5 of the 10 features in our table differ between the DHT11 and the DHT22.
±2 °C · ±5 %RH · Single wire (own protocol) · 3 to 5.5 V
The cheapest humidity sensor and the one in most starter kits: fine for a first project or a rough indoor reading.
Watch out: ±5 %RH and ±2 °C, only 0 to 50 °C and 20 to 90 %RH, and at most one reading a second. Datasheet versions disagree on the minimum supply (3 or 3.5 V).
±0.5 °C · ±2 %RH · Single wire (own protocol) · 3.3 to 6 V
A step up from the DHT11: ±0.5 °C, ±2 %RH typical and down to −40 °C, still on one data wire.
Watch out: The humidity error can reach ±5 %RH, one reading every 2 s at most, and its own protocol needs precise timing. About 50 µA between readings.
| Feature | DHT11 | DHT22 |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature accuracy | ±2 °C | ±0.5 °C |
| Humidity accuracy | ±5 %RH | ±2 %RH |
| Temperature range | 0 to 50 °C | −40 to 80 °C |
| Supply | 3 to 5.5 V | 3.3 to 6 V |
| Current between readings | 100 µA | 50 µA |
Same on both: measures · interface · ESPHome · status.
In our table the DHT11 has nothing the DHT22 lacks: choose it for price, availability or a board you already have.
Open the sensor comparison →Tick what your project needs and see which sensor fits best.
The DHT22 offers better temperature accuracy, better humidity accuracy, a wider temperature range, and less current between readings; in our table the DHT11 has no advantage of its own, apart from price or availability.
Typical datasheet figures: temperature ±2 °C for the DHT11 and ±0.5 °C for the DHT22; humidity ±5 %RH and ±2 %RH. Placement matters as much as accuracy: keep either away from the board’s warm parts.
Often yes: both use a proprietary single-wire protocol and the same ESPHome component (dht), so mostly the settings change.
DHT22 vs BME280 AHT20 vs DHT22 DHT22 vs SHT31 DS18B20 vs DHT22
Figures from the makers’ datasheets and product pages and the ESPHome documentation, checked in November 2026.