Customer story · Denver, CO

“Homelab heat spike before the weekend”

A Denver homelabber caught a stuck garage-door-adjacent server closet fan with ThermalTrace high-temp alerts and webhook → Home Assistant.

Rows of lit server racks in a dense data-center aisle
Closets and homelab racks need high-temp watch as much as garages need freeze and leak alerts. Photo: Carl Lender / Flickr. CC BY 2.0

The setup

  • Existing ESP32 already on ThermalTrace for the garage; second probe in the closet
  • High-temp threshold 95°F plus freeze watch on the garage side
  • Pro webhook into Home Assistant to cut a smart plug if temps stayed high (today: use the HACS integration or outbound webhook blueprint)

Timeline

  1. Fri 6:05 p.m.: Closet hit 96°F after a fan failed; webhook tripped HA automation.
  2. Fri 6:06 p.m.: Non-critical gear powered down; SMS confirmed the cutover.
  3. Sat a.m.: Owner replaced the fan; no cooked NAS, no melt smell.

“The closet was cooking and we were out of town”

Homeowner, Denver, CO (name withheld)

What happened

Same stack that watches freeze risk also watches heat. One ingest path, two failure modes covered.

Typical Pro trial → Member or Pro subscription after winter. Your results depend on sensor placement and alert thresholds.

Story FAQ

Is ThermalTrace only for cold?

No: thresholds work both ways. Freeze is the headline risk for garages; heat matters for closets and workshops.

How did Home Assistant fit?

Pro outbound webhooks POST alert JSON into Home Assistant. An automation switched a smart plug when closet temp stayed elevated. Today you can also use the official HACS integration for share-link sensors and snooze services, see thermaltrace.dev/integrations/home-assistant.

Try it on your space

Start free with live charts, email alerts, and one family live share link. Upgrade when you want CSV history (Member) or SMS, push, and expanded share scopes (Pro: 14-day trial).

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