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How to connect a sensor

Pair a temperature and humidity sensor over Bluetooth from inside a storage — which sensors InVintory recognises, and why you should not set a Govee up in its own app first.

You pair a sensor from inside the storage it sits in: open the cellar or fridge, scroll to Sensors, and tap Add. InVintory finds it over Bluetooth.

Requires Elite or Enterprise. On Free and Premium the Sensors section does not appear at all.

Which sensors work

InVintory recognises two temperature-and-humidity sensors, and matches each one by how it identifies itself over Bluetooth. A sensor outside this list will not be found however long you search.

Sensor

How it appears in the list

Minew S1 beacon

Minew Beacon, followed by its ID

Govee H5179

Govee_H5179 or GV5179_5254, depending on the unit

Before you save, the Pair Sensor screen names what it recognised in a read-only Sensor Type row — Minew Beacon, Govee or Govee H5179. Govee units report under two names, so either of the last two means your Govee was found.

⚠️ Do not set a Govee sensor up in the Govee app. A sensor that has been paired to the Govee app stops broadcasting, and InVintory can no longer see it. Take it out of the box, put the batteries in, and leave it alone.

If you have already added it to the Govee app, open that app, select the sensor, tap the gear icon, and choose Delete device. Then search again in InVintory. You do not need a Govee account, and no sensor needs to be on your Wi-Fi.

Pair the sensor

  1. Turn Bluetooth on and open InVintory. Allow Bluetooth access if you are asked.

  2. On your home screen, scroll to Cellars & fridges and tap the storage the sensor is in. On iPad this list sits in the panel beside your collection.

  3. Scroll down to Sensors and tap Add.

  4. Wait while it says Searching for nearby sensors. Under Sensors found, your sensor appears with its ID underneath it — tap it. If you get No sensors found, tap Search again.

  5. Enter a Sensor Name, check the Storage is right, and choose Celsius or Fahrenheit.

  6. Tap Save. You will see Sensor paired.

Home → Cellars & fridges → your storage → Sensors → Add

How readings reach the app

Your iPhone or iPad is the bridge. The sensor broadcasts over Bluetooth, and InVintory picks the readings up while the app is open and your device is within range of the storage — then uploads them to your collection. When you are away from the cellar you are looking at the last readings collected, not a live feed, so open the app near your cellar every so often to keep the history filling in.

What you get

Tap a sensor to see its current temperature and humidity and a chart you can switch between Hour, Day, Week and Month. Temperature and humidity badges also appear on that storage's card on your home screen.

The gear icon on the sensor screen renames it, moves it to a different storage, changes the unit, or removes it — removing it means pairing again from scratch.

If the sensor does not appear

Cause

Fix

A Govee is still paired to the Govee app

Delete the device in the Govee app, then search again

The sensor has dropped into low power mode

Take the batteries out and put them back in

It is not one of the two sensors above

It will never be found — the app only recognises those units

Bluetooth is off or blocked for InVintory

The Sensors section shows an Open Settings button — use it to grant Bluetooth access

It pairs, but readings look stale

Scanning starts up to a minute and a half after you open the app, then samples every 30 seconds. Leave the app open near the cellar for a few minutes

Android and web

Sensors are an iPhone and iPad feature. They are not in the Android app or on the web app yet, because pairing relies on your device's own Bluetooth radio.

Next steps

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