I have these:
https://zigbee.blakadder.com/Tuya_WSD500A.html
...use 2xaaa batteries. Accurate and reliable, got a bunch around the place.
this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2025
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I second this, I have three at home, they work well.
Thanks for the recommendation!
+1 from me as well, i have a lot of them and use them with 1.2v nimh cells, they work well
You can buy rechargable coin batteries.
Couldn't find any 3V cr2450 rechargeable, do you have any idea if they exist?
If the screen isn't important, Third Reality makes a slightly cheaper version with no screen that also takes AAA - conveniently on sale now
https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B0D2NVJTS3
I have a mix of those and an old version of these Govee Bluetooth sensors that are also fully offline, take AA batteries, and pair well with HA
https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B07Y36FWTT
Not strictly ZigBee, but cheaper, just as accurate as the 3R, and fully offline
Awesome thanks for the suggestions :)
Of course! From an end-user the experience between Bluetooth and ZigBee sensors is basically indistinguishable, except for range.
I have a detached garage, on the opposite end of my property from my HA controller, so the Bluetooth sensor out there specifically was a little flaky. The BT sensor is rated for ~160 ft but realistically it's 50-100 ft if your home has walls.
Swapping that one sensor to ZigBee so it could tie into my mesh network solved the problem. All other BT sensors have had zero issues, and their AA batteries unsurprisingly last longer than the 3R ZigBee AAAs, but both last at least 6mo.
Some Shelly devices can be used as "Bluetooth repeaters" but I'm unsure of the specifics of how that works.
Good to know, thank you. I think the only thing I worry about with BT is vulnerabilities. Not sure if ZigBee is any more secure but I've heard of a lot of BT vulns in the past. Probably doesn't matter for a temp sensor, so probably just important for the dongle/driver being used with HA.
Fair point! As far as I can tell, the temp sensors are just beacons - anyone can connect and see that somewhere in your house it's 72 °F, but who cares ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you're running on a Raspberry Pi, you can just use the onboard BT, whose drivers are updated regularly.
ZigBee ones get occasional updates automatically detected through HA, and have to be moved to somewhere near the controller to update. I assume, as temperature and humidity sensing hasn't changed, that these are security patches.
BT ones get no updates, which either means their security goes unpatched, or it really doesn't matter when all they do is shout out measurements into the void.
I have one of the 3rd reality ones and it's been good, only had it get stuck one time in a year and I think it was just a low battery thing. It indeed does use a AAA battery, but the sensor is expensive for what it is unfortunately.
Good to know, thanks :) yeah it does seem a bit spendy.
Hi, If the one you link is good enough for you in term of accuracy, you can pick nearly everything you find at Aliexpress. Since you will be using rechargeable batteries, might be best to pick one without screen.
@ueiqkkwhuwjw Be looking on #aliexpress much cheaper and basically the same thing without the retailer markup
Good to know, thank you :)
would this be of use?
https://shellystore.co.uk/product/shelly-ht-gen3-matte-black/
Unfortunately not ZigBee, but still an interesting alternative. Thanks!
@ueiqkkwhuwjw I have had a few - Nice to have the display - good battery life (I use rechargable AAA from IKEA) - My HA / MQTT system hasn't been runnnig properly as I'm trying to get #Zigbee2MQTT running inside #yunohost - and life has been a series of disruptions.
I got these: https://www.pearl.de/a-ZX7311-3110.shtml;jsessionid=nAF84CDBD95715305C44924424332C488?vid=953&curr=DEM
Not sure how precise they really are but they connected easily. Have them running for 34 months now, they run for months on rechargable AAA (I got high quality ones, Varta I think)
Cool :) bonus points for the pearl.de link, thanks.
Isn't this the same tuya linked for 5 usd elsewhere in the thread?
Seems like they have the same chip. I didn't buy for the price in the store, it seems to change frequently
If you are OK exploring espHome then have a look at "Apollo Automation" devices. https://apolloautomation.com/products/temp-1
Cool alternative, thanks!
I think the options either that combination are limited. IKEA Zigbee devices use removable batteries, but they don’t have a temperature sensor. They do have a USB air quality sensor but it’s a bit more complex/expensive.
There are some good WiFi, Bluetooth or RF options with removable batteries but they won’t be Zigbee.
I’ve heard of some people modifying the coin cell devices to used a wired power supply, maybe that would be an option.
@thehatfox @ueiqkkwhuwjw Aliexpress has plenty of ones with a screen (its a low power LCD screen like a casio watch) that uses AAA batteries. - It has a backlight that you can put on to read it in the dark.
I like the sonoff sensors
Wifi instead of z whatever
https://www.shelly.com/products/shelly-h-t-gen3-matte-black
Shelly's integration works well, and mqtt is available. I use the. Plugged in and the update rate is awesome.
