System and method for monitoring and responding to sensed environmental events and sensors therefor

An environmental monitoring system for use with a computing device having a wireless receiver, a non-transitory storage device, and a display device, the monitoring system comprising:

• a wireless sensing device for environmental monitoring of a location and comprising:
• an electronic system;
• and
• a housing for securing and protecting the electronic system in a cavity therein, the housing comprising a vented top portion defining the cavity and a wicking base portion comprising wicking material attached to and covering an exposed underside of the top portion, the attached wicking material being configured to absorb water from under the housing and evaporate the absorbed water into the cavity through the exposed underside of the top portion,
• wherein the electronic system comprises:
• a temperature and humidity sensor for sensing a current temperature and humidity of the location and converting the sensed temperature and humidity to temperature and humidity signals;
• and
• a wireless transmitter for periodically wirelessly transmitting the temperature and humidity signals from the location to the computing device;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM) having computer instructions stored therein that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to carry out an environmental monitoring process comprising:
• periodically wirelessly receiving the transmitted temperature and humidity signals from the wireless sensing device using the wireless receiver;
• storing the received temperature and humidity signals in the non-transitory storage device;
• executing insight algorithms on the stored temperature and humidity signals, the insight algorithms being configured to detect a leak at the location in response to a sudden increase in the sensed humidity from the evaporation;
• and
• alerting a maintenance issue on the display device in response to the executed insight algorithms.

An automated method of environmental monitoring of a location using a wireless sensing device at the location, the method comprising:

• sensing, using a temperature and humidity sensor of the wireless sensing device, a current temperature and humidity of the location;
• converting, using the temperature and humidity sensor, the sensed temperature and humidity to temperature and humidity signals;
• periodically wirelessly transmitting, using a wireless transmitter of the wireless sensing device, the temperature and humidity signals from the location to a computing device;
• periodically wirelessly receiving, using a wireless receiver of the computing device, the transmitted temperature and humidity signals from the wireless sensing device;
• storing, in a non-transitory storage device of the computing device, the received temperature and humidity signals;
• executing, using the computing device, insight algorithms on the stored temperature and humidity signals;
• and
• alerting, on a display device of the computing device, a maintenance issue in response to the executed insight algorithms,
• wherein the wireless sensing device comprises a housing for securing and protecting the temperature and humidity sensor and the wireless transmitter in a cavity therein, the housing comprising a vented top portion defining the cavity, and a wicking base portion comprising wicking material attached to and covering an exposed underside of the top portion, the method further comprising absorbing, using the attached wicking material, water from under the housing.