Cheap zigbee motion & contact sensors

[ilkeraktuna]

@bobbles

The only thing I have found was a couple of my Sonoff motion sensors gave false motion detection. In a separate thread someone mentioned tweaking the battery contacts to give a more 'solid' contact.

thanks.
I didn't understand the issue. is it that because battery moves , sensor resets and produce a false motion detection ?

[aaiyar]

@BiGs

or work badly when paired directly to HE

So this was my issue with these sensors (also tagging @bjcowles). The function of these sensors when paired directly to Hubitat (i.e. 32 device limit) is still highly driver dependent. And number of sensors dependent.

[ilkeraktuna]

@chirpy

I do have ikea and sm repeaters dotted around to keep things moving smoothly.

why do you need zigbee repeaters ?
do you have a very large house ?
with my 180m2 house , I didn't need any repeaters with the ST hub. Since I did not migrate fully yet, I am not sure if Hubitat hub will require a repeater.

[marktheknife]

@BiGs

To really be accurate it should be stated that when they present problems it is when the existent Zigbee mesh is incapable of transmitting the signal, and not because they pair or work badly when paired directly to HE, which was my point.

Since it’s not possible to control how zigbee messages are routed, if a zigbee device can’t be relied on to work with other certified devices in a mesh, then that’s a flaw inherent to the device.

There are ways to work around that, such as only using repeaters known to be ok with Xiaomi devices. But because OP is asking for advice re: buying new devices, my suggestion would be to avoid ones that are known not to play well with others.

[steve.maddigan]

The question was ‘can Aqara be used directly with HE’ therefore the answer was ‘yes, but with cautions’

It wasn’t a recommendation.

@marktheknife

[BiGs]

@ilkeraktuna

why do you need zigbee repeaters ?
do you have a very large house ?
with my 180m2 house , I didn't need any repeaters with the ST hub. Since I did not migrate fully yet, I am not sure if Hubitat hub will require a repeater.

The low power / little info nature of the Zigbee protocol was thought to rely in self deployed and managed networks.

Some typical “obstacles” found in houses call for alternative signal routing to make Zigbee signals reliable, not exclusively for size.

Most ac powered Zigbee devices include repeaters, and that is valid for the ST devices you may have deployed with your ST hub. Bulbs, outlets, wired switches, etc., fall in this category.

But for your peace of mind, if your past install did not require stand alone (additional) repeaters, there is no reason why now you will require them with HE.

[marktheknife]

@steve.maddigan

It wasn’t a recommendation.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I wasn’t referring to anything you wrote (which acknowledged the limitations of using xiaomi sensors). I disagree with the statement:

@BiGs

Most Aqara and Mi devices can be paired directly and work perfectly with Hubitat.

That’s all.

[zsolt.toth.39]

Yes they are not bad, but became instabil lately because their drivers are not being looked after.

[bobbles]

@ilkeraktuna

is it that because battery moves ,

That's the unknown. The devices are static so the battery moving isn't the cause.
The only thing I can think of is that if the contacts are not making a good solid connection then the voltage may vary causing issues. Just guessing.
What I do know is that adjusting the battery contacts so that they apply more pressure on the battery stops the problem.
I have 15 of the motion sensors and only 2 were giving false motion. Now it has stopped.