{
  "id": 18538596,
  "title": "I put a temperature sensor in every room, and my thermostat had been lying about my house for years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/i-put-a-temperature-sensor-in-every-room-and-my-thermostat-had-been",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-06T18:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/temperature-sensor-every-room-thermostat-been-lying-for-years/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When the author added a temperature sensor to every room in their smart home, their Nest Learning Thermostat proved to be inaccurate. The thermostat could not detect open windows and controlled the house's temperature from one central location, which was the living room. The living room wall the thermostat was placed on was part of an open-plan area that encompassed the entire floor. However, the basement and upper floor were never comfortable despite the thermostat's placement being textbook \"right\" with no direct sunlight and in a well-insulated area. The author discovered significant temperature variations between the living room and other parts of the house, with a 4-degree swing being the largest. They paired a Nest Sensor to the thermostat and moved it around the house, discovering that the warmest part of the house was consistently 78F above the set temperature of 74F. The sensor helped improve comfort in the office, but only one room could be at the preferred temperature at a time. The author concluded that adding more sensors won't solve the problem as the 3rd-gen Nest can only support one active sensor at a time. The sensors also lack occupancy sensors and are limited to operating based on temperature.",
  "summary": "My Nest only knew the hallway, and a $40 sensor proved the hallway was the wrong room",
  "key_points": [
    "Author installed temperature sensors in every room of their smart home.",
    "Nest Learning Thermostat proved inaccurate, failing to detect open windows.",
    "Adding more sensors didn't solve the issue due to Nest's one active sensor limit."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}