Apple HomeView includes temperature and humidity sensors

Apple’s new HomeView includes temperature and humidity sensing, allowing the smart home hub to monitor indoor conditions and provide readings to new thermostats developed with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

Apple’s technical specifications confirm that the tabletop HomeView and wall-mounted HomeView have a temperature and humidity sensor. The hardware is listed next to the ambient light sensor and accelerometer.

There are several limitations for HomeView readings. Temperature and humidity sensing is optimized for indoor home environments with ambient temperatures of approximately 59°F to 86°F and relative humidity of approximately 30% to 70%.

Accuracy may decrease when HomeView plays audio at high volume for an extended period of time. The sensors also require time to be calibrated immediately after startup before results appear.

According to Apple, LG and Schneider Electric thermostats in the “Apple Home Collection” can obtain temperature and humidity readings from multiple rooms using sensors built into HomeView, HomePod, and ‌HomePod‌ mini, as well as dedicated sensors from either manufacturer. The thermostats also support the Adaptive Temperature in the Home app, which uses the iPhone’s device intelligence to adjust settings based on whether someone is home, winding down for the night, or away.

LG’s Temperature Sensor and Schneider Home Room Sensor will each start at $39.95 in the United States, while the companies’ thermostats will each start at $199.95. Both HomeView models cost $299 in the US and launch on November 13.