Meross Temperature Sensor Review (Solar Powered Batteries)

Temperature tracking has long been one of my favorite aspects of HomeKit. Understanding how temperatures can vary in different parts of my home helped me decide where to use standalone fans and adjust my HVAC schedule. Meross recently released a new solar-powered temperature sensor that works perfectly with HomeKit.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focusing on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

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Installing the Meross temperature sensor

The Meross Temperature Tracker is not compatible with HomeKit as a standalone device. Meross chose the path of using a hub powered by a 433 MHz frequency to connect its devices to HomeKit. Overall, they work great. Each hub can connect up to 16 HomeKit devices. The first step to setting up this product with HomeKit is to download the Meross app on your iPhone. You’ll want to go through the process of creating an account if you don’t already have one. You will then add the hub to the Meross app and will likely be able to update the firmware. Once you’ve done this, you’ll want to put it back into pairing mode (double-tap the sync button) and then you can pair the actual temperature sensor with it. The temperature sensor has a small button that puts it into sync mode, a

Once paired with the hub, Meross will appear in HomeKit in the same room you selected as the hub. Once launched, it will start tracking temperature and humidity. You will likely also have the sensor firmware updated in the Meross app.

Powered by solar energy

One of the most interesting aspects of this device is the battery model. Out of the box, it has two power modes. In bright environments (over 150 lux), it is powered by light collected from the top of the sensor. In dark environments, it switches to the built-in battery. Meross claims the dual power supply ensures lifetime battery-free operation. I keep mine near a window for now, but I wonder if extreme heat in the summer or cold winters will affect the temperature readings. The weather is quite mild at the moment, but you’ll want to be careful when enjoying it. However, I like the idea of ​​using solar energy in small devices.

What can be done with automation?

Tracking the temperature is great fun, but if you have other HomeKit devices (fans, humidifiers, etc.), you can use automation to take it a step further. A simple example would be when the humidity drops below a certain range, you can turn on the humidifier to adjust the settings. You can also easily connect a room fan to a HomeKit smart plug and turn it on automatically momentarily if the temperature rises above a certain value. There are countless options you can do here.

Meross Temperature Sensor Summary

At this price point, the Meross temperature sensor is an obvious purchase for HomeKit fans who want to track room temperature and humidity. If you already have a Meross hub, you can purchase this version to save a few dollars. Otherwise, you can purchase a hub/sensor combo from Amazon.

It does not require battery charging, so once set up it should work for many years, and you will have full visibility of humidity and temperature readings.