Wow, remote thermometers for fridges are getting good and cheap! (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

I've been saying for years that having a remote thermometer is essential if you have a fridge to go out there, or for that matter at home too.
I've been using a prehistoric radio unit from RadioShack (remember them?) for many years now. It works, will get an alarm going (not settable) and displays the current temperature. So that's good, but of course no data logging. And it beeps all the time around the freezing point, annoying. But very useful. Has max and min at least. It's essential to know how warm your fridge may have gotten if there is power outage for example.
Well, I've been wanting something better for some time now, so I actually got one.

I can't believe it. It can store data for 2 years supposedly in the sending unit, there is a phone app that uses bluetooth that can display past temperature and humidity data in the app, by the hour, day, year etc, (not just the current value!), the BT signal goes through a metal fridge wall and some masonry walls, settable alarms etc. I've never seen recorded how my fridges turn on and off, now I can, very interesting.
But mostly I love the idea of driving around and being able to check how the fridge in the back is and has been doing, just from the phone.

I got a highly-rated unit on Amazon with many reviews. (Only have had it for a few days, so not mentioning the brand just yet.)

All of that for ....











....$13 ! Assuming it lasts a bit, how can you be without one?

 

[Dr Gil]

No link enclosed for this unbelievable device?

 

[e9999]

Don't know if it's reliable yet and YMMV. This was more a headsup for technology and cost. Search Amazon for data logging bluetooth thermometer hygrometer.

Incidentally, I did not think the humidity feature is very useful, but I was wrong, it turns out that it shoots up right away when I open the fridge so it's a good indicator of when it was opened when looking at historical data. Very useful if you are investigating when your disappeared....



* NERD ALERT!*

this is what the temp logging looks like in my kitchen fridge. You can see the cycling of the fridge:
(don't know what those small sawteeth on the low side are... anybody knows?)

useful if you're curious how often your truck fridge is cycling when evaluating the needs for batteries etc.

and here is the humidity. The spikes are from when the door was opened (home fridge):

one more thing, when checking out these things I found out that some of the inexpensive "indoor thermometers" may not do too well in a fridge. May want to check that for your choice.

 

[MiamiC70]

Amazon product ASIN B09XKV8VGM

 

[e9999]

OK, I might as well tell you what I got, so no speculation needed (if anybody even cares at all). Just be aware I'm not actually recommending it as I have not tested in any way and only got it a few days ago so no first hand experience of reliability. I got this because it was rated highly (4.6/5) with thousands of reviews and inexpensive. In their literature I saw it mentioned that it was OK to use in a fridge, unlike all their other thermometers. So far, I'm happy with what I'm seeing. So, FWIW, it is (just don't buy any so the price doesn't go up in case I get another one... ) :

Govee Hygrometer Thermometer H5075, Bluetooth Indoor Room Temperature Monitor Greenhouse Thermometer with Remote App Control, Large LCD Display, Notification Alerts, 2 Years Data Storage Export, Black​

Visit the Govee Store

4.6 out of 5 stars 26,564 ratings

| 276 answered questions

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[Corbet]

Nice find. I’ve wanted something like this also.

 

[e9999]

I'm recalibrating my temperature controls on my camping fridges. Did it before -sorta- with my ancient radio remote thermometer but that was tedious and not too accurate. This is waaaay easier. Just let it do its thing and check the data later on. Something like:

as in 29.2F average in this case ! Swing about 4F. Easy to confirm that it has reached Steady-State and easy to measure the cycling period too (about 25mins here - - fridge is empty so not much thermal inertia). Good I did this one, cuz I thought the average was about 34 or above freezing (gotta keep the brews intact). [Aside for those of you with a digital display of temperature: remember the temperature you see displayed is likely that of some place in the wall, so something like the above is more meaningful as it was done with the sensor actually located in the middle of the fridge's cooled volume.]

Now, admittedly, I have not checked the temperature values it gives against other/better devices yet, which is not easy to do well, actually, so that is still unknown. But I don't expect a big error, if I had to guess I'd say within 1F or so.

 

[e9999]

impressive BT range for sure. I can connect clear across the house through several walls, floor, ceiling, and from inside the fridge.

But dammit, it's frustrating that this $13 device has 10x the range that my expensive Victrons have...

 

[kwon-offroad]

But dammit, it's frustrating that this $13 device has 10x the range that my expensive Victrons have...

Agree, piss poor range. Mine is in my kickpanel so it's fairly buried, but it only takes about 10 paces towards the rear and I lose signal. Needs much improvement.

 

[e9999]

(I have bought the Victron USB dongle to help with that, it has a somewhat better range and a 4 or 5' wire that allows for better antenna location when the unit is buried, but I would not count on a night and day difference. Maybe twice the range? Still sucks in the big picture.)

Bought a second BT thermometer, though, can't have enough... Still $13, thankfully. I was gone for several days so had one in the freezer and one in the fridge to monitor things in case of another blackout. (Sheesh, we're turning into a third world country.) Don't want to toss all those steaks unnecessarily... (and btw, I think it would help a lot to have that temperature record in case of a claim against the Power company!)

 

[MiamiC70]

I’ve had good luck with the Tempi.fi
I can read temperature from inside my tent at camp while fridge is in vehicle and battery life is great have not changed it since I bought it over a year ago.

 

[surfpig]

Nice find. I’ve wanted something like this also.

That's a little fancier than mine...

 

[Corbet]

That's a little fancier than mine...
View attachment 3188358

That's basically what I've been using. Would be nice to have temps on phone while driving though. Especially if I could get the readings from the fridge in the trailer behind me also.

 

[surfpig]

That's basically what I've been using. Would be nice to have temps on phone while driving though. Especially if I could get the readings from the fridge in the trailer behind me also.

I'm not so concerned. I occasionally use one of several "remote" wired thermos I get from work. Mostly I want to see the difference between settings #1 and #2 on my old ARB. I did buy one of these Amazon ones, seems pretty cool to play with.

 

[NicksFJ40]

Just picked up a “two” pack for $27. Thanks for the heads up on this.

 

[DanInDenver]

I’ve been running 4 of these Govee hygrometers for a couple months now.
Two inside, one in the garage and one outside under a table.
I set them all together for a couple days when I first got them to calibrate the temp and humidity the same across all four. Nice feature that they can be calibrated.
So far no issues connecting. Outsides temps went sub-zero here for a couple weeks and that device worked like a champ all throughout.

 

[HemiAlex]

tempi.fi Mini Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensor - Developed in The USA - 24/7 Data Logger with Alarm – Bluetooth Smart Thermometer and Hygrometer - Monitor Refrigerator Freezer Pets (T3) https://a.co/d/1DyoxmV

I’ve used this with my fridge. No issues and easy to use.

 

[mudgudgeon]

That's a little fancier than mine...
View attachment 3188358

How's that bluetooth range on that one?

 

[mudgudgeon]

Dang, mud just keeps on serving up things to spend $$ on!

Gonna get one of these for sure.

I have a eutectic fridge for camping. Highly energy efficient. It only needs to be run about 3 hrs in a 24 hr period. I physically switch it off, and on, so having a monitor in the fridge will be a great help.

 

[surfpig]

I’ve been running 4 of these Govee hygrometers for a couple months now.
Two inside, one in the garage and one outside under a table.
I set them all together for a couple days when I first got them to calibrate the temp and humidity the same across all four. Nice feature that they can be calibrated.
So far no issues connecting. Outsides temps went sub-zero here for a couple weeks and that device worked like a champ all throughout.

View attachment 3207532

Ooh. I hadn't looked into the calibration thing yet. On mine the temp is spot on, but the humidity is a few % off. Which is typical, that's kind of a tough one. I'll borrow a certified one from work and play with it.