Checkout our new crowd-funding project and subscribe: Openthing 1 ESP-CM3

What is it?

The Thread Sensor Tag is an energy-efficient sensor designed to measure pressure, temperature, humidity, and light in a compact form factor. Powered by a coin-cell battery, it boasts a lifespan of approximately ~3 years. Utilizing OpenThread as its network, the device transmits an MQTT* message every 30 seconds, including battery status.

New Feature!

Excitingly, we've added a new feature! The device can now be seamlessly commissioned into the Thread network. By using the Open Thread Border Router and navigating to the WebUI's commission tab, simply add "commission," and it will be automatically integrated.

You can find a detailed tutorial here

Features:

• Thread Module (nRF52840 on a MS88SF2 module)
• Light sensor (VEMLS6030)
• MS8607 with relative humidity, pressure and temperature
• RGB LED

Power Consumption

Home Assistant Integration

The Thread Sensor Tag can now be integrated into Home Assistant automatically! All you need is to update the python script running on the Raspberry Pi. It sends out MQTT Discovery messages for Home Assistant which will then automatically discover the device and show it in the Devices view.

Why did you make it?

We aim to make OpenThread more accessible to the community because we believe it's a significant step towards connecting devices and smart homes.

What makes it special?

It is one of the first open source Thread Devices and operates on the OpenThread network, which, while not yet universally available, is anticipated to be in the future. Using Thread makes this device extremely power efficient. Also Apple, Google and Co are already preparing their devices for seamless connectivity.

*MQTT: The device/firmware doesn't send MQTT but UDP packets. This is more resource and speed-efficient, crucial for energy conservation. Matter and MQTT would introduce unnecessary overhead. However, we provide a Python script for the Border Router to receive UDP packets and translate them into MQTT messages.

A friend, Fabian Baumann from Formfjord, has done an excellent job creating a 3D-printed case for the sensor, along with captivating images. View the case: Formfjord Thread Sensor Tag Case. We'll also attempt to sell some of them, including the case - feel free to join the waiting list to help us gauge demand. The 3D files are available, though they aren't ideally suited for regular 3D printing due to the tiny case size; we used Multijet Fusion to manufacture them.

Find all documentation, code, schematics, and 3D files in the attached links.