UbiBot Sensor Compatibility: Which External Sensors Work With WS1, WS1 Pro and GS1

The UbiBot WS1 supports exactly one type of external sensor. The GS1 supports twenty-two.

That gap catches people out, and it usually happens after the box arrives. Someone buys a WS1 for a walk-in cooler, adds a CO2 probe six months later, and the probe does nothing. Nothing is broken. The device simply doesn't have the interface that the probe needs.

This guide covers four things:

• Which sensors work with which UbiBot device
• Why the limits exist
• What the RS485 converters do
• What to check before you order

1. Compatibility at a glance

More ports and more capable ports mean more sensors. The GS1 sits at the top because its audio port is an RS485 bus, and RS485 is what most specialist probes speak.

2. How each device connects to sensors

WS1

One Micro USB port, handling power and one external temperature probe. One port, one job at a time. That's why the Micro USB splitter exists: it lets you run a probe and keep the device charging.

WS1 Pro

Two USB ports. USB1 takes power or a temperature sensor. USB2 takes a temperature sensor or RS485. That second port widens the list from one sensor to five.

GS1

External sensors connect through the audio port, which is an RS485 Modbus interface behind a 3.5mm connector.

This is where most confusion starts. It looks like a headphone jack. It isn't. It's a serial bus, and it's why the GS1 reads soil pH probes, pyranometers, rain gauges and gas sensors that the WS1 Pro can't touch.

3. Which sensors work with which device

WS1: temperature only

The DS18B20 temperature probe is the only external sensor the WS1 accepts.

If you're monitoring a fridge or freezer, choose the flat cable version. The flat profile passes through the door seal without holding the door open. A door that doesn't quite seal shows up in your data as a slow drift you'll spend an afternoon trying to explain.

WS1 Pro: five sensors

1. DS18B20 temperature probe
2. TH30S-B air temperature and humidity probe
3. High-precision air temperature and humidity sensor
4. PT100 RTD probe
5. Soil moisture and temperature probe
6. Wind speed sensor

That is the complete list. If a sensor isn't on it, the WS1 Pro won't read it.

GS1: the full range

Everything with an RS485 Modbus output works here, including:

• Soil pH, soil EC, soil moisture and temperature
• CO2 and ammonia
• Leaf temperature and humidity
• Rain gauge, wind speed, wind direction, pyranometer, barometric pressure
• Water leak detection
• Wet and dry bulb, PT100, DS18B20 (with a converter)

Two exceptions to note. The barometric pressure sensor works with the GS1 and nothing else. The vibration sensor is battery powered rather than bus powered, and excludes the GS1-A.

The full range sits in external sensors, and every product page states its own compatibility.

4. The three RS485 converters

These get mixed up constantly, partly because two of them have RS485 in the name.

The third one is a service tool. It will not connect a sensor to a logger, which is the single most common mix-up in this gro

5. Running more than one sensor on a GS1

One audio port, twenty-two compatible sensors. So how do you run several?

Splitters. A 1-to-6 audio splitter fans one port out to six probes.

One rule that's easy to miss: each port needs a different probe type. You can run a soil pH probe, a CO2 sensor, and a rain gauge off one splitter. You can't run six identical soil probes, because the logger has no way to tell them apart on the bus. Six soil readings across a field means multiple loggers, not one splitter.

Distance is the other limit. Extension cables chain up to four deep for roughly 13 metres of reach. Past that you need a different layout.

6. Four checks before you order

1. Which logger do you own, exactly? GS1 and GS1-A differ for compatibility. Two sensors exclude the GS1-A specifically.
2. Which connector does the sensor use? Most probes ship in USB and audio versions. They are not interchangeable.
3. Is a port free? On a WS1, plugging in a probe means giving up power unless you add a splitter.
4. How far is the sensor from the logger? Cable runs are limited. Plan the layout before you buy.

Get the right sensor the first time

Ordering the wrong probe costs a return, a delay, and usually a week of data you can't get back. Ten minutes with the table above prevents all three.

If you know what you're monitoring, check the compatibility line on the product page before you add to cart. If you're starting from scratch, the bundles pair a logger with probes that are known to work together, so there's nothing to get wrong.

Still unsure which device fits your site? Start at UbiBot USA and tell us what you're monitoring. Five minutes getting your configuration right beats processing a return for a sensor that was never going to work.

FAQs

Can I add more external sensors to a WS1 later? 

Only temperature probes. The WS1 has one Micro USB port and reads a single sensor type. If you expect to want air quality, soil or weather data later, start with a GS1.

Will an audio jack probe work in a USB port with an adapter? 

No. The two connectors carry different signals, so an adapter won't bridge them. Buy the version that matches your device.

Does the GS1 need a converter for RS485 sensors? 

No. The GS1's audio port is already RS485 Modbus, so those probes connect directly. The Temp-RS485 converter is only for putting a DS18B20 onto that bus.

Do the WS4, NR1 and NR2 work the same way as the GS1? 

Yes. They take RS485 sensors natively and need the Temp-RS485 converter for DS18B20 probes.

How many sensors can one GS1 read at once? 

Up to six with a 1-to-6 splitter, provided each is a different probe type. Two identical sensors on the same bus can't be told apart.

What's the difference between GS1 and GS1-A for sensors? 

Most of the range works with both. The high-precision air temperature and humidity sensor and the vibration sensor exclude the GS1-A.