Outdoor temperature sensor for high rise apartment?

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I live on the 23rd floor of an apartment in Chicago and would really like an outdoor temperature sensor of some sort. I don’t need it to be extremely accurate, but I would like to be be able to get some sense of the weather outside.

I can probably stick a small probe between the window and the window screen, but I don’t really see any way to guarantee shade for the sensor.

Does anyone know what I might be able to buy and stick out of or on my window to get some sort of outside temperature measurement?

Thanks in advance!

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First thing that comes to my mind is one of the Lowe’s Iris contact sensors. They are pretty small and do temp as well as open/close.

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You said Chicago, so that means it gets ‘really’ cold; therefore batteries may not be the best option. Aeon Multisensor 6 can be powered with a USB, so it may be a good option. If batteries are not a concern, then any open close sensor / motion sensor would also report temp to you.

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These both might work but I’m not sure how exactly to attach them to the window. I don’t really want wind blowing these onto people’s heads down on the ground.

Has anyone attached something like this to a window?

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All of these come with a 3M double sided tape and I haven’t had any fail on me yet, so it should work.

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Perhaps you haven’t exposed them to the 8 months of winter per year in Chicago… I think it’s a matter of when, rather than if the tape fails.

Many of these devices come with screw-in attachment options. The device itself snaps into a cradle that is screwed down. The ST multisensor is one of such devices.

I use one of the ST Multi Sensors in my freezer (hell yeah) and when I remove it to replace the battery, the 50lbs rated 3M double sided tape (red roll) is almost britle and slightly sticky. I need to replace the tape every time I replace the battery…

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This is the tape I use:
Scotch 1 in. x 1.66 yds. Extreme Mounting Tape

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I wouldn’t 3m tape anything out my window on the 23rd floor. If that thing falls it could seriously hurt someone, or mess someone’s car up. I hot glue some of mine and 3m tape them, but again I live in a house not 23 floors up. Anyhow how ever you do it just make sure it’s not going to fall or break you have tons of factors to think about wind,heat,cold,water ect… Good luck

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A sensor stuck right on the window won’t give you accurate temperatures, it will always be too hot. It will get heat from the apartment in the winter and it will get additional reflective sun heat in the summer. It could easily be off by as much as 15°.

I would suggest instead that you just get the weather from a local service that is using a weather station near you. It’s quite easy to feed this information into SmartThings and have it look like it’s just another device, and it will be much more accurate than something placed on your own window.

There are two very quick ways to do this.

One) Ifttt weather channel. The free IFTTT service has a weather channel that you can use as triggers to then trigger SmartThings events

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  1. SmartThings Weather tile

Or SmartThings itself has a device type which will allow you to set up a virtual weather device. Instructions in the following thread.

It puts a weather device in the things list in your mobile app which looks like this:

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I would choose either of those over a sensor stuck to the window 23 floors up. They will be more accurate, they won’t cost you anything, and there’s no danger of the device falling off. Oh, and you never have to change batteries. :wink:

JMO

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this looks like its absolutely the way to go in this situation

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Free, too :slight_smile:

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What would be the terminal velocity for a lightweight piece of plastic with a magnet inside it, from 23 floors up?:grin:

ETA: actually, it would be the “other” part of the sensor stuck on the outside - heavier, so probably not a good idea.

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Somewhere between 50-100 mph. It may be able to penetrate a windshield, or seriously crack it. Good part is, no one would know who “lost” it :wink:

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These days, the odds are high there some security cameras that’s got the footage. Just sayin’… :wink:

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Oh even if no cameras are there, I still do not condone such behavior, let $tuff fall off the window and not assume responsibility…

I still think screwing it onto the outside of the window sill… or using the weather tile (cheaper)

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I use the SmartThings multi-sensors.

Sure, as JDR says, they MIGHT be slightly off due to the glass-mounting and proximity of your heated-home space? I indeed leverage some of the SmartTiles sensors, too (for compare/contrast.)

Anyone who has lived in a high-rise knows that weather “in the clouds” can be different than it is down on the streets below. I like the multi-sensors because they also include humidity and such, too. You might even consider leveraging one that has luminosity sensor, too?

When we lived on the 40th floor in San Fran, the streets below would frequently be socked-in with fog (and temps would drop dramatically down there.) But, up on the 40th floor, things were still bright, sunny, and warm. The light sensor could be leveraged to trigger shade/darkness events.

Mounting: Leveraging the 3M double-back sticky tape should 100% “hold tight” – plus provide some limited insulation from direct radiant heat from the window itself.
I use this 3M tape for decals on my pickup truck, and they remain “stuck” to the truck – even through car washes with spinning brushes and such. Also remains “stuck” at high speeds in all weather (winter, snow, rain, heat, etc.) As a matter of fact, they are rather hard to remove! (Need to slide a piece of dental floss behind them to saw them off.)

Or, you could consider installing a motion multi-sensor, too? (So it will “alert” when there’s a hawk or something soaring outside for you to see?) In San Fran, we saw lots of hawks (pigeon-fighters.) Also saw the Blue Angels streak between the buildings during the annual air show!

I also keep a temp multi-sensor in the refrigerator, too. Where we now live, we suffer periodic/frequent power-outages. It’s important for us to know how long food was at 40+ degrees (so we know what’s safe to keep, and what needs to be tossed in the trash.) Since these sensors are battery powered, (as is the hub,) it really helps us keep a watchful eye on temps (even when the power goes out!)

Good luck!