Surprisingly Simple and Reliable: A Great Pool Thermometer That Just Works
After some recent frustration with Amazon tech products, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to set up the Govee pool thermometer. The process began with installing the Govee app and plugging in the Wi-Fi gateway. With just a quick button press, the app detected and paired with the gateway seamlessly. The temperature sensor itself requires two AA batteries (included), and while unscrewing the cover was a bit difficult, it's clearly designed that way to maintain waterproofing. Although the pairing instructions were provided, I didn’t need them—once I added a thermometer in the app, it paired automatically. I dropped the sensor into the pool and secured it to our steps using the included lanyard. Within a couple of minutes, the app displayed the correct water temperature, matching the sensor's screen which has nice big digits making it easy to read without lifting it from the water. The range is excellent. In my setup, the gateway is in the garage—about 75 feet from the floating sensor—and the connection remains strong. I also appreciate the app’s ability to store historical data and display graphs, which is great for tracking temperature trends. I discovered our electric air-source heat pump starts warming the pool around 15 minutes after sunrise, so now I can save money by turning it off overnight and restarting it in the morning. Despite some reviews to the contrary, I was able to connect the thermometer to our Alexa system without issue. Now, I can ask, "What's the pool temperature?" and get an accurate answer within five seconds. I did notice that Alexa can take up to ten minutes to reflect recent temperature changes, which might explain the trouble others have mentioned. One thing to note for software developers is that this sensor is not supported by the public API that Govee has, this is particularly annoying as Amazon and Google have access to the sensor, but not the rest of us. I've confirmed that this is the case with Govee support. Overall, this is a well-built device that offers excellent value for money. It’s one of the rare tech products that has actually become more affordable over time. I'm hoping it holds up well and that the batteries last; if not, I’ll update my review. Read more








