Hardware
BME280
Temperature, humidity and barometric pressure sensor
BME280
Low-power 3-in-1 sensor (temperature, humidity, pressure) with I2C/SPI interface.
The BME280 combines three measurements in a 2.5 mm chip: temperature (±0.5 °C), relative humidity (±3 %) and pressure (±1 hPa), the latter even useful to estimate altitude. It talks over I2C (up to 3.4 MHz) or SPI and draws microamps at idle.
It is the go-to environmental sensor to start with: there are libraries for Arduino
CompanyArduinoOpen source hardware and software platform for makersView profile, ESP32
HardwareESP32Dual-core WiFi + BT/BLE SoC at €-tier priceView profile and Raspberry Pi
CompanyRaspberry PiSingle-board computers and RP2040/RP2350 microcontrollersView profile and dirt-cheap breakout modules. For air quality (VOC/gas) its bigger sibling is the BME680BHardwareBME680Temperature, humidity, pressure and gas/VOC (air quality)View profile; for top-precision humidity, Sensirion's SHT4xSHardwareSHT4xHigh-accuracy temperature and humidity sensorView profile.
Pros
- Three measurements in a single tiny chip
- Ultra-low power, ideal for battery use
- I2C and SPI, with libraries for every board
- Very cheap and widely available
Cons
- Doesn't measure air quality (that's the BME680)
- Self-heating can bias the temperature reading
Related articles
IoT Sensors: Types, Protocols and Applications in 2026
IoT sensors convert physical-world measurements — temperature, gases, vibration, light, position — into continuous, actionable, scalable digital data. This guid
Jul 9, 2026
Japan's incredible example of a Smart City that could come to Spain
Japan's smart cities: advancements in sustainability and quality of life Japan has emerged as a global leader in developing smart cities that integrate advanced technologies to enhance sustainability and improve the quality of urban life. By leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT
Apr 1, 2025