Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Motion Sensors, which do you use?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Motion Sensors, which do you use?

    What type of motion detectors are everyone using?? Im z-wave so ive been slowly acquiring some HSM100's but im waiting on the Aeon Labs motion sensor to be released..

    I like the idea of hardwired motion sensor, just so you dont have to mess with batteries.. what type of wired motion sensors are people using and how are you hooking them up to homeseer..

    Or are most people using the x10 motion detectors... i know you cant beat the price of those... how reliable are these for you.. i dont run any x10.. but i just bought a rfxcom reciever with 310Mhz...

    Any input on this would be great... Thanks!

    -Tom-
    -Tom-

    #2
    Motion Detectors

    I have used the old hawkeye x10 detectors, the HSM100, and now the HomePro ZIR000, the last two being z-wave. I like the ZIR000 MUCH better than the others, here's why:
    1) MUCH longer battery life
    2) 100% reliable, whereas the x10's and the HSM100's would randomly just stop working
    3) Much better range

    I have gradually replaced most of the devices in my system to switch to Z-wave. If you run Homeseer with the z-wave "Health" mode enabled the system is very reliable. Coincidentally, I just looked at my logfile and found I am getting "N off" commands every minute all of a sudden from one of the X10 devices. I'll be very happy when I can be done with X10 forever..

    Comment


      #3
      Do you care if they are wired? I use a good wired one...

      I'm going to be switching over to wired soon (as I'm sick of replacing batteries)

      --Dan
      Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by drozwood90 View Post
        Do you care if they are wired? I use a good wired one...

        I'm going to be switching over to wired soon (as I'm sick of replacing batteries)

        --Dan
        I just had to change one of my x10 motion sensors in my master bath. I checked my note for this device in HomeSeer and it lasted 12 days over 2 years. I'm amazed how long the batteries last in these devices. It is a bit of a pain to change batteries in a permanently mounted sensor but I started using the new removable Velcro and that makes the chore even easier.
        💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

        Comment


          #5
          I have some X10 sensors that require batteries every 6-8 months and others that I honestly cannot remember the last time I changed them. It really depends on how many times they 'fire'.

          I threw one in our dog food bin and have it setup to remind us to feed the dog every morning, so literally, this sensor only fires a couple of times when the bin is opened and an OFF when idle.
          HS4Pro on a Raspberry Pi4
          54 Z-Wave Nodes / 21 Zigbee Devices / 108 Events / 767 Devices
          Plugins: Z-Wave / Zigbee Plus / EasyTrigger / AK Weather / OMNI

          HSTouch Clients: 1 Android

          Comment


            #6
            I have mainly wired PIR's, my single lonely MS13 gives me a fair few problems.

            Anyone have any good experience in using them behind glass? My results are very hit and miss, I have very few other places to put them outside as I don't think they can stand the 364 days of rain a year we have here. I have experimented and it does not work through glass in one direction but appears to work fine when used the other way around?

            Comment


              #7
              This wavelength of thermal does not pass through glass.

              This coming from someone who used to design Thermal Imaging Cameras.

              --Dan
              Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks Dan, i'll have to think of somewhere else to put it, or I get handy with some silicone and make mine waterproof.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                  I just had to change one of my x10 motion sensors in my master bath. I checked my note for this device in HomeSeer and it lasted 12 days over 2 years. I'm amazed how long the batteries last in these devices. It is a bit of a pain to change batteries in a permanently mounted sensor but I started using the new removable Velcro and that makes the chore even easier.
                  Sure, they last a long time...it's not so much how often...it's more, that it has to be done...as they invariably go out JUST as you needed it.

                  For instance, I started here, sept. 05. I use one MS?? unit to run a lot of my "light/dark" sensing. I'm trying to make my system smarter by combining more...but for the moment, I have ONE that really drives my light and dark stuff. It's the cheap-white one that you can buy. The one that you can not disable the light/dark sensor...

                  Anyway...It has only had it's batteries changed once...so...I'm thinking 2-3 years?? And it was toggling at least twice a day...sometimes more.

                  BUT, it's just annoying when it goes out...or a sensor in a bathroom goes out...and you can only tell that it's out when the lights do not turn on...

                  First of all with the wired solution, your house needs to be able to handle new wires. Luckily I had the new house built to accommodate this. Second, if it can, I can tell if the sensors are good or not by controlling everything in the basement at the patch panel (enable the "red" trigger light, or disable it).

                  That's one of the main reasons I have not gone to Z-Wave sensors...I don't want to climb up to the ceiling to replace batteries...or if they go out on me (X10, as I see Z-Wave sensors can tell you when their battery is low)...

                  --Dan
                  Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by mrhappy View Post
                    get handy with some silicone and make mine waterproof.
                    If you use the outdoor one, they work very well (I had one outside at the last house all year...no issues, except the deer would trip it at night). The included rubber gaskets keep the unit free of bugs and moisture.

                    I switched to only the outdoor version, as they seemed to work better. Plus you can disable the light/dark sensor...and since my wife made me paint them all, color didn't matter to me.

                    If you do seal it, make sure you do EVERY opening...otherwise it'll go blind from trapper moisture.

                    --Dan
                    Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I use Hawkeyes outside (the Florida heat and humidity got to the HSMs I first had out there), HSMs indoors, and where I don't need/care about the temp and/or light level I have some ZIRs.

                      I use rechargeable batteries so replacing them is not a huge deal for me. Out of the three types the HSMs are the easiest to replace assuming access to each are equal.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by mrhappy View Post
                        ... as I don't think they can stand the 364 days of rain a year we have here. ...
                        Outside MS13

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I use the X10 security sensors. Don't know how these compare to the Hawkeye's but they work well for me. Very, very few battery changes in 3 years and cheap ($10 per sensor). I have considered other types (Zwave, Insteon) but at $35+ can't see the advantage outweighing the additional cost. I probably have $150 or so tied up in the current setup, including the W800, which is hundreds cheaper than other solutions, so far has been reliable, and expanding is only $10 per sensor. Even if you got bad readings, the X10 sensors are cheap enough to put 2 in one room.

                          I use Insteon and would probably consider switching to Insteon if it was a ~$35 sensor that did motion, dawn/dusk as well as temperature and or humidity. That may be worth replacing some sensors.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            The problem I have with X10 security is Size.

                            I agree, they work VERY well for a LOT (I still use one for my kitchen...never got around to replacing it with hardwired-yet...).

                            I think all mine are still on original batteries from ~3 years ago...but they are FREAKING huge!

                            --Dan
                            Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X