Skip to main content

SwitchBot Meter Review Capacitive Hygrometer

A very very small device, a hygrometer is a really useful tool that helps you understand how the humidity changes in your home and when to run a humidifier or dehumidifier to keep damp and mould away. 
The SwitchBot Meter is a hygrometer that uses a capacitive sensor, which is one type, the other type being a dew-point hygrometer (a bit more accurate). The SwitchBot Meter works perfect for home use and has a similar accuracy requirement to the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN): +/- 2% over the range from 10-90% RH (relative humidity) and +/- 4% for RH values below 10% and above 90%.
According to SwitchBot, the Meters are not calibrated from factory so, the readings can be slightly off, although they can be manually calibrated using the "ice baggie" method or a mercury thermometer (if you have one at hand). As per SwitchBot instructions, the readings should only be off marginally so, if you have to adjust more than a few degrees of temperature or more than 5% of the humidity that means there is something wrong with the Meter and you should contact SwitchBot.
The SwitchBot app makes the calibration very easy as it's just a matter of pressing the "+" or "-" on-screen buttons to adjust. The temperature range is from -20C to 80C (0.1C resolution), while the humidity range is 10% to 90% (1% resolution). There is only one sensor built-in to the SwitchBot and, it's located on top of the device. The sensor reads both air temperature and moisture level percentage relative to the air temperature.
The Meter displays relative humidity so, it displays how much water is in the air. The higher the percentage (e.g. 75%) the more humid the air is, which is not ideal in enclosed spaces like a home or office. Ideally, you want the relative humidity to be between 35% and 60% to avoid mould build up and health issues.
The SwitchBot Meter is easy to use and only integrates one physical button behind the unit that lets you change the temperature reading from Celsius (C) to Fahrenheit (F), as well as to reset the device. The SwitchBot Meter is designed to be used in conjunction with the SwitchBot app but the app is not need to run Meter. The app lets you control various other SwitchBot devices including SwitchBot Curtain, SwitchBot Humidifier and the Hub Plus/Mini, all of which are sold separately.
If you want to monitor the temperature and humidity remotely, you will need to use the Hub Plus or Hub Mini bridge, which will also let you store up to 36 days of graphical data, as well as export the data. The Hub Plus or Hub Mini bridge also lets you setup scenes similar to IFTTT so, you can program a response to events based on the temperature and/or humidity decreasing or increasing. For instance, you could pair the Meter, Button Pusher and Hub an use a de-humidifier so when humidity goes above a specific level the Button Pusher turns on the dehumidifier. If you want to control a dehumidifier without using the Button Pusher, you will need to use a dehumidifier that is infrared controlled.
You can set up alarms for both temperature and humidity, using any parameter of your choosing and the Meter will make a beep to alert you. The SwitchBot Meter comes with two AAA batteries, a plastic kickstand and a metal plate with 3M adhesive backing so, you can fix the SwitchBot Meter onto a any surface (e.g. plasterboard, ceramic tiles, wood). The back plate of the Meter is magnetized so, you can directly attach the Meter on to any metallic surface. You can buy SwitchBot Meter from amazon. 

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Edifier G4 TE Review Esport Gaming Headset with Unidirectional Mic

The game is not over until it is. And, more often than not the game can be over before it even begins when your headphones aren't up to scratch! The G4 TE are Edifier's latest gaming headphones designed to emphasize positional audio in games (i.e. footsteps and bullet whizzes) for games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (R6 Siege) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) where anticipating your opponents' position from their footsteps gives you a distinct advantage. If you're a series esport player though, you should check out the  GM3SE  - a true esport gaming headset! The G4 TE boom arm microphone is detachable and has a twist lock connector plug to secure the connection to the headset. The boom arm measures 13cm long, weighs 9 grams and, it integrates memory wire so, it stays bent at any angle you want. The microphone housing integrates a 6mm electret capsule with a unidirectional pickup pattern, which is uncommon since the vast majority of gaming headsets u...
Read more

Samsonite Litepoint Review Squared Shaped Backpack

A successful backpack looks nice, fits well and has enough organization to carry one's belongings. There is no question that the style and aesthetics of a backpack is the key selling point along with performance! The Samsonite Litepoint ticks all the boxes and has a classic square shape, which may not be everyone's cup of tea but, it maximizes internal space. This is why travel bags (e.g. suitcases) are shaped differently to backpacks, usually with a rectangular design. The Samsonite Litepoint backpack has a total of six external access compartments, one of which is directly on the front of the backpack. The front facing compartment opens up vertically via 23cm long single zip slider, which is waterproof with reverse coil teeth and reflective material. The front facing compartment is fully padded all-around with closed cell foam and, it's suspended 2 inches above the bottom of the backpack.  The front facing compartment measures 25cm wide and 25cm high and has a narrow inte...
Read more

Valco Nordell Mk3 Review Bluetooth Speaker

Derived from the old Norse word for north, Nordell Mk3 is Valco's portable bluetooth solution designed for outdoors and indoors. You can use it at home, in an office or even when taking a shower, thanks IPX7 water resistance. Valco Nordell Mk3 has six clicky sounding physical buttons for controlling volume, track skipping, voice assistant, incoming calls and change audio mode, as well as two status led lights for 3D sound and Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth status led flashes blue during audio playback. When powering on the Nordell Mk3, the speaker makes a cool jingle effect that sounds like a starting engine. The "brain" running the Nordell Mk3 speaker is the Actions ATS2819 microcontroller chip, which supports Bluetooth 5.0, SBC audio codec and up to 20 meters range when outdoors and 10 meters range indoors. The bluetooth chip provides a stable wireless signal is stable without dropouts but, it doesn't support hi-res codecs (AAC or aptX) or multipoint pairing, w...
Read more