Support

Answers to common questions about WindowCooling.

How can I get a Govee H5074 sensor?

I purchased mine on Amazon. They were available as of July 31, 2026 and the price was about $13 USD for one or $25 USD for a pair. I have no affilication with Govee or Amazon. The main reason I picked this sensor to support in the app first is the low price and the availability. If they are no longer available or you want to recommend another low cost, easy to get sensor, please let me know.

Will other Govee sensors work?

Govee makes a number of sensors and different sensors encode their temperature and humidity data in the Bluetooth advertisements in different ways. The H5179 sensor is reported to encode temperature and humidity the same way as the H5074 but it has not been tested. If you have one, please try adding it as a data source in this app and let me know whether it works or not.

Can I use the Govee app and the WindowCooling app with the same sensor at the same time?

No. The WindowCooling app does not connect to the Govee H5074 sensor to obtain the temperature and humidity data. It listens for the Bluetooth advertisements that it broadcasts. However, if another device or app does connect to the Govee sensor (not just listen for advertisements), the Govee sensor will stop sending Bluetooth advertisements, which means the WindowCooling app will no longer be able to receive data from it. If you want to use the Govee app while you are not using the WindowCooling app, go right ahead. Just remember to disconnect from the H5074 sensor before trying to use it with the WindowCooling app. I do recommend that if you get a new Govee H5074 sensor, you should connect to it using the Govee app first to make sure it works and to do a firmware update if there is one available. Just remember to press 'Delete Device' when you are done. I don't see a way to just disconnect the sensor from the Govee app and still have the app remember it like your phone will remember other Bluetooth devices and let you connect and disconnect as needed.

The temperature and humidity reported by Apple Weather do not agree with my weather station. Why?

There could be a number of reasons for that. Assuming that you provided the best address in the app for your location, there could still be differences between the weather station that is the source of Apple Weather and sensors outside your home. You sensors might be subject to direct sunlight or shade that might give inaccurate readings. The weather station that is the source of data for Apple Weather might be miles away from you. For the best results, I recommend using sensors outside your home that are properly installed to measure the temperature and humidity of the air that would flow into your home if you were to open your window.

What is this URL option that I see in the setting page for a data source?

I am a weather nerd and home control enthusiast. I have a weather station at home that reports indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity and I already have a home control system that reads that data and makes use of it. But that weather station interface is not documented and supported as an open interface by the manufacturer so I have not built support for it directly in this app. Instead, I built a REST API on my home control server with a simple interface that is easy to support in the app. For other home control enthusiasts, I included support for making REST requests if you want to build your own integration. For more detail about how to implement your own server, read this page.

Do you plan to support Apple Homekit integration or integration with other sensors or home control systems so I do not have to enter data manually?

Maybe. Send me email to let me know your interest in such integrations. Right now, this is a free app. If I need to purchase other hardware to test the integration, I may need to charge a fee to cover the costs. But if demand is high enough, I will put it on the product roadmap.

The readings look wrong. What should I check?

Make sure location access is enabled for WindowCooling so it can fetch accurate outdoor conditions for your area, and confirm your device has an active internet connection. If readings still look off, contact us and we'll help you sort it out.

Can I use this app to know when to use my evaporative cooler instead of opening the windows?

Yes! Evaporative coolers are popular in hot, dry climates. This might not be intuitive, but hot dry air can have lower enthalpy than warm, humid air. Evaporative coolers essentially lower the temperature and add humidity to the air. The enthalpy of the air going into the evaporative cooler is the same when it leaves the cooler (and enters your house) but the air hasa lower temperature. The temperature difference can be as much as 30°F/16.7°C. When you use an evaporative cooler you also vent the indoor air. So the lower enthalpy air pushes out the higher enthalpy air. The one thing to know about using the WindowCooling app in this scenario is that there is a setting called 'Max Outdoor Temp for Cooling'. This setting is meant to limit the advice for to open the windows when the outdoor temperature is above a certain threshold. But it does not apply to the use of an evaporative cooler. So change that setting to reflect the capabilities of your evaporative cooler.

Last updated: 2026-07-31