I’m in search of a long-range water temperature sensor. I want to measure the water temperature in a lake near my cabin. The problem is that the distance between the water and the cabin is approximately 120 meters. Does anybody have any suggestions for something specific that might work?
I’ve come across sensors from Ecowitt which look promising but these are rated at 100 meters in an open field. The line of sight is mostly free, but the cabin sits on a hill with some trees and terrain that might reduce the signal by some.
As long as it can be connected to Homey in one way or another, the connection standard can be whatever.
Hopefully, some of you know of something that could work. Thanks in advance!
Have you investigated which wireless signal (supported by Homey reaches the point where you want to place the temperature sensor?
You can try with another device you already have of course.
Is it possible to add routers (mains powered) in between?
I suppose a wired solution is not possible?
So it has to be battery powered as well?
And: usually lower frequencies tend to stretch further than the higher ones.
Ecowit is 100 meters from the hub to the sensor. Homey connects to the hub via WiFi. Not sure if that helps as you might be able to place a WiFi hub in the middle, either mesh or wired.
That might of course work. But in my case, for that to help, the hub must be placed outdoors as well. I’m not entirely sure about having that. I hope that I can find something close to a set-and-forget solution, which also means that it should handle cold winter temperatures with snow and rain.
Sadly, I cannot add routers in between. As of now, something that works similarly to Ecowitt seems like the best idea - something with a hub that connects to Homey via WiFi.
I don’t think there is an easy, cheap and simple solution. The distance dictates a serious transmission system with enough transmission power, and the cold dictates a serious power system.
That would be a nice project!
But raises the question if it is really necessary to measure the temperature of the lake or would an educated guess be enough .
Why not put a router between powered by a small solar panel/battery setup? I’m planning on something similar to keep track of temp on my water well that is too far from my house for a direct hop. Relatively inexpensive parts, and plenty of “repurposable” parts like solar powered landscape lights that are already designed for outdoor use.
In that case you could consider a powerbank with a solar panel to which you connect a Ikea Tradfri Signal Repeater.
It can be separated from the power adapter and has a USB-A connector which can be plugged into a powerbank.
Have no experience with it, but might be worth trying.
Sounds interesting. Could you describe how the information from the sensor is sent to Homey and which systems are involved. After installing does it work without internet?
EDIT:
I get the impression that the idea is you don’t need a gateway if there is TTN coverage: TTN Coverage
If you need a gateway, you might as well setup your own LORA private network. So the information goes from your sensor via LORA - a wireless radio technology - to your gateway and via Ethernet, either cable or WiFi, from your gateway to your Homey. So no external servers and costs involved.
Very interesting topic. I have a similar issue where I would like to measure the temperature in the ocean that is approx. 500m direct line of sight from my house. LoRaWan looks very promising. Have anyone any experience using it and integrating it with Homey?
Lora Modbus/TCP gateway are available from as low as € 50 to € 700, adding a sensor of lets say € 80. You will have to deal with compatibility issues too. So you have to invest quite some time and money, comparable with Homey Pro. So not to my surprise, I haven’t yet find any LoRa user yet in this forum.
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