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    Aeon Labs Multi-sensor accuracy

    I have 3 Aeon Labs multi-sensors (the older ones, not the Gen5).

    Two at the front (garage and kitchen side in the screenshot) and one at the back (lounge). Its pretty dark right now, so fine that two are showing 2-4 Lux. Not sure why the other hasn't updated since the middle of the day, but I don't rely on that one, although when it is lighter that one tends to be more accurate. Whilst typing the lux value updated to 52. Quite different to the others, but perhaps it gets hit by the outside lights a little. It is pretty common in the day for this to say 500 when the others say 100 though, even on really bright days. Makes it hard to calibrate a script for light automation when I can't get a reliable range for when it will feel dark inside.

    In terms of temperature though, I'd expect both front ones to be the same. Maybe the back a little warmer as it isn't quite as windy, but 8.1, 9.7, 11.6? 2 degrees difference. I have a script which ups the thermostat inside if the temperature is below 10degC, so this is quite an important point.
    Attached Files

    #2
    I have found the lux on any of the older ones to be useless and rely on weather conditions to control my lights and have been happy with it. As far as the temp goes I have noticed placement to make a huge difference. If I place them on a wall that is an outside wall they read different vs on an inside wall. Also I have noticed my vaulted ceilings make a difference too. These multi sensors are a great idea but placing for motion and accurate temps isn't always ideal. I end up using a script to average a few key ones and use that info to control things.

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      #3
      Yes I found the LUX to be good enough to tell if it is really dark, really bright or maybe somewhere in between but that is about it. To tell really dark from light I usually have to specify 4 or 5 lux at the most. As for temperature the placement is certainly a consideration especially when they are mounted directly to an exterior wall. The amount of sunlight that hits a wall can easily make a few degrees of difference in the readings one way or the other at various times of the day. If you want super accurate temps you need to get a sensor that has a solar shield.

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        #4
        Each Sensor can be calibrated to be exact. See attached technical sheet another board member gave me a couple days ago. Page 9 of this document has the calibration for Temp, Humidity, and Lux.

        Fred
        Attached Files

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          #5
          Thank you for this. It's for the Aeon 6... I would be curious if these values would work on the older 5...

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by ferraf View Post
            Each Sensor can be calibrated to be exact. See attached technical sheet another board member gave me a couple days ago. Page 9 of this document has the calibration for Temp, Humidity, and Lux.

            Fred
            They can be calibrated at a specific level. Unfortunately since the offset is by a specific value and the sensors are not linear throughout their range, it may not be accurate at values above and below what you calibrated. That is especially true of Lux readings.
            HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

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              #7
              Originally posted by waynehead99 View Post
              Thank you for this. It's for the Aeon 6... I would be curious if these values would work on the older 5...
              The spec for it is different: http://www.vesternet.com/downloads/d...cification.pdf, so likely not.

              Cheers
              Al
              HS 4.2.8.0: 2134 Devices 1252 Events
              Z-Wave 3.0.10.0: 133 Nodes on one Z-Net

              Comment


                #8
                I have nine of the gen 5s and two gen 6s. Most of them don't report temperature accurately so what I did was measure the temperature using a device whose accuracy is known. I have several meters with thermocouple inputs and by using the boiling water method, eventually found a meter that gave consistent results. After mounting the sensors, I placed the meter next to each sensor and let it soak for a good 30 minutes then recorded the value on the meter and the value reported by the sensor. I did this for all the sensors. then I wrote a script which reads the temperature value from each sensor, adds the appropriate offset and writes that offseted value to a virtual device. An event runs that script periodically. All my events reference the virtual device temperature value not the sensor reported value.

                As the seasons change, I perform this procedure again. I have found that the readings don't appear to be linear so the offsets change seasonally. That's why I like the script method because changing the offset value is a snap.

                - Robert

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                  #9
                  I was thinking about this earlier today and was going to start doing something similar. Would you mind sharing your script?

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by waynehead99 View Post
                    I was thinking about this earlier today and was going to start doing something similar. Would you mind sharing your script?
                    Here 'tis...


                    - Robert
                    Attached Files

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                      #11
                      In my manual the Multisensor 6 also has a parameter for temperature offset that can be set right in the sensor itself.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by 519zwave View Post
                        In my manual the Multisensor 6 also has a parameter for temperature offset that can be set right in the sensor itself.

                        I like the script idea because I don't have to mess with the sensor to make the needed change for the season. I have noticed even with the arduino temp sensors I have made, that an offset is needed depending on the room conditions.

                        Doing it at the sensor means I need to pull out the ladder to wake the unit to make the change vs just making a quick change in a script.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by RJS View Post
                          Here 'tis...


                          - Robert

                          Thank you!!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by waynehead99 View Post
                            Thank you!!
                            No problem.

                            - Robert

                            Comment


                              #15
                              When the Denver area was in single digits over Christmas and we were out of town, I borrowed a gen 5 sensor so I could monitor the temp near some pipes. I found it was reading 4 to 5 degrees F below a calibrated, non-z-wave sensor that I had in place. I compensated for it by setting the event to text me if the temp dropped to 36, knowing that it would really be 40 (and still time enough to get a friend over to the house before the pipes popped).

                              The php script would have been a nice way to address it; the gen 6 ability to calibrate it in the sensor would have been even better for my purposes (no ladders required).

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