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Govee Hell (Observations and a Rant of Sorts)

Ralph

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
413
Location
Greater Hartford, Connecticut
I tested all three of my Govee sensors this weekend as I typically do every few months and my findings were really frustrating.

My first calibration was with a 69% Boveda pouch in an airtight container. After calibrating my sensors to 69% I found two to be less than 1% low and the third (a puck) was almost 20% low. This is how they have read since I bought them a few years ago.

Just out of curiosity, I put all three in my Aristocrat reading 69% and after 48+ hours saw them read 66.1%, 68.6% 73.2%, all sitting right next to each other. The lowest was calibrated at -16.9% to match the one at 68.6% which was 0.1% off. I've had people tell me you can’t calibrate them that much so I attached a screenshot. My target humidity level for the Aristocrat at 68%.

I decided to try a second calibration this time with a salt test. All three went into the container with the same readings (68.6%) and after a couple of days I again saw a wide range of readings. Today the sensor below started sending crazy readings every 10-15 seconds with huge temperature swings of 50+ degrees in my 67 degree living room. I changed the batteries and the screen subsequently went crazy as you can see in the pic, and it hasn’t sent any data since, even though connected to Bluetooth and WiFi. I deleted the device and reconnected it with no help. This particular sensor was reading closest to 0% before it went nuts.

I use engineered crystals in the two desktops and a HumiCare EH+ in the aristocrat and have been happy with how they consistently maintain humidity for the long haul, the sensors help to alert me when I need to add water. I just can’t find anything consistently accurate. I’ve tried the Cigar Oasis Caliber and they are junk too. I love having the info in an app at my fingertips so I wonder if SensorPush is the answer at twice the price.

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Wow. My units just go and go and Ive not had any issues like that. I've got two that have a digital face and two little airbud type dudes.

Just a shot in the dark...maybe uninstall app and start from scratch. If that doesn't work id reach out to cs.

I'm now calibrating mine w 65% bovida packs every few months or when I think things are amiss. Last time they needed very little adjustment.

HT
 
All three devices are sitting in the Aristocrat. About a 6% variance. This after they were last calibrated.

The Aristocrat labeled sensor has come back on line but the readings are off. The Warden is militant with the thermostat. It hasn't been 68 degrees in my house since last August.
Govee support offered me 20% off new devices but I’m gonna pass.

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Can we go back to the Dude talking to the Dude?
And debating the merits of Sensor Push versus Govee.
 
Sorry to hear you're having troubles with the Govee. I just checked, their RH accuracy is listed at +/- 3%, so in theory for 65% actual, you could have one reading 62% and one right next to it reading 68% and be in spec. In practice, they seem to run much better than that. I salt test mine and touch up the cal when I replace the batteries. Good luck with them so far. I have three; top, middle, and bottom in the Staebell. I replaced the controller in the Staebell once and it doesn't read at all what the Govee's do. Since I've salt tested the Govee's, and since they all seem within a point or two of each other, I tend to trust them.

I've had a SensorPush fail; they were super about sending another right out, told me to throw away the old one. Well....at the time I had a full SMT lab at my disposal, and being the curious type, took it in and had a look at it. What I found blew me away....the overall soldering was so bad, a couple larger components had simply come off. The battery clip looked like it hadn't been soldered at all. I put it back together and son of a gun, it started working....for a few months. Started tearing through batteries, so I can only assume something got damaged and that was that. Since they promptly replaced it, I can't be critical. While the company responded flawlessly, the quality of the work inside was seriously below what I think it should have been. Left me disillusioned, to be sure. Maybe that was an 'escape'; a unit that wasn't supposed to ship but got shipped anyway. No way to know.

What I do know is the current price of the Govee on 'Zon is $11.53. Current price of the comparable SensorPush is $54.95. SensorPush is a fine unit, no complaints, but I can almost buy 5 Govee units for the same price, and as long as they seem to be reasonably consistent, that's where I'm at. At that price, the SensorPush is also +/- 3%, but there is a unit for $69.95 that's +/- 2%, and one at $89.95 that +/- 1.5%. My guess is the cost of of the RH sensor component goes up exponentially, and fast, for higher accuracy.

If the SensorPush was orders of magnitude better, I'd have them, but sadly, from what I saw internally....just not so.

As I often say.....one man's opinion.
 
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^^^^^^^ What he said. The internal sensors vary with different brands and models. Check the spec before you buy and decide what you can live with. If they get flaky, toss them and replace, they are relatively cheap. If you check your calibration as often as you do, you should be fine. Also putting in multiple sensors in each humidor gives you a cross check, so failures show up quickly. That's my 2 cents ;)
 
Sorry to hear you're having troubles with the Govee. I just checked, their RH accuracy is listed at +/- 3%, so in theory for 65% actual, you could have one reading 62% and one right next to it reading 68% and be in spec. In practice, they seem to run much better than that. I salt test mine and touch up the cal when I replace the batteries.
Of course, that makes complete sense. The maddening part is that calibrate them together to the same rH, then move them to the same small humidor, right next to each other, and 24 hours later the three will read something widely different. After calibration overnight (Boveda 69%), one of my H5179 sensors is currently calibrated at -19.8 and one is at -1.8, but they are +/- 2% to each other. I can live with that. The H5051 seems to be shot.

It's been a frustrating journey. Before I invested $100 in the Govee setup, I went through three Caliber IVs with two replaced under warranty. I also tried Ambient Weather sensors that tied into my weather station and those sensors which were within 1% on initial calibration jumped over time to +5% and +15%. They can't be calibrated.

I like the WiFi functionality which alerts me to when the humidifiers need a recharge. Better than my wife saying "That fan has been running for two days!" To invest in SensorPush I'm looking at over $250 for a complete setup with the gateway, but I guess you get what you pay for.
 
An interesting fact (at least to us nerds...😁) is that almost all sensors in the lower price range, be they RH, temperature, weight scales, even volt ohm meters, etc. are typically VERY accurate with relative measurements, but poor in absolute value. Meaning, if your RH sensor says 65.5 then goes to 66.5, you can be quite sure it went up a point, but the real absolute value of the RH is the question mark. Which is why calibration is critical for usefulness in these types of things. Now, if the cal floats all over the map, that's a different problem and points to a shitty sensor.

I keep an eye on my Govee's and if they read something crazy, I start looking into them. Usually means a sketchy battery. I have lots of cigars, but if I had an even bigger investment and a walk in, I'd spend the money to get a very accurate temperature and RH measurement device. Suddenly you're talking hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And few of those instruments talk Bluetooth or know how to talk to the internet.

Science marches on......🤣

Edited to add: I mean, if you REALLY want to know what's going on, something like this is one answer. Note they calibrate this for RH at three points, temperature for one point. NOT cheap, and you have to plug this into something....You're probably into a K or more by the time you get the system running. Seems overkill for most of us, but very accurate RH sensing isn't trivial:

 
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An interesting fact (at least to us nerds...😁) is that almost all sensors in the lower price range, be they RH, temperature, weight scales, even volt ohm meters, etc. are typically VERY accurate with relative measurements, but poor in absolute value. Meaning, if your RH sensor says 65.5 then goes to 66.5, you can be quite sure it went up a point, but the real absolute value of the RH is the question mark. Which is why calibration is critical for usefulness in these types of things. Now, if the cal floats all over the map, that's a different problem and points to a shitty sensor.

I keep an eye on my Govee's and if they read something crazy, I start looking into them. Usually means a sketchy battery. I have lots of cigars, but if I had an even bigger investment and a walk in, I'd spend the money to get a very accurate temperature and RH measurement device. Suddenly you're talking hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And few of those instruments talk Bluetooth or know how to talk to the internet.

Science marches on......🤣

Edited to add: I mean, if you REALLY want to know what's going on, something like this is one answer. Note they calibrate this for RH at three points, temperature for one point. NOT cheap, and you have to plug this into something....You're probably into a K or more by the time you get the system running. Seems overkill for most of us, but very accurate RH sensing isn't trivial:

Damn! I recall seeing hygrometer/thermometers in the Salvador Dali Museum last month but can't remember the brand name. You figure they need accuracy with priceless stuff!
 
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