What is an easily compatible motion sensor that has a built in rechargable battery and can run off a 5v micro usb cable while charging the battery? Preferably with a temperature and humidity sensor, but low price point is preferable to more features.
zooz zse-18, but no humidity
The Iris takes a cr123 does motion/temp/humidity but no USB power. It's a great device, i have 3
I'm not aware of any that have a built-in rechargeable battery. It is true that the Zooz ZSE18 can be battery- or USB-powered, but USB will not charge the battery. However, it is certainly the case that you could use a rechargeable CR123A (not the easiest thing to find) and simply power the sensor via USB when you're charging it elsewhere--with that sensor or any other sensor I can think of that accepts USB power.
Other sensors I know if that accept USB power directly are the Aeon Multi 6, the Inovelli 4-in-1 (LZW60), and my beloved first-generation SmartSense (SmartThings) Motion, though the Inovelli is currently out-of-stock and that SmartThings device has been long discontinued and is probably now hard to find. The Zooz outdoor motion sensor (ZSE29) also supports USB or battery power but might be a bit bulky-looking for indoor use. Both it and the ST sensor use standard AAs that might be easier to recharge without hard-to-find chargers (just still not inside the sensor itself), if that's a concern. Of these, only the Aeon Multi 6 and the Inovelli LZW60 support temperature and humidity, beyond just motion.
Some people have also made CR2- or CR123A-shaped "battery replacer" (dowel-type) devices usable with a USB power source and 5V to 3V conversion. For devices that don't accept USB power, this is another option--either to permanently power them or, again, to temporarily power them when you're charging the battery elsewhere. This opens up the possibility to use just about any sensor you want, except unless you have a place to hide everything, it might not look as good.
PS - I should also mention that I have lots of Zigbee sensors where my batteries have lasted over a year without needing to be changed. (Maybe Z-Wave too, but it's not always a fair comparison since pre-700-series devices almost always took larger batteries.) So if you're just thinking about this out of anticipation rather than an observed need, you may want to see how your devices perform first or if it's worth the hassle.
I didn't mean to say that they couldn't be found, but it's telling that the first result is not rechargeable and that the first one I see that is is the...well known and reputable brand QUICKHELP. Finding a charger can also be difficult, as some come with one and some don't, and information about what kinds of chargers will work with what batteries does not seem to be as widely available as it is for common household sizes like AA (where the post popular rechargeables today are probably NiMH and chargers will advertise themselves as working with such, often also compatible with Ni-Cd, but at least it will be apparent for both the battery and charger).
Also, in case it's of any concern for the OP, I looked at some of those and their capacity seems to be around half (700-800 mAH) that of primary cells (the ones I usually get advertise 1400 mAH, and they're pretty cheap), so you'll have to charge them or swap them out about twice as often as you otherwise would.
Not trying to discourage anyone from doing anything here--just want to make sure the solution wouldn't be worse than the problem.
Hmm. I wonder if there is discharge when it's plugged in. It would be plugged in the majority of the time, it's more of a power outage thing, occasionally I have stuff turn off, cuz old house, and it's getting burdensome to just keep putting UPS systems around with battery eliminators (3v or 5v ac adapter power supplies with faux battery) but the zooz z outdoor one actually is only battery OR 5v. I have one. There's a blank battery I have to put into it for it to work.
The smaller one you recommended is actually about perfect I think. Too bad zigbee doesn't have anything good as I already have a good zigbee mesh, I'll need to get more z wave range extenders.
Not disagreeing, just pointing out that the rechargeables are out there. Arlo actually recommends the Tenergy for their first generation cameras.
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