Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Freezer Alarms

I have an upright freezer in my basement (frost free and has to be 20 years old) packed full of fish and meat along with some veggies. I spend most of my summer away from home and although there is usually someone here I'm thinking I should probably install an alarm so that I can address any issues before everything would spoil.

I'll do some research but figured I'd start here. I'd like it to be wireless wifi so that I can get an alarm on my phone when something goes wrong. One that would use an app to notify me instead of needing a phone line for it. I would think that such an alarm exists today.

Anyone have any experience?

Nice................thanks for the heads up.

Always worry about my freezer going & not noticing until it's too late.

MM

That should be standard equipment on any modern freezer.

I have a 1958 Sears Coldspot freezer my dad bought used in 1961. Still works fine and has been my main freezer for many years. They don't make um like that anymore. I agree alarms should be standard these days.

And how does that work? If you put it in the freezer odds are that the metal and insulation of the chest is going to block the WiFi signal.
I would be looking for a WiFi power monitor on the freezer circuit. Maybe a load monitor to tell if the compressor runs.

How about an open door alarm? We have an upright in the unheated garage. In the fall I gave it the annual defrost so it was nice and clean. Then some time around Christmas, the door didn't shut all the way. It was open about 1/2" and it was at least a week before we noticed it. The garage was plenty cold so nothing was lost but it's all covered with ice. Now I have to defrost the dang thing again but can't until it warms up enough to thaw it out.

Thank you Sparky.

Looking into the Temp Stick I think it might work for me.

Swifty, I found this on the site Sparky posted:

What is the Temp Stick WiFi range?

The sensor has a range of 300-400 ft (unobstructed). Doors, walls, floors and other obstructions can impact this range. The sensor contains state-of-the-art "safe wall" penetrating WiFi technology that is designed to work on nearly every type of safe, refrigerator, freezer, walk-in cooler etc.

$139 on their site, 3 year warranty, 30 day return if it doesn't work (I'm sure you'll have to pay return shipping). $149 on Amazon with free returns, no return shipping fee.

Bud, your freezer is basically a faraday cage. It blocks WiFi. If you use a remote antenna outside it will work, which is how most freezer monitors work. Just to be clear I have a WiFi router with 2200 sq.ft. Coverage and 400 ft. I have to have a repeater or booster to cover all of the house and part of the garage. Due to the garage being steel even the booster doesn’t get through at <75 ft. Unless the garage door is open. Do as you wish, but going through walls, insulation and wiring will kill 50% of the range, let alone the sending unit is inside a metal box.

Understood Swifty. My freezer is probably within 40 to 50 feet from my router. Worse that could happen is try it, it won't work and send it back.

I use LaCrosse Mobile Alerts. Sensor is on a cord that goes into freezer while the transmitter goes on the outside and sends a signal to the base by our WIFI. I can set alert temps and it notifies me if temps get out of those parameters.

What model are you using. Those look good, they are cheaper and would definitely work with my Wifi.

I have a wireless alarm for my freezer. Not sure what freq it runs at but it's probably 433M. Pretty easy to have the base-station connect to the remote at 433 and then send it to wifi. At least for a manufacturer.

https://www.amazon.com/ORIA-Refrigerator-Thermometer-Wireless-Restaurants/dp/B07B9QF64N

As someone who did a lot of wifi in my past life, you could probably get 2.4GHz through a freezer if there isn't a whole bunch of walls as well between it and the AP. Signal would be attenuated for sure. But something like a freezer alarm isn't going to need much link margin due to the low BW.

Biggest issue for my wireless is the batteries. Need to use Lithium at those cold temps.

Yep it’s 433 MHz. but even the company in the question answer says it’s 98.4 ft unobstructed to the base station not the WiFi. So you are basically doing what I suggested using a probe to talk to a close enough base station which then talks to the WiFi router. Big difference.

https://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Alerts-926-25101-GP-Wireless-Monitor/dp/B0081UR76G
I hope this works.

Mine are in my garage, goes through three walls about 30 feet to the base station and work just fine. Not sure the maximum distance and walls it will go through total. I did just notice it says unavailable on Amazon but that is the style I use.

Thank you