Zigbee Temperature and Humidity Sensors are among the cheapest devices you can add to your smart home. They are usually powered by button cell batteries, while some carry AAA/AA dry cell batteries, which makes them cost effective and energy efficient in the long run.
Picking the right climate sensor can be overwhelming, especially since the market is overloaded with options. Some are better than others, some are falsely advertised and some are complete trash.
This is a comparison article of all temperature and humidity sensors I’ve reviewed so far, summarized neatly in tables and ranked by categories and features. The aim of this article is to separate the good from the bad and hopefully help someone in their decision making process.
Criteria
Before you get into the comparison bellow, it’s important to note the criteria which I had in mind when getting each of these temperature and humidity sensors:
- The device must be Zigbee
- Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sensors are excluded
- The device must work in Home Assistant, either through:
- ZHA (custom quirks accepted)
- Zigbee2MQTT (external converter accepted)
- The device must have a screen of any type
- It was my desire to exclusively test sensors with a screen (LCD, E-Ink)
- The device must measure both temperature and humidity
- Any additional features the devices have, such as clocks, alarms, illuminance sensors are considered a plus but not critical to the review
- The device must be cheap
- Even though cheap is a relative term, I aimed getting devices from $5-$20 on AliExpress
- The device must be powered by batteries, either:
- Button cell batteries
- AAA/AA batteries
- Rechargeable batteries
- All devices are benchmarked against a calibrated sensor
- Xiaomi LYWSD02 Climate Sensor with E-Ink Display
How were they tested?
Each Zigbee climate sensor was first disassembled to get a sense of its hardware and build quality. It’s components were evaluated in it’s respective review, you can check them individually if you are looking for more info. The devices included in this article are:
- Xiaomi LYWSD02 Temperature Sensor (Benchmarking Sample!)
- Tuya Zigbee Climate Sensor ZL02-ZX Review
- Tuya Climate Sensor and Alarm Clock JM-TRH-ZGB-V1
- Neo Zigbee LCD Climate Sensor NAS-TH02B2
- Zigbee Temperature & Humidity Sensor with a Screen SZ-T04
- Sonoff Temperature and Humidity SNZB-02D Review
- Moes Temperature & Humidity Sensor ZSS-KB-TH
- Tuya Backlit LCD Climate Sensor with Clock ZTH08
- Tuya Blue Climate Sensor and Clock YHZBTHP-1 Review
- Tuya Emoji Climate Sensor ZG-227ZL Review
Home Assistant Integration was tested with both Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA, but benchmarking data for this comparison review is pulled from Zigbee2MQTT only. You can read more about potential converters and custom quirks in each individual review.
Every sensor was placed on a shelf in my living room, gathering data for a full month. The graphs in their individual reviews were charted with the History Explorer Card in Home Assistant and compared to a calibrated Xiaomi LYWSD02 BLE Climate Sensor.
Technical Specification and Hardware
The following table is a summary of all technical specifications and hardware components of each individual device. The data has been collected through official user manuals, technical sheets and smarthomescene’s individual device reviews.
The table is best viewed on desktop.
To download an Excel version, click here.
Ranking and Benchmarking
The following table ranks and differentiates the most important features of each climate sensor. Here’s an explanation of how each characteristic is ranked:
- Temperature Accuracy
- Offset in percentage from the calibrated device (LYWSD02)
- Humidity Accuracy
- Offset in percentage from the calibrated device (LYWSD02)
- Battery Life
- Estimate from a one month usage
- Display Quality
- Ranking Scale 1-10
- Display Viewing Angles
- Ranking Scale 1-10
- Reporting Interval
- Description of the reporting interval in Zigbee2MQTT
- Calibration Type
- Template Calibration: Adding an offset in Zigbee2MQTT, with the measurement on screen remaining uncalibrated
- Native Calibration: Adding an offset in Zigbee2MQTT with the measurement on screen also changing
- NOTE: For some devices, native calibration can be achieved if you have a Tuya hub even though it’s not available in Zigbee2MQTT
- Integration Support
- ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT Support
The table is best viewed on desktop.
To download an Excel version, click here.
Best Temperature Accuracy
Most of these sensors had great temperature accuracy in my tests. They mostly mirrored the graph when compared to my calibrated Xiaomi LYWSD02 BLE sensor. Some were offset by a few percentage points, but nothing that could not be fixed with calibration. Here’s how I would rank the Top 3 Zigbee climate sensors in terms of temperature accuracy:
- Sonoff SNZB-02D (0.3% offset)
- Tuya SZ-T04 (0.5% offset)
- Tuya ZL02-ZX (0.5% offset)
I also considered the reporting interval in the temperature accuracy ranking, otherwise most sensors provide an accurate measurement without significant offsets. Honorable mention goes to the Tuya Blue YHZBTHP-1 and Moes ZSS-KB-TH.
Best Humidity Accuracy
Testing the humidity yielded slightly different results in my tests compared to temperature. There were some devices that matched the humidity reading of the Xiaomi LYWSD02, although many had an offset by a few percentage points. Here’s a ranking of the Top 3 Zigbee climate sensors in terms of humidity accuracy:
- Tuya SZ-T04 (1.5% offset)
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1 (1.5% offset)
- Neo NAS-TH02B2 (2% offset)
Best Reporting Interval
Picking the device with the best reporting interval is not really as black and white as it sounds. Some users will require the absolute fastest reporting interval, other will be satisfied with temperature and humidity being updated once every 30 minutes and save battery. It all depends on your use case and implementation.
So this will be separated in two categories: fastest reporting interval and most consistent reporting interval.
- Fastest Reporting Interval
- Tuya Blue YHZBTHP-1 – Every 15 seconds, regardless of state change
- Most Consistent Reporting Interval
- Sonoff SNZB-02D – Every 5 minutes, or ≥0.2°C state change
- Tuya SZ-T04 – Every 5 minutes (adjustable), or ≥0.5°C state change
Best Battery Life
Obviously a lot of factors influence the battery life of a smart device of this type. Screen size/type, battery size/type, reporting interval, software implementation and many other things. At the end of the day, battery life is not going to be incredible on most of these – I consider 10 months great for a Zigbee Temperature and Humidity sensor with a screen.
You are not going to find a Zigbee climate sensor with better battery life than Bluetooth sensors. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is what most Bluetooth-based temperature sensors use, uses significantly less power than any Zigbee module.
So, if you are looking for the absolutely best battery life in a climate sensor – go for Bluetooth. If not, here are the Top 3 Zigbee Climate Sensors with the best battery life from my tests:
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1 (3xAAA)
- Neo NAS-TH02B2 (2xAA)
- Tuya Blue YHZBTHP-1 (Rechargeable)
IMPORTANT: Battery life is an estimate based on about 45 days of testing these devices. I used the cheapest AA and AAA batteries for most devices to try and even out the odds. Based on the screen and reporting interval, I am confident enough in my estimation but please, do not take this as fact.
Best Display
And finally, the trait no one asked for: the best display in a cheap Zigbee temperature sensor. Every single device I tested has an LCD screen – there were none with E-Ink. I’m only aware of one e-ink temperature sensor which is broken and doesn’t work as it should. This was rather disappointing when I was doing my research and is kind of a baffling question mark. The Top 3 Displays in Zigbee Temperature Sensors:
- Tuya ZL02-ZX (Clear, sharp, excellent viewing angles, a bit small)
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1 (Clear, sharp, backlit, bolded numbers, solid viewing angles)
- Tuya ZG-227ZL (Clear, sharp, excellent viewing angles, a bit small)
Best Additional Features
A couple of these devices have additional features that count as a bonus on top of being mainly a temperature and humidity sensor. I have not considered these additional features in the rankings of this article, they are simply a nice addition to a climate sensor. Here are the Top 3 with the most useful features:
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1
- Time (AM/PM, 24H), Date (YYYY-MM-DD), Day (Mon-Sun), Built-in Alarm Clock, Battery indicator, Connectivity indicator
- Tuya SZ-T04
- Time (24H), Date (MM-DD), Battery Indicator, Connectivity indicator
- Tuya ZTH08
- Time (24H), Date (DD-MM-YYYY), Connectivity indicator
Best Zigbee2MQTT Clusters
Some of these devices expose a bunch of interesting clusters in Zigbee2MQTT, the ability to tweak and control many things without a Tuya hub. Here are the Top 3 Device ranked by useful Zigbee2MQTT exposes:
- Tuya SZ-T04
- Adjustable reporting interval, Temperature unit change, Temperature/Humidity Alarms, Temperature sensitivity, Time/date synchronization, Template calibration
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1
- Adjustable reporting interval, Temperature unit change, Temperature/Humidity Alarms, Time/date synchronization, Template calibration
- Tuya ZG-227ZL
- Temperature unit change, Native calibration
Summary
While I believe I’ve taken every precaution to deliver this information accurately and completely, it’s possible I’ve made potential errors and oversights. Please always verify before you make a purchase, this comparison article is purely informational and based on my testing and reviews.
Hopefully this article will help someone with their decision making in implementing Zigbee-based temperature sensors in their Smart Home. As a conclusion, I can honestly say there is no “best” among these cheap temperature and humidity sensors.
It’s crucial to pick the features most important to you and get the device that does them well. My personal favorites are the Tuya SZ-T04, Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1 and Sonoff SNZB-02D.
If you would like to see more comparison reviews like these, consider supporting SmartHomeScene by simply buying us a coffee or maybe becoming a member. If you make your purchase by using the affiliate links bellow, you will also be supporting us at no additional cost to you. Next Up – mmWave Presence Sensors!
Buying Links
- Xiaomi LYWSD02 Climate Sensor (BLE)
- Tuya ZL02-ZX Climate Sensor
- Tuya JM-TRH-ZGB-V1 Climate Sensor
- Neo NAS-TH02B2 Climate Sensor
- Tuya SZ-T04 Climate Sensor
- Sonoff SNZB-02D Climate Sensor
- AliExpress | Webstore | Amazon
- Moes ZSS-KB-TH Climate Sensor
- Tuya ZTH08 Backlit LCD Climate Sensor
- Tuya YHZBTHP-1 Blue Climate Sensor
- AliExpress | AliExpress | Amazon
- Tuya ZG-227ZL Emoji Climate Sensor
Great article! Thank you for comparing so many sensors.
___
I would change this part:
[…]
Time (AM/PM, 24H), Date (YY-MM-DD), Day (Mon-Sun), Built-in Alarm Clock, Battery indicator, Connectivity indicator
to:
[…]
Time (AM/PM, 24H), Date (YYYY-MM-DD)[…]
because, the device shows the date as 2023-07-08 so with 4 digits for the year (YYYY) instead of 2 (YY)
Thanks, edited!
Fine description, but a lot of the senmsors does not work in a fridge and freezer. specially those with small battery as CR2032 etc.
For that purpuce a device from INKBRID or SWITCHBOX was tested and work fine, they are BLE and for that a M5Stack ESP32 devicxe was used as ESPhome BLE proxy and it works fine.
Thanks for the suggestion.
It was never my intention to test sensors in a fridge.
Hi, great article.
I am looking for this kind of devices with buttons to use them as a thermostat. Use case is : walk in a room, see that it’s 19°, press a button to ask for 20 without having to get your phone, launch HA, go to correct tab to adjust thermostat. (Climate is handling by HA that will start/stop heating).
Do you know if such a device exist (cheap ZigBee one) ? (like a Nest thermostat but dumb, the smart part will be handled by HA).
Thank you.
In my experience, Zigbee thermostats all come with built in temperature sensors so you do not need an external one.
Here’s one example from Moes: https://smarthomescene.com/reviews/moes-zigbee-smart-thermostat-bht-002/
Nice writeup!
But unfortunately, none of these seem to be able to attach an outdoor unit, and be able to read and display 2 temperatures at once.
Have any suggestions for models like that?
Thanks
No, you are going to have to go the DIY route for that and use Dallas probes.
https://smarthomescene.com/diy/diy-waterproof-double-probe-temperature-sensor-with-an-esp32/
HI! Great work! Anyone of this temperature/humidity sensor are compatible with Philips hue hub? Thanks!
No, they aren’t.
One question. How did you know that your reference device Xiaomi LYWSD02 was showing the correct temperature and humodity?
On my desk there are following devices:
– ThermoPro TX2 (433Mhz)
– ThermoPro TP357 (BLE)
– Aqara Xiaomi WSDCGQ11LM (Zigbee)
– Ecobee Smart Sensor (AFAIK, 433Mhz)
All of them show difference 0.5-2.5C from each other. Humidity difference is 10-25%.
Go figure which one is correct…
I calibrate the LYWSD02 against an industrial thermometer used in the meat industry from time to time.
These are calibrated once every 3 months, a friend has a meat store 🙂
Cheers
Do you know where to get that thermometer for cheap? 🙂
Jokes aside, 1C difference will have serious financial implication if sensor based threshold is used to start heating/aircon.
In my case, it takes 1h burning of propane for a home furance to rise temp by 2C. If the sensor is off by 2C and every day it burns 1h longer than needed to be, at the end of the month I am spending $50 more on propane or $250 more for the season…
Are you able to confirm if any of the displays can change to °F? All of them are listed on the chart as using both scales, but I have not been able to convert the displays to °F, specifically with the Tuya ZL02-ZX.
Overall, great job with the standardized product comparison.
Hi, and thank you for this great write up and set of tests.
I am wondering if you also at any point tested zigbee network range for these units? I have two Tuyos and they connect and report back correctly only within eight feet of my zigbee device. For me, the range would be a critical consideration given that a user might want to put these devices in a basement, or a garage. They are *most* useful in inaccessible areas, and those are the areas where the range becomes critical.
Do you have plans to do another survey and if so, would you consider including range as part of the testing?
Thank you again.
If you add enough network routers (smart plugs, presence sensors, switches, mains connected devices) range will not be an issue.
Zigbee traffic can be relayed at long distances this way.