There are basically 4 different sensor categories for my application.


  

1. USB logger

This plugs directly into the USB port on the Mac. They range wildly in price, sometimes costing close to $1k (which is way out of my budget).

Examples: TEMPerHUM, Omega, Lascar, Extech, TemperatureAlert, and more here

The problem is that, for whatever reason, these USB loggers are only compatible with Windows. The five above examples are Windows only.

The only logger that I have found that is Mac compatible is the Minnow. However, I spoke with the manufacturer and realized that it is not designed to be a real-time USB logger; the unit will quickly overheat. The workaround is to incorporate a USB relay switch to manually connect/disconnect the Minnow periodically from the Mac.

  

2. Bluetooth

Examples: Blustream, SensorPush, D'Addario Humiditrak, Eve Degree, and more here

The problem is that all of these products have an iOS app, but no macOS app.

But If I purchased the SensorPush sensor along with the $100 SensorPush WiFi Gateway, I can access the data over the internet.

But there are cheaper WiFi options, like the ConnectSense (won't be shipping until early 2019), Proteus, and La Crosse. But, I am hesitant to fully depend on an internet connection to get the data (i.e., if the internet goes down, then I would lose access to the data, which is not ideal).




  

3. RF

AcuRite sells a $13 Wireless Temperature and Humidity Sensor (model # 06002M) that transmits every 16 seconds using a 433 MHz wireless signal with a maximum range of 330'. This sensor is inexpensive because it is designed to be used with AcuRite Access and the AcuRite weather station products, which I do not want or need. It's all proprietary.

However, some people have reverse-engineered the radio signal to decode the data stream from this sensor if you have a USB RF receiver.

Examples:

• Acurite-00592TX-Decoder-ESP32a (C++)
  
  
• YouTube - Decoding Low Power Devices on MAC OSX Using RTL433
  
  
• rtl_433 (C) (device protocol #11)
  
  
• "Reverse Engineer Wireless Rain Sensors — Part 1"
  
  
• "Wireless Temperature Sensor"
  
  
  This path appears frustrating and difficult to a neophyte like me.
  
  
  
    
  
  

  4. DIY microcontroller
  

  
  Unlike the other 3 sensor categories, this looks like the one area where proprietary protocols are not in the way of progress. Once you get everything set up, accessing the raw data is a breeze.
  
  This is probably the most cost-effective option.
  
  Examples: Raspberry Pi + this $10 DHT22 sensor, Arduino, Espressif esp8266/esp32 wifi module
  
  The problem is that this is simply over my head. I have no real experience programming from the command line or really anything other than basic scripts. It would just be best if I paid someone to set this up for me, as I can easily envision myself spending 100 hours on this "simple" project.