With the soil sensor about 10 ft clear line of sight to the hub The batteries went dead in under 4 months.So unless you want to go to the poor house for buying batteries you can forget about this device.

Key Features:3-in-1 Monitoring: Measures soil moisture, temperature, and light intensity for comprehensive plant care.  Smart Connectivity: Integrates with smart home devices via Zigbee and a WiFi hub for remote access and automation.  High Precision: Offers accurate readings with 0.1°C temperature resolution and 1% humidity resolution.  Durable and Waterproof: IP67 water-resistant design ensures reliable performance in various weather conditions.  Wide Operating Range: Functions effectively in temperatures from -20°C to 85°C and 0-100% RH.  User-Friendly Design: Compact, portable, and easy to set up with minimal maintenance.Benefits:Optimized Plant Growth: Enables precise adjustments to watering, temperature, and lighting for healthier plants.  Remote Monitoring and Control: Access real-time data and automate gardening tasks from anywhere.  Reliable Data: Provides accurate measurements for informed decision-making.Durable and Weatherproof: Withstands harsh outdoor conditions for long-lasting use.  Easy to Use: Simple setup and minimal maintenance make it accessible to all gardeners.Overall:The AFRA II 3-in-1 Soil Moisture Sensor offers a smart and convenient way to monitor and manage plant health.Its comprehensive monitoring capabilities, smart connectivity, and durable design make it a valuable tool for both gardening enthusiasts and professional farmers. The remote access and automation features are especially useful for busy individuals or for managing larger gardens.

If this device can last long enough, it will be great. I can't ask for more from this device. It not only performs well, but also looks beautiful. The device is easy to set up and the app is well designed. So far, I am very impressed.LINKSTYLE AFRA II soil moisture sensor connects to the app according to the instructions, plugs it into the soil and can be used. It is very intelligent and measures humidity accurately. This soil moisture sensor can be connected to wifi through a wifi hub, so it can be used when you are not at home, and can also be integrated with smart home devices. The sensor will display a series of data such as soil moisture, temperature, and light intensity on the app to notify you when you need to water. You can monitor soil moisture, light intensity, and temperature at any time, which is very convenient.

I like the quick sync of results but don’t trust the water levels readings when it comes to potted plants. It constantly told me there was 0% of moisture. I actually cut the lifespan of my most expensive and cherished plant short because I was following the moisture readings instead of just doing it my way. This left me very sad… I wanted to use the meter for them so I could closely monitor them. There wasn’t much information on how the meter worked. Like how was moisture determined, what the value for lux meant in intensity (which I found out later…my light was too powerful). The gateway box that comes with doesn’t have very good distance. I use it for my doorknob because the type of plants I have need to be locked up. The gateway works great not just for the sensor but also other devices that require a gateway. You can use your own preferred app. I use Nice Digi instead of tuya or the app provided. I learned it made no difference. I think it’s my own internet but the devices get disconnected kinda often. It’s a good meter but I think it would work better in the ground directly or big flower beds instead of just in a pot unless you have to plants and can put the meter between them otherwise it may not sense moisture very well. It did indeed quite durable.

I got the sensor + wifi hub package, which is a good intro to this line. The hub is AC powered (plugged into a wall), while the sensor takes 2 AA batteries (more on that later). The setup was fairly straightforward, though you must do several things some people may not be comfortable with. Many of the things you must do seem to be to be required these days in order to use smart home devices. This contrasts with the older method of establishing very basic ad hoc connections directly between your phone and the device. First, you need to download the app and register it with an email address, then enter a code that they email you. Then you plug in and add the wifi hub, granting it your home/work networks sign-in credentials. Once the hub is paired you can then pair the sensor to the hub by adding it as a new device. The reason this is such a convoluted procedure is because it’s anticipated you’ll have several sensors, in addition to other smart devices throughout your home, all running through one or more hubs. Once the sensor was paired, I placed it into the soil of my potted monstera albo (see photo) and saw the moisture was 8.8%. After watering it the sensor updated the increase in moisture within a minute, as did the lux (light) when I walked it outside. As night approached, I could see the recorded drop in soil temperature. Everything worked flawlessly.Now as to why I deducted two stars. We’re in the 2020s, yet this sensor is powered by two AA alkaline batteries. Sure, I could also use some lithium rechargeables. The point is I still need to change batteries in an age where most modern devices have built-in, user-replaceable, rechargeable batteries and a USB port that supports charging the batteries without taking them out. The reason this is a sticking point here is that the battery cover is secured with two tiny Phillips screws. Again, this isn’t 1970, it is 2024. Both screw heads looked a little stripped before I touched them with the driver, possibly from over tightening during assembly. How do I know? Because you can see the green plastic was stuck to some of the screw threads, as well as visible bits of green plastic particles and dust. One of the screws came out pretty easily, but the other seems to have threaded the hole in the plastic compartment cover and simply turns in place. I don’t dare try and pull it out for fear of breaking the plastic. With this in mind, how many times do you imagine I can reliably remove and replace these tiny screws before the heads are stripped, or the plastic breaks? I certainly hope the AA batteries last a good long time, because I fear the one day I’ll have a working sensor with a battery compartment I can no longer seal. At $50 apiece, this gives me pause in investing in a couple more of these sensors. In my opinion, the AA batters and screwed in battery compartment are fatal flaws in the design.Overall, this system provides basic, real-time data on light, temperature and moisture. It’s easy to configure as long as you don’t mind jumping through a few hoops and disclosing network credentials. The one serious issue that prevents me from wanting to invest in more sensors, or even recommend this system, is the fact that you must unscrew the battery compartment cover each time you need to replace the antique AA batteries. Both the battery compartment cover and screws are of very poor a quality and I feel this is a likely point of failure, sooner rather than later. For the price, these probes should have built-in rechargeable batteries with a watertight USB charging port.