I’ve used a ton of different motion sensors over the years and in terms of range and RSSi/LQi, the Hue motion sensors always seem to have the best stats, even at longer ranges. When installing or maintaining electronic devices in your home, make sure to observe the manufacturers instructions at all times. Home Assistant (the best open-source smart hub) has over 2,000 active integrations and thousands of devices that it can be integrated with. If you’re looking for a motion sensor that uses ZigBee technology, there are some great options to choose from. The best example of this would be turning on a light in the kitchen when someone enters, but not in the bedroom.

The truth is that IR is still the main way to control your TV, Projectors and Amplifiers, while RF works great with non-critical mission sensors and buttons. Configure away mode in the app, and enjoy constant monitoring, local sound and light alarms, and cloud notifications in case motion is detected. And then there’s the True Motion Recognition function, which can reduce the number of false alerts to a minimum. It’s a simple and effective way to keep your home safe, and it does so while also saving you money on installation costs.The motion sensor also has a LUX sensor in it, so lights can be set to only trigger when it’s actually dark.

A separate stick would need to be included in your setup to connect to the devices using those protocols. If you are having issues with Zigbee you can improve coverage easily by working out from you co-ordinator with cheap inexpensive Zigbee based light bulbs. The distance a motion detector can sense can be anywhere from 30 feet (sometimes less) to over 100 feet. As a result, you may program the Wink Hub to switch on the air conditioner anytime the sensor detects a dangerously high temperature.While Philips Hue lights get all of the attention, our hands-on time with the Hue Motion Sensor leads us to proclaim it as being our "favorite Hue product. It has a professional looking design and comes with a mounting plate which makes installation pretty simple. Multisensors are expensive but may be a good investment if you also need temperature, humidity and other sensors for your automation. Some current motion sensors have advanced technologies that can allow pets to walk around freely without triggering any false alerts.

Secondly, be careful of where you place the motion sensor, as you don’t want it to go off if, say, a pet walks past it: mount a motion sensor higher on the wall to avoid this problem. Integrating door sensors with Home Assistant is a very easy process in the case of Z-wave or Zigbee windows sensors.With a SmartThings Hub you can create your own DIY smart home, adding plugs and sensors as your needs change. The Treatlife Zigbee Motion Sensor is a smart home motion sensor that works with Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT. It also has an efficient auto-trigger reaction and notification mode to alert you whenever there’s movement within its detection zone. I am a Home Assistant newbie, but I had a spare NUC lying around so I went straigth to running Home Assistant in VirtualBox on Windows 10. I have seen this time again and again – blaming a sensor [Brand or Eco System Type] when it could be simply a battery or Router or Zigbee co-ordinator.

The app’s sensitivity features are among the best we’ve seen for a gadget of this type, with precise real-time feedback that makes calibration simple. The battery last like forever, I have one that is still running on the same batteries when I bought it more than 3 years ago. Press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds until the network – pairing indicator starts flashing red on the sensor.

I guess it could be a problem with the light (Tradfri LED) but that seems to work very well and paired with the remote first time. But, before we dive into the specifics of each type of sensor and the best sensors on sale now, let’s go over some need-to-know pointers. Comparing SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor and Z-Wave Door Sensor by Ecolink the former is much better value as the door sensor for Home Assistant. A bit different to everything else on this list - as all Yosmart devices are - because they don't use Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi. Currently we have one on a washing machine that's outlived expectations and will likely fall apart soon, but heaters, bathtubs, and sinks are other obvious risk areas.