So,
We bought this absurdly expensive Whirlpool refridgerator/freezer for our new house. Some $2k worth.
Unlike the cheap GE unit we had in our rental, there is no indication of opening (raised temperature)
I bought a cheap Aqara sensor to try out, but it doesn’t transmit through the door.
Any suggestions for a sensor I can put in both the refrigerator and the freezer to work with HA?
Thanks
Most sensors won’t report temperature that quickly for it to matter (unless you go with something an esp board).
What about putting contact sensors on the doors themselves?
I connected a timer on the interior lamp. A small …whichever timer device, programmed to make noise (buzzer) after, say, 1 minute after power-on.
In this case i don’t see the usefull point of connecting this to HA…
For the temp sensor the response time would not be very important in the below scenario -
I like this idea for my home automation journey, not only temp because it would go down if the fridge malfuncions, then also door sensors to tell me when one of the doors is left open/ajar - it does chime when one is left open but if you are more than 10 feet away you can’t hear it…
I use a Wireless Sensor Tag in the fridge. The tag is not sealed, so you have put it in a ziploc bag to stop condensation, but it works very well. They say they work in the freezer too, but I found the battery life was poor at those temperatures.
Interesting about thge battery… I may heve to drill a hole in the back of my freezer if I cannot re-use a hole already there - (don’t tell the wife lol)
I have been using an Aeotec aërQ Temperature and Humidity Sensor (ZWave) in my freezer.
It is not rated at freezer temps (~0 degrees F), and after a couple of weeks the battery will say its a 0%, but it continues to operate and report temps for several months. It is located ~10 feet from a ZWave wall switch (acts as a repeater).
I am using one of these Zigbee temperature unit from Abuess, update the temperature every 10min.
Works OK so far, I have a repeater app. 3m away from it.
I have some spare ones, might try it.
I have two refrigerators and a freezer and I use Aqara temp sensors inside all of them and they work great for me.
Finity, yeah likewise Aqara temp sensors work for me, which surprised me as my fridge/freezer skin is stainless steel.
I did have to move the sensors to the door shelves, close to the door seal for best reception. And the freezer sensor battery reports as 0% even though it continues to work just fine. I do the ziplok bag thing to prevent condensation too.
If Aqara temperature sensors aren’t working for you, try door window contact sensor(s) on top of the door (out of sight) instead.
I have had a lot of success with the switchbot bluetooth temp/humidity sensors. They just connect to HA. No switchbot hub, connect great to my Pi3 HA. Work fine from a chest freezer in my garage through a wall at about 8m from HA. For what its worth I put in ziplock bags and use Energizer lithium AA batteries which work well in the cold.
Interestingly, I don’t do any of that stuff.
I just put the battery in and stuck them inside where it was convenient. 
Thanks Guise, I will give it a try. I had assumed I would need something with a remote probe, maybe drill holes, etc. so I was putting it off.
@All,
PSA: Be very careful drilling through sides / back as often that’s where the refrigerant lines run. Usually you are OK drilling through the door.
I learned that as I have been researching building a keezer lately. 
For the time being I have been using a power monitoring plug. It’s located in an out of the way place where I don’t worry about it getting turned off on accident. And I have an automation to send me XMPP message if the plug itself drops off the network (in which case, I assume it lost power).
I’m using Govee H5100 bluetooth temperature sensors, and they have been working fine in two refrigerators and two freezers. They use a single AAA battery, and battery life has been pretty good - a few months.
I just have some ESPHome bluetooth proxies in the same room, and the measurements are picked up reliably.
I also use Wireless Tags for my freezers and fridges, they work Ok but the batteries go fast - especially in the deep freeze.
Thanks all for the suggestions. I’ll have a lookie see.
cheers
I’ve been very satisfied with YoLink sensors in my fridge and freezer. These devices require a hub and the data is not local, so that could be a showstopper for you. But the LoRa connectivity is incredible and unlike any other of the technologies mentioned so far: rock solid connection through the refrigerator walls and across the house. Seamless integration with HA.
Thank you.
Just yesterday we had a reason to need it…
cheers
Revisiting this discussion.
I can confirm that Sonoff SNZB-02 do NOT work in the Refrigerator/Freezer…
