BOX | CONTENTS

As with most decent manufacturers, the box follows the same minimalist rules; the product on the front, floating against a white background. Only the Qingping logo and ‘Works with Apple Home’ badge go some way to breaking things up. Looking around the packaging, I immediately noticed there was no Thread logo to be seen. As I’d been sent a review model, I was informed this was probably not the final packaging, hence the missing Thread badge. It’s a Thread device though, trust me!

the back states wireless connectivity uses Thread and Bluetooth. The latter is only used for initial setup and as a fallback option, should Thread go AWOL.

The sensor uses not one, but two CR2450 batteries, which are thankfully already provided.

Aside from the sensor, which we’ll look at in more detail, you get the following; a mounting ball joint, a circular double-sided sticker, and a manual in English, German, Chinese, and Japanese. The ball joint is magnetic, allowing the rear of the motion to hold on magnetically, whilst also allowing the sensor to be both easily angled and removable. It comes with an adhesive backing.

The circular sticker is designed to allow the user to mount the sensor directly to a surface without the need for the ball joint, although this means the sensor can’t be angled.

THE SENSOR

I’m not quite sure how to describe the shape of the sensor, other than it’s a bit like one of those bullet cameras you see on the outside of buildings I guess. Either way, it’s still not large overall, measuring just 38mm in diameter and 36.5mm in depth. When compared to the Eve Motion, which is the only other motion sensor utilising Thread right now, I’d say it’s around 3-4 times smaller.

There’s a HomeKit QR code on the side, which answers the question of whether this uses Matter – it does not, at least not right now. It may get an update for Matter, but nothing has been officially announced so far.

The rear of the sensor has an indent to marry up with the ball joint, which is also the battery cover. The inside of the cover has a magnet that ensures it connects to the wall mount magnetically. This cover unscrews with a light touch, so getting inside the battery compartment is easy.

As it uses two coin batteries, the way these are installed is via a separate battery holder, that can then be removed separately. Once again, this is quite easy to remove, with a small turn anticlockwise. To one side is a small blue tab which is actually the reset/pairing button. This is a little harder to get to, especially if you have very short nails, or have the proverbial ‘sausage fingers’, but a small screwdriver is usually enough.

IN HOME | HOMEKIT

I did mention the name of the product at the start but it’s probably a good idea to reiterate that this is a motion and light sensor. In Apple Home, you get access to both sensors, and both can be used in automations of course.

In the Eve app, as long as you have at least one permanently powered Eve Thread device (Eve Energy for example), you can view some details of your Thread network. In my Thread network, you can see I’ve highlighted the two Qingping motion sensors I have set up, as well as the Thread details for one of those devices.

As these are basically HomeKit over Thread devices, they currently only work with HomeKit. If they do get an update to become Matter over Thread, as has been the case with a few Eve devices recently, then they’ll work with any Matter-capable platform, including Google, Amazon, and SmartThings. However, if you’re a strictly Apple Home user, in essence, this is more than good enough.

Also note these are labelled as ‘endpoint'(s), which means these can’t share or extend the Thread network, only receive the signal. This is due to them being battery-powered. If they were in a position to be ‘routers’ (i.e. helping spread the network and pass on info between devices and a Border Router) the batteries would last weeks at best. This is why only mains-powered devices are generally set up as Thread Routers.

THE QINGPING+ APP

I do like the Qingping+ app, probably more than most other proprietary apps, although I’ll be the first to admit I don’t use it that often. My workhorse is the Home app, and that’s that. Still, if you really want to keep track of motion and light data, this is the app for you. You also don’t have to create an account and still access pretty much everything. It’s so well laid out, I find it a joy to use, with quick look cards for both sensors, as well as 24-hour and 30-day readings for light.

Motion detection history is also very detailed, although possibly not as nice to look at, as it’s just a list. I should note that as Thread and Bluetooth are about the same when it comes to how much data can be transmitted, it can take a while to download the historical data to the app. You can also export the data as a .csv file that’s sent via email. there aren’t too many options for you to change, but one option is to change the countdown period, which offers as little as five seconds before resetting, to five minutes, with the first 60 seconds offered in five-second increments, and thereafter,  increments of one minute.

Whilst all motion sensors have a countdown or cooldown period, many sensors in this countdown will be ‘blind’ and won’t detect motion or the lack of it during that period. The Qingping (along with the Eve, Hue motion and a couple of others) allow the motion sensor to continuously detect motion or no motion during that time, which can be quite handy in many circumstances.

So, if for example, you have your Qingping set to 45 seconds between the moment it detects motion, and resetting to no motion, if you move in front of the motion sensor, that 45-second countdown will restart. Sensors that don’t have this ability will just begin the countdown until it’s complete, and then become active again.

SENSOR PERFORMANCE (MOTION AND LIGHT)

In my tests (which you can see in the video review) the motion sensor was pretty much on par with the Eve Motion. I did notice that the detection range was a little shorter than I’m used to, but then I always found that the original Aqara motion sensor always reached a little too far for my use cases, so this is no bad thing in my opinion. I have one situated in the corridor, and another near the doorway to the main bedroom and so far I’ve encountered no issues as such, which includes any instances of automations failing to trigger, or indeed a lost connection.

The light sensor did stump me a little, however. In the tests I performed, I compared it to the light sensor built into the Hue motion, Eve Motion, and a dedicated Mijia motion sensor that uses Zigbee. At low levels, all three were comparable in their readings, but in medium and bright light, the Qingping displayed much higher readings – pretty much double the readings from the other three, which for the most part were all within the same ballpark for all levels of light. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Qingping is giving false readings as such – it could actually be more accurate perhaps, but if three of the four sensors match up, then it’s probably more likely they’re providing accurate readings. This shouldn’t matter in one sense, as assuming you’d solely use this particular light sensor in a room without another light sensor, you simply adjust your automation to work at the levels the Qingping provides, so it’s a case of adjusting in essence.

COMPARISONS TO THE EVE MOTION

It seems fair to compare this to the only other device with much the same features, namely a device with Thread, and separate motion and light sensors. That would be the Eve Motion of course.

• The Eve is currently priced at US$49.95, which is double the price of the Qingping T, so that can have a lot of bearing on some peoples’ choices.
• They both use Thread, but only Eve can offer a Matter update, which makes it more enticing for users of platforms aside from Apple Home, and those that might run more than one platform.
• Size is a consideration, so if you’re looking for small and discreet, Qingping has that on its side.
• Both can be mounted, but Eve only offers hanging it from a screw or nail in a wall, whilst the Qingping can be stuck anywhere, whilst also offering adjustable angles.
• Eve offers an IPX3 rating, which isn’t totally outdoor/weatherproof, but does offer a measure of water resistance that Qingping doesn’t.
• Finally, Eve has options to adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection, which isn’t offered by Qingping.

As you can see, both have their positives and negatives.

IN DAY-TO-DAY USE

I’ve had two Qingping motion sensors running in my home for a while now, and initially, I did have two instances where one went offline. I never got to the bottom of the reason why. I did move the motion sensor around the apartment a fair bit, so losing connection to the Thread Border Router it may have initially been connected to could be the reason, but now they’re both in a regular location and thankfully this has not been an issue since, for either of them.

Personally, I prefer the design over the Eve motion, partly due to the size, and ease of mounting it at different angles. Having it Matter compatible is low on my list of priorities, even though I think this is ultimately the way things should be going, so in HomeKit it has performed well enough, with no hint of lag normally associated with Bluetooth-based sensors. I didn’t have the previous Bluetooth version of this sensor, as it wasn’t HomeKit compatible, so it’s hard to measure the change, but let’s be honest; Bluetooth has never been up to the job when it came to speedy response times, so I have no doubt it’s an improvement.

I like their app, even if I don’t use it too often, although it does come in handy with my Qingping Air Monitor Lite (video HERE, review HERE), as I like to keep tabs on both PM2.5 and CO², which using this app can be an eye opener, especially with the latter. Having not had these long enough to see how well battery life is, I can’t tell you if it’s good or bad, but I am a little surprised to see it use two of the larger CR2450 batteries, although I’m equally happy they didn’t go for the CR2430 which seems to be harder to buy in shops than the CR2450.

All in all, it has been fine for my use cases, and even though the Aqara FP2 has highlighted the shortcomings of PIR sensors like this one, they do still function well for basic tasks.

The post Qingping Motion and Light Sensor w/ Thread (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

In this video we compared the reaction speed of the Qingping to the Eve Motion, the Hue Motion Sensor, and even an old Zigbee sensor from Mijia. When it comes to ambient light sensor tests, we put it up against the aforementioned devices from Eve and Hue, as well as a dedicated Mijia Ambient Light Sensor. Watch the video to see how it fared…

You can purchase the Qingping Motion & Light Sensor T from Amazon stores in your region using the (affiliate) links below, which cost you nothing extra, but help us buy more products for review, to keep you informed on how products perform.

• Amazon US
• Amazon FR
• Amazon IT
• Amazon ES

https://youtu.be/JMfMXU8iuCw

The post Qingping Motion and Light Sensor T w/ Thread (video) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Today’s product, the QingPing Air Monitor Lite, does indeed detect both PM2.5 and PM10, but it’s also one of the few devices to measure C0² or Carbon Dioxide. We breathe out C0², but C0² can easily build up in confined spaces over a period of time (which I’ve found out myself since testing this device) and can lead to some less than ideal side effects. Most of these in almost all cases aren’t life-threatening, but at a minimum, can lead to difficulty in concentration, mild headaches, and general fuzziness, for want of a better description. Ok, so you know what we’re looking at today. If this interests you, read on…

PACKAGING/UNBOXING

Having already covered the company’s E-ink temperature and humidity sensor, I knew felt comfortable expecting this to be a decent product, which judging by the packaging, already hints that this will be the case. The box protects the contents really well, being that they use a really solid card. Although I’ve got the Chinese version, hence the Chinese text on the back, the version that is now available on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de is exactly the same. The packaging clearly states that the Air Monitor Lite (henceforth referred to as AML in this review) contained sensors for temperature, humidity, PM2.5/PM10, and Carbon Dioxide (Co2). Below are the specs;

• connectivity – Wifi 2.4GHz & Bluetooth 5.0
• Screen type – OLED
• Screen size – 59.9 x 49.9mm / 2.36 x 1.96in
• power input – 5V/1A
• Power connection – USB-C
• Battery – lithium

As you can see, the AML uses both Bluetooth and WiFi. I’ll get to that later, but to put you at ease, this is a WiFi device in terms of basic connectivity.

In the box, you simply get a manual, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and the device itself. The manual comes in Simplified Chinese and English, although there may be more languages that come with the internationally available version. The manual comes with one instance of the HomeKit code.

THE DEVICE

Although I first reported on this device last year, I wasn’t fully able to appreciate the design of the AML until I got it in my hands. To me, this really does exude Apple in terms of the minimalist approach and the modern – yet also retro – design. I’m already very impressed with the look and feel of it before it’s even plugged in, basically! In the hand, it feels really solid, with no hit of loosely put together parts. the AML has a decent weight to it, which belies the size of the device – 55 x 64 x 46mm / 2.17 x 2.52 x 1.81in (H, W, D), and coming in at just 147g / 5.91oz.

Although the front appears to be ‘all screen’, only a small portion of it contains active LEDs, but due to the OLED technology, when it’s on, you can barely notice where the border ends and the screen begins. The pixel density isn’t particularly high, and so you can easily make out individual pixels when you look close enough, but the designers have chosen to make this work in their favour, using square text and a rather 70s style font for the main readings, that is more than a little reminiscent of the numbers you might see on the back of a soccer player’s shirt.

At the top of the display, you get a WiFi strength indicator on the right, and a series of five dots indicating the sequence of the five sensors the AML displays. To the left is a battery icon, which will show an additional symbol when it’s being charged or plugged into mains power. The centre of the screen is taken up with the number for the relevant sensor, and directly below this is the name of the relevant sensor. At the very top is a thin LED strip that changes colour to indicate how good or bad the readings are for a particular sensor.

As you can see from the images above, the levels for PM2.5, PM10 and Carbon Dioxide are all good, which is not only indicated by the numbers but also the green LED above the display. This colour strip will display a different set of colours depending on the particular sensor;

PM2.5 & PM10

• ► Excellent, ► Good, ► Slightly Polluted, ► Moderately Polluted, ► Heavily Polluted, ► Severely Polluted

Carbon Dioxide

• ► Normal, ► Slightly High, ► High, ► Very High

In the case of the images above, you can see that the temperature is deemed ‘slightly high’, and the humidity level is ‘humid’, with the LED colours for the strip corresponding to the readings (Taiwan is hot and humid for much of the year).

Whilst the readings can be viewed from a reasonable distance, the colour strip is also viewable from a good distance, so it’s great that they’ve included this as an extra visual indicator.

Temperature

• ► Low (< 20ºC), ► Slightly Low (20 – 23ºC), ► Suitable, ► Slightly High, ► High

Humidity

• ► Very Dry, ► Dry, ► Suitable, ► Humid (60 – 80%), ► Very Humid (> 80%)

As with many of the recent devices I’ve reviewed, the AML comes with a USB-C port. It may not seem like a big deal, but given this can function using its built-in battery, you’re going to find yourself plugging in the cable at some point, and so anything to make that as quick and easy as possible is welcome, which is something you get with USB-C.

Alongside this port is a small power button. This can both turn off the whole device, or simply turn the display on or off. Completing the back section, and something that is indeed pretty much all of the back section, is a grille that allows the surrounding air to be taken in and sampled for the purposes of PM2.5 and PM10, for example.

With the AML having five sensors, it was wise for QingPing to not attempt to cram them all onto one display (something the Koogeek air monitor is guilty of). Instead, the device allows you to switch between any one of these five sensors with the help of the touch-sensitive control surface at the top. Essentially, this control surface takes on the appearance of a shallow groove in the main body of the device, with a line going from one end to the other, capped off on either and with a dot. To switch between the displays for each sensor, you can either slide your finger left to right (or right to left) or simply tap on either of the dots. It’s incredibly simple and easy to use, and also very responsive, which once again is a great testament to the designers of this product, and what they’ve put together. Overall, the only way I can describe the design is that to me it’s reminiscent of a piece of furniture you might have found in Habitat in the 1970s – but in a very classic, and not ‘badly aged’ way.

QINGPING+ | HOMEKIT | MI HOME

QingPing is a provider of smart products to Xiaomi for their Mijia/Mi Home platform, and whilst that continues, QingPing does have its own app that works with their products as well. I touched on the QingPing+ app previously when reviewing their aforementioned E-Ink Temperature and humidity sensor, and it’s possibly one of the nicest looking, most well thought out apps on my iPhone. I don’t tend to use it a lot, but whenever I do open it, I’m always impressed.

Their HomeKit compatible E-Ink sensor didn’t work with Mi home, so you could only use it with their app and HomeKit. In the case of the AML, it can work with HomeKit, Mi Home and QingPing, although there are a few caveats; First of all, if you want to use it so that it can trigger devices in Mi Home (eg a Mi Air Purifier), then once added to Mi Home,it won’t be exposed it to HomeKit or the QingPing+ app. If you add it to the QingPing app, you can also use it in HomeKit. I mentioned earlier that it uses both WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, and there are a couple of reasons as to why. In all cases, it uses WiFi to transmit data to/from any of the three apps, and for general connectivity. If you add it to Mi Home, Apple Home or QingPing+, it uses Bluetooth for initial pairing. However, the AML does have an additional function if you use the QingPing app, which allows it to act as a Bluetooth Gateway for its other Bluetooth products. If you utilise this option in the QingPing app, it ceases to be able to work with HomeKit, so unless you’re solely going to use this device within the QingPing app, and also have their other devices, then this functionality is pretty limited in scope and usefulness. Still, it’s good to see a company adding ostensibly useful functionality to a device.

On the main page of the QingPing+ app, you get an overview of conditions for your local city, or any city you choose. Below that (in my case) are ‘overview cards’ for each device connected to the app. You can see the AML at the top of this list, with three of the company’s HomeKit sensors below that, in addition to their Mi Home sensor at the bottom. Delving into the AML page, you get a slightly more detailed overview of the five sensors, followed by recommendations based on the device’s readings.

Below this overview are sections for each sensor that cover twenty-four hours at a time, with the sensor readings split into 15-minute intervals. Each of these 15-minute lines can be selected to show the relevant measurement, which is displayed in the upper right-hand corner.

You can also get a more broad picture with the option to view data over 30-day period, with each slot representing a day, with the high and low points for the sensors on that day. Once again, if you click on one of these 1-day slots, you’ll get the lowest and highest reading for each relevant sensor.

There are quite a few options to customise the appearance of both the device and the app, including options for a screensaver, auto-off (in battery mode), scree auto-off schedules, an option to switch to either Fahrenheit or Centigrade, and more. You can also switch between the two most common Air Quality grading standards – China or the US.

Moving over to the Home app, and general Air Quality details can be found in a tile that also houses the sensor details for PM2.5 and PM10. Temperature and humidity have their own separate tiles. The C02 sensor is kept separate for some reason and is lumped together with my Carbon Monoxide sensor section, presumably as it’s a gas, and as such is deemed worthy of being used for alerts.

within these tiles, you then get access to more details, as can be seen above, so the particulate density for PM2.5 and PM10 are listed, whilst C02 is shown in Parts Per Million (PPM). Temperature and humidity are shown in degrees and a percentage, respectively. All of these pages also show the battery level, as well as whether the battery is being charged or not.

PERFORMANCE

When I initially installed this device via the QingPing app, everything seemed fine – for a couple of minutes. However, after that, I noticed that the device was showing up as ‘no response’ in the Home app. I checked for an update, of which there was one, and which I tried to apply, but I kept getting a note saying the device was ‘offline’…

I then thought about adding it to Mi Home, which also worked. I also then had an update waiting, which I was able to implement. Once I’d updated it, I removed it from the Mi Home app, reset it, and went about re-adding it to QingPing. There seemed to be another update available, but once again, it said the device was offline, so I couldn’t update. Quite frustrating. I already read about this issue, so I simply kept trying to update it by turning the device off, then on again. Eventually, the device appeared online long enough for me to update to the latest firmware. Whilst it was an unacceptable hassle to go through, once it was fully up-to-date, it didn’t lose connection at all and has behaved itself, thankfully.

So putting that to one side, is it accurate? Yes, after pitching it against a couple of other devices that show the same kinds of data (Kaiterra Laser Egg 2, Mi Smart Multi-Sensor), I was able to see that the sensors were fairly accurate. The humidity sensor was a little higher than the others, but temperature and PM2.5 sensors seemed to be in tune with the other two devices.

I don’t have another C02 sensor to test the accuracy of the levels, however, I did notice that our bedroom experienced high levels of C02 when we were sleeping, as, besides my wife and I, we also have both dogs stay in the room, and with the windows and doors closed, the little amount of ventilation we did have, was not enough to prevent these levels from climbing. When levels get high in the daytime, which they can do, opening the window results in the C02 numbers drop noticeably.

If you watch the accompanying video to this review, you’ll see I did a quick and simple PM2.5 test by lighting a match, before putting it out so that the resulting smoke would trigger the sensor, which it did almost immediately, with the numbers zooming up rapidly, along with the LED strip changing colour to match.

I’ve also tested the device in a location where it was reasonably far from the WiFi signal, and it still managed to pick up a signal, which is more than I can say for some of my remaining WiFi-based devices.

Whilst it’s sort of a shame that all sensors in the Home app are lumped together, forcing you to delve deeper to see the relevant levels, it’s good that the display is clear enough that you don’t really need to do that.

WRAPPING UP

I think in this day and age unless you’re lucky enough to live in an area where pollution isn’t an issue, PM2.5 sensors are an important part of a smart home. Whilst there are a few options nowadays compared to what was available when I purchased my Katierra Laser Egg, back in 2018, the one thing I also like about the QingPing Air Monitor Lite is the C02 sensor. I spend a lot of time indoors in front of a computer and due to a variety of factors, I don’t always have a lot of windows open, and so the build-up of C02 does occur. It’s only since getting the AML that I’m able to really notice it in black and white (no pun intended).

It’s certainly cheaper than the Kaiterra model (roughly half the price) that has a C02 sensor  (Kaiterra Laser Egg+ Co2 – US$199), although Kaiterra’s own Live Air app is also very good and nicely designed. One thing that the AML has over the Kaiterra is that you can schedule the display to turn on and off at set times, which is something you’re unable to do with the Kaiterra. I do prefer the design and display of the AML, and assuming it behaves itself, I can not only definitely recommend this product, but for peace of mind in terms of what you’re breathing, it could be deemed essential.

The post QingPing Air Monitor Lite (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

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PACKAGING

Qingping are one of the many manufacturers that make products for Xiaomi, with many branded with the Mi or Mijia logo, but in this case, they’ve branched out to not only make their own branded version of an already available product, but they’ve made it so that it only works with Apple HomeKit and their own QingPing+ app, which is a departure from the norm. So, even though the packaging is very reminiscent of not only a typical Apple product, it also exudes the current Mi/Aqara/Yeelight style of packaging.

On the front is the device itself, and yes the display really is that clear – even without a battery! As a quick comparison to the very first version of the temperature sensor, with an LCD display, you really can see a massive difference in the way they look.

You’ve got the Apple HomeKit logo on the front, and the back has all the basic specs in Chinese. The sides have the two basic functions featured, as well as letting the buyer know it’s a Bluetooth device, as well as being capable of recording data in both 24-hour and 30-day formats.

The device is economically packed, but still decently protected, and comes with a manual, which is in both English and Simplified Chinese, along with a wall mount. The manual also includes the first instance of two HomeKit codes.

THE SENSOR

The front of the device is mostly the display itself, with a white surrounding ring. From the top of the display, you get a Bluetooth logo, which I’m not sure is necessary, along with a battery status indicator. Below that is the temperature, which can be displayed in Celsius or Fahrenheit. At the bottom is the relative humidity level.

The rear has the second of two HomeKit codes, along with a recessed button, which also serves to work with the included wall mount. The lower half is taken up by a kickstand, that also hides the battery section.

When it comes to the recessed button, pressing this allows you to change the display to switch between Celsius or Fahrenheit. The lower part with the kickstand has the company’s logo, which is missing from the non-HomeKit version (herein referred to as the ‘M version’).

The kickstand itself can be set to the closed position, for when it’s wall-mounted, at a 45º angle, for desktop placement, or at 90º for when you want to fully access the battery compartment. That being said, there’s no reason why you can’t have it at 90º for desktop placement as well, although that will leave the display at a very odd looking angle. Still, as the E-Ink display allows for a much wider viewing angle, it may not matter.

The battery compartment under the kickstand simply turns anticlockwise to allow the cover to be removed for adding or replacing a battery. A CR2430 coin battery is required. All very straightforward.

The mount is simply stuck to a wall or another vertical surface, with the recess on the rear of the sensor matching up with the ‘nub’ on the mount, to hold it in place, which is aided by magnets in both the mount and the sensor.

Given that the sensor has magnets in the back, this means it can attach itself to other metal surfaces, so in the example above I was able to have it stick the door of our fridge-freezer. In this instance, as the device isn’t massively light, unlike say, the Aqara temperature and humidity sensor, it probably wouldn’t take a lot of force to knock it off, so that’s something to take into consideration.

IN THE HOME APP

Adding this device is so easy, I’m not going to go through any detailed process, save to say that it simply requires you to select ‘Add an Accessory’ from the main page of the Home app, scan the QR code for the device, and proceed to add it to a room etc. As it’s Bluetooth it doesn’t require your network details, and will only need the presence of a Home Hub (Apple TV 4 or later, HomePod, or suitable iPad) for it to be used in automations, or for remote access. There are two sensors, so you can have two separate tiles, although as of iOS13, by default, both ‘services’ come bundled under one device, so you just need to select ‘Show as Separate Tiles’ in the settings for the device if you want to see each sensor as a separate tile.

While the device’s display will include the temperature and humidity in tenths of a degree (27.8ºC and 56.2% for example), in the Home app, the temperature levels only go to half a degree. The humidity levels get rounded out to the nearest whole number in the Home app. The other thing to note is that the changes on the device aren’t dynamically reflected in the Home app, so it seems to be a case of the home app showing the latest readings whenever HomeKit polls the device. That might be a problem for some if they require fast-acting automations to work with the readings as they change, but this is the case with many Bluetooth devices, with the exception of contact and motion sensors, which do require instant notifications. Other than these points, the device in HomeKit is pretty simple, as are many temperature sensors.

IN THE QINGPING+ APP

It may come as a surprise to some, as it did to me, that whilst this device can be added to HomeKit, it is not compatible with the Mi Home app, unlike the previous M version. This may not be an issue at all if you’re firmly in the HomeKit camp, and may only exclude you from creating automations in the Mi Home app to control other devices there, that aren’t HomeKit compatible, like a Xiaomi standing fan, for example. So whilst it doesn’t work with Mi Home, both the H version and the M version work with the company’s own app – and what an app it is! In the case of this device, the app simply acts as a more in-depth data collector for the temperature and humidity readings, although if you give it access to your location, the home screen can also display the weather and pollutions levels in your area, I assume courtesy of online data. After that, you get banners for each device connected to the app, so in the first image above, I have both my H and M versions of the device connected to the app, which shows the temperature and humidity levels for the respective devices. You can also make out that the H version has ‘HomeKit’ in a little box next to the name.

When you click on either of the banners, you get a more in-depth view of the data from the sensors, which includes the current levels for both sensors at the top, a recommendation, based on those readings, and detailed views for the two sensors – in 24-hour and 30-day formats. I the 24-hour displays, you can select an individual hour, to see what the readings were, with the bars that represent these readings colour coded; I’m going to assume the following – yellow for when it’s a bit warm, green for when you’re in the comfortable temperature range or orange for when it’s considered too warm in normal circumstances. It would seem the same colour coding options are used for humidity levels too. With the 30-day option selected, you get strips that represent the average low and high temperature and humidity readings for a given day, with a maximum of thirty days shown at one time. Both the H version and M version will need to sync with the app by connecting directly to your phone, so you do need to be within range to do so. The company also make their own Bluetooth to WiFi gateway, which does work with the M version, however, I’ve been informed that it won’t work with the H version. If you have a Home Hub, this won’t matter of course.

The app allows for a variety of subtle customisations, starting with the basic option to switch between Cº and Fº. The company also make an air quality monitor, so you get additional options for the way in which airborne pollutants are measured. You can also set the grading standard to either Chinese or US standards, although these have no bearing on the device we’re reviewing today. The app also allows you to add a widget to the Today screen for fast access to readings.

One final neat option is the ability to export the data for the sensor if this is something you like to keep detailed records of. To do this, you simply enter your email so that the .csv file can be sent to you directly. For some, it might have been better for this option to create a .csv file that you can then save to iCloud or drive on your phone, which will then sync with a file on your desktop computer, but email is the only option at present.

IN CONCLUSION

I’ve been excitedly awaiting this device, ever since I discovered the existence of the HomeKit version being worked on late last year, so it was great to finally see it become a reality. In all fairness, I already knew pretty much what to expect, having already owned the M version, so in some ways, that excitement was tempered. Still, this is a beautifully crafted device that really does deserve to be appreciated by HomeKit users – even those of use that have largely forsaken Bluetooth for Zigbee – as it’s really all about the simple, but stunning display. In terms of its accuracy, it always seemed to be within an acceptable variance of other temperature sensors that I have, so I have no complaints in that respect. It’s also great that it uses an easy-to-purchase battery type, so there’s nothing to stop you in that respect either. It has options to wall mount it, have it sat at your desk, or even stuck directly to a magnetic surface, so it really can go pretty much anywhere, and with the E-Ink display being leaps and bounds ahead of a traditional LCD display, it’s one device that you’re going to want to show off rather than hide away. At present this device is only available on Chinese online resellers like AliExpress, but it’s cheap enough to warrant the typically long delivery times. Hopefully soon this will be available on the various Amazon stores, where I’m sure it’ll be a popular device.

Thoroughly recommended.

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