web-connected-base-station openenergymonitor.com/emonth-v2-temperature-humidity-node
                    – minisaurus
                    1 hour ago












                    Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                    – Sean Houlihane
                    1 hour ago




                    Yes, lots of choice. Some trade offs in how much electronics/software you want to take on, and where your interest really lies.
                    – Sean Houlihane
                    1 hour ago












                    My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                    – minisaurus
                    35 mins ago




                    My interest is mostly hobby (even slightly study related), I also like that so far I've coded everything apart from the AdaFruit driver for the DHT22 - I was a C programmer in the '90s :) However my electronics skills are almost non-existent, but the soldering-up side of the tzapu thing looks like fun, but I'm a bit worried that I'd buy the wrong stuff!
                    – minisaurus
                    35 mins ago










                    minisaurus is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









                     

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