I have a Third Reality temp/humidity sensor paired with my hub via Zigbee. It is reporting values and in the Zigbee map is will show up with a direct link to my hub and one other zigbee device near the hub (a Third Reality zigbee plug). So I'm assuming it is in proximity to those two devices.
However, I literally cannot find it. There's a remote chance I managed to accidentally bury it in a wall during a recent small reno project. That would be unfortunate...
Any way I can use the system to better locate it? I don't think these devices have any sort of audio output to make a beep.
Longer version: In theory since zigbee uses the 2.4GHz range you could walk around using WiFi analyzer with a directional antenna to detect the highest signal strength from the device, but because this isn't a "constant on" device it would be hit and miss...
The beating heart.. It's kind of like remembering you have left a flashlight in a space after closing it up. Maybe turn the heat/cool way up and see if it responds as it would in a normal space. Presumably it would be insulated from any quick change if still in the wall.
Yeah, I'll likely obsessively check for several days. If it was Cask-of-Amontillado'ed it should just be behind a panel but I didn't really make it easily removable.
The University of North Carolina discovered a Novell server, known as Server 54, that had been missing for four years after it was accidentally sealed behind drywall during a renovation. Despite being hidden, the server continued to function without any issues during that time.
That reminded me... in my checkered youth I worked for a company programming on a mini computer (that's a small mainframe). On this particular day I was down in the basement doing something that could only be done on the admin terminal that was adjacent to the actual hardware. I was very focused on my task. As I worked, renovators that were changing the configuration of the basement — where there was another IBM mainframe, multiple disk drives the size of washing machines, and banks of tape drives. They built a room around me with no doors. I was so focused that I didn't notice until suddenly a saw started cutting the drywall next to me and a hole was created. A guy looked in and said, "We're so sorry! We didn't realize there was a person in there! We're going to make a door for you." This was way before cell phones so I'm not sure what I would have done if I couldn't get out. Although if I pulled the plug on the hardware I'm betting someone would have come pretty quickly.
For what it is worth: The stupid sensor was actually where it was supposed to be--in my attic--and entirely out in the open. I literally looked up there several times. I even did the whole CSI thing and looked around in the dark with only my high powered LED penlight. NADA.
Now, I just happen to notice it sitting right there in front of me in a non-descript location.
The oddity was that the zigbee mesh was showing it direct connecting to the hub, which is 2 floors below and there are other nearer zigbee devices. That was the confusing part.
The beating heart.. It's kind of like remembering you have left a flashlight in a space after closing it up. Maybe turn the heat/cool way up and see if it responds as it would in a normal space. Presumably it would be insulated from any quick change if still in the wall.
