Off-the-shelf parts. No proprietary lock-in.

Everything you need is available from standard UK retailers. You own it all outright — no rental, no lock-in.

Shopping list

Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

Buy from Amazon, Pi Hut, or wherever you prefer. These are standard parts available from multiple UK suppliers.

Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB+)

The hub. Runs Mosquitto MQTT broker, Zigbee2MQTT, and the ChillCheck subscriber service. Sits in a cupboard, uses under 5W. Any model with 2GB RAM or more works — the 4GB model gives you plenty of headroom.

~£45
Sonoff ZBDongle-E

Zigbee USB coordinator. Plugs into any USB port on the Pi and gives it a wireless radio that talks to the sensors. Range ~10–15m through walls. This specific model is required — it’s the one ChillCheck is tested against.

~£18
Sonoff SNZB-02LD sensor

One per cabinet. Battery-powered (2× AAA, lasts ~2 years). Temperature range −10°C to +60°C — covers fridges and freezers. Included adhesive mount sticks inside the door or on a shelf. Buy as many as you have cabinets.

~£12 each
MicroSD card (32GB+ Class 10)

The Pi’s storage. Runs the OS and all ChillCheck software. Buy a reputable brand — SanDisk or Samsung are reliable. Avoid no-name cards; the Pi writes to it constantly.

~£8
USB-C power adapter (3A)

Powers the Pi. The official Raspberry Pi power supply is the safest choice. Most Pi kits include one — check before buying separately. The Pi is fussy about power quality; a cheap adapter can cause instability.

~£10
UPS (uninterruptible power supply) Optional

Keeps monitoring through short power cuts. A basic 600VA unit (like a CyberPower or APC 600VA) works well for a Pi and USB dongle. Highly recommended for sites where power reliability is a concern.

~£45
4G USB dongle + SIM Optional

Broadband backup. ChillCheck supports 4G failover via NetworkManager — the Pi automatically falls back to mobile data if the router drops. A PAYG data SIM with a few hundred MB/month is plenty. Any USB dongle compatible with Linux NetworkManager works.

~£15 + SIM

Estimated cost

What it looks like for different kitchen sizes.

One Pi, one dongle, and one sensor per cabinet. All figures are approximate and based on current UK retail prices.

Small kitchen

2–3 cabinets

Pi + dongle + 3 sensors + SD card + power adapter

~£109

one-off hardware

+ £25/month subscription

Medium kitchen

5–6 cabinets

Pi + dongle + 6 sensors + SD card + power adapter

~£145

one-off hardware

+ £25/month subscription

Large kitchen + resilience

8 cabinets + UPS + 4G

Pi + dongle + 8 sensors + SD card + power adapter + UPS + 4G dongle

~£252

one-off hardware

+ £25/month subscription

Each hub covers one site. If you have multiple sites, each needs its own Pi, dongle, and sensors — but they all run under one login for £25/site/month.

Retailers

Where to buy it.

No specific product links here — they go stale. Search by the exact part names above at these retailers.

The Pi Hut

The go-to UK specialist for Raspberry Pi hardware. Stocks the Pi 4 in all RAM configurations, official power supplies, and MicroSD cards. Often the best-priced source for Pi accessories.

Amazon UK

Good source for the Sonoff SNZB-02LD sensors, MicroSD cards (Samsung and SanDisk), UPS units, and 4G USB dongles. Prime delivery is useful when setting up in a hurry.

Itead / AliExpress

Itead makes the Sonoff ZBDongle-E and the SNZB-02LD sensors. Buying direct is cheaper — typically 20–30% less than Amazon. Allow 2–4 weeks for delivery from China.

Not required

What you don’t need.

ChillCheck is deliberately designed to avoid proprietary hardware and third-party accounts. Here’s what you can leave off the shopping list.

× A proprietary hub or gateway — the Raspberry Pi runs everything
× A professional installer — setup takes under an hour with the guide
× Your own Twilio, Vonage, or Resend account — ChillCheck handles all notification infrastructure
× A Zigbee coordinator from a different brand — stick with the Sonoff ZBDongle-E for compatibility

Next steps

Ready to get going?

Got the kit?

Request early access and we’ll get you onboarded. Once you’re in, flash the Pi, run the setup script, pair your sensors, and set your alert thresholds — most kitchens are monitoring within an hour of getting access.

Request early access

Not sure yet?

Read the full how-it-works walkthrough to understand exactly how ChillCheck monitors your cabinets, what happens when a threshold is breached, and how the offline buffer keeps your records intact.

See how it works