The Eve Weather is the latest generation of the Eve outdoor temperature, humidity and air pressure monitor. This version of the HomeKit-enabled accessory provides most of the capabilities found in the Eve Degree. But with a larger screen and Thread wireless connectivity. So continue to read on for the full low down in this Eve Weather review to see how it performs.
Eve Weather specs
- Price: $65/£69.99(Amazon affiliate link).
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy and Thread
- Hub: No hub required
- Smart Home: HomeKit exclusive
- Power: CR2450 battery
- Sensors: Temperature, humidity and barometric pressure
- Display: LCD display
- Water resistant: IP65
- In the box: Eve Weather and care card.
Eve Weather review – Design
The all new Eve Weather features 2.1 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches dimensions with a silver-aluminum case and glossy black finish. Which is pretty much inline with Eve Home’s current product line up.
On the front of the Eve Weather you get a 2”, LCD display that I found works well in most light conditions. The new display is a much improved screen over its predecessor, the Eve Degree. On that device, users needed to press a button to toggle between temperature and humidity on the screen. The new Eve Weather shows all the data on one screen for easy reading.
Around the rear of the device, you will find the battery compartment cover which protects the CR2450. Eve says that this battery is good for around one year, and based on my experience with the Eve Degree, I have no reason to doubt it. You will also find the hole for the sensors, the activate/reset button and a picture style hook for placement of the Eve Weather on an external wall or fence.
While the Eve Weather is pretty much identical to the Eve Degree in terms of design and size, other than the bigger screen. One thing I did notice is that the HomeKit setup code is a sticker rather than etched on as found on the Eve Degree. Which, based on my experiences of getting these types of stickers wet, they can be prone to pealing off.
Eve Weather Setup
To turn on and activate the Eve Weather, you press the button on the back of the device. The setup process involves opening the Eve app, navigating to settings, then accessories and then tapping add accessory. This will bring up the HomeKit setup steps, which involves scanning the HomeKit code on the bottom of the device and following the rest of the process.
Setup as with all the Eve smart home range for HomeKit is straightforward. I also like Eve has integrated with the popular HomePass app so you can back up your HomeKit accessories and codes.
Once setup in HomeKit and Eve app is complete, placement of this device is key and Eve recommends you do not place it in direct sun. I placed mine in the same location as my current Eve Degree that does not have direct sunlight and provides a little protection from direct rainfall.
Eve App, HomeKit and performance
The Eve Weather is what it says on the tin, a Weather sensor with the display showing you temperature and humidity levels along with predicated weather. So if you place this in a convenient place outside of your home, you can see at a glance the information easily.
However, it’s when you use the Eve App, this gives you far more insight into the environment outside. For instance, you can get a detailed breakdown of temperature, humidity, air pressure. You can view at a glance on the primary screen which will show you the current readings along with the temperature range for the last 24 hours in a nice colourful bar.
The next screen will give you another overview of the key data points, but you can also click the arrow down and get a graph that shows the last 24 hours. If you click on the “i” icon, you can get this data broken down into hours, days, week or month view in the detailed view section. You can also go further and compare data to previous points in time.
Data privacy
Eve Weather takes the temperature, humidity, and air pressure readings every 10 minutes and can store up to 3 weeks’ data. So this gives you ample time to download device data which is all encrypted and only transferred directly between Eve Weather and iPhone, iPad or home hub. Eve does not harvest your personal data by forcing you to set up an account or registering your accessories. This means that your data all stays local and never transmitted to the cloud. If you want to export your data for further analysis, you can do so via the Eve app into Excel.
In my testing, the Eve Room appeared to be accurate for temperature, humidity and air temperature readings.
Eve Weather Trend
It’s not just the bigger screen that the new Eve Weather improves on. The Eve Weather gets Weather Trends that uses the information collected from the temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors to predict the forecast for your immediate area for the next 12 hours. This is all done locally and doesn’t rely on external sources of information or cloud processing.
Battery life and water resistance
Eve Weather is powered by a single CR2450 battery that comes in the box. Eve says it will last for one year before it needs to be replaced. Although I have only had the Eve Weather for a short time, my experiences with the Eve Degree has been positive.
I have had the Eve Degree in my garden for over one year during multiple seasons from -6 to 40 degrees and the battery has lasted around 12 months. So with the addtion of Thread, I am confident that the Eve Weather will perform just as well.
In terms of weather resistance, the Eve Weather has a rating of IPX3 water resistance, same as the Eve Degree. This means it can withstand rainfall, but I would not recommend submerging this in water for any period.
HomeKit
Apple’s Home app, things are more basic than you find in the Eve app. You can see current temperature, humidity, but you can’t see historical data or air pressure. So if you want to look at that data, you are best sticking to the dedicated Eve app. Which I found I did with the Eve Degree over the last year.
With the power of the Eve App and HomeKit, you can unlock the ability to create automation rules based on temperature or humidity. For example, a rule could automatically turn on the sprinkler via the Eve Aqua if the temperature in the garden rises above a certain level. But you need to create these types of rules within the Eve app.
Thread takes over
I have been using Bluetooth-connected Eve products for several years now inside the home and not come across issues with range or response. That’s not me saying these issues don’t exist, I am just saying I have not experienced them.
But it’s when I use HomeKit enabled devices outside the home. That I experienced problems with connectivity and devices showing no response. This is down to the short coverage distance of Bluetooth radios, which are normally limited to around 10 meters.
So when using the previous generation device, the Eve Degree, I would have to be fairly close to the device with my iPhone to connect. But that all changes with Thread built into the Eve Weather that promises to improve range, performance and battery longevity. But let me explain the different devices.
- Firs you have devices that can act as a border router, currently only the HomePod Mini. This device bridges your Thread network with your Home network. You need at least one border router to take advantage of the Thread capabilities with the Eve Weather.
- The second type is a Thread Router that can pass information to other Thread devices and expand the Thread mesh network.
- The last type is Thread endpoint that can connect to your mesh Thread network but cannot expand the mesh further. Eve Weather is a Thread end point device.
So using a HomePod mini with the Eve Weather you can take advantage of Thread. Then if you have router devices like the Nanoleaf Essential lightbulb or the new Eve Energy. These devices will help mesh your Thread network together and help with range for devices like the Eve Weather vs using Bluetooth.
Thread performance
In my testing with the Nanoleaf bulbs, Nanoleaf Essentials light strip and Eve Energy all acting as Thread routers. The performance of the Eve Weather was noticeable using Thread. I could connect to the Eve Weather from any point in the house and the downloading of data was super fast. I also found that I could place the Eve Weather at the very bottom of garden, something I could not do with any HomeKit Bluetooth device before.
Eve Weather review summary
The Eve Weather does what it says on the tin and presents the data well in the Eve app. You get plenty of data to pour over that will give you some useful insight into your outside environment. I like the graphical changes that just add that extra touch when viewing data with the Eve App.
The larger screen is a welcome improvement on the Eve Weather, I like that all the data is on one screen. Meaning I can just look over at the device to see all the data at a glance. I also like that Eve has included Thread support, and this has given me more choice around placement because of the Thread network range. Plus, connecting to the device and downloading data has been super quick and responsive.
Although it is great that Eve is bringing innovations with Trend Weather data and it could be a useful data point. I am not sure how useful this is over dedicated Weather data from something like the Weather channel.
Although this is no reflection on Eve, it is worth mentioning that this type of device is limited in HomeKit. I would like to see Apple, for example, add support to bring some of the trend data into HomeKit and the Home app. I would also like to see more automation options directly within the Home app, without the need to jump between apps.
Eve Weather vs Eve Degree
The Eve Weather is certainly a nice upgrade to the Eve Degree, but the question you may ask if you already own the previous generation. Is it worth upgrading? and this is down to personal preference and need. My view is that if you have been struggling with Bluetooth performance and have a HomePod mini. Then it could a good idea and by doing so you are future proofing your HomeKit Home.
So that’s a wrap on the Eve Weather review, Don’t forget to subscribe for more HomeKit reviews. If you have a question or a comment, then leave it below. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Hi Jon, does tread for homekt also works with eero homekit devices? Or do you always need a homepod mini to setup a tread network.
https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000104706
You need a HomePod mini to start a Thread network for HomeKit at this time
My eve only shows Celsius on the box but I have it set to Fahrenheit in my iPad. What or how can I change it to Fahrenheit?
I hope to correct this review. My weather ran out of the battery it got shipped with after 5 months of usage. I have gotten in touch with Eve Systems and the response I have gotten is as follow:
“When used in Automations or connected more often this may happen.”
In my case, I don’t use automation however I have the eve connected to Apple Home and I am not sure if using Home app is the reason why I got so bad battery time.
Hopefully you can get to the bottom of it and update this review.