I'm pulling my hair out to get my aqara vibration sensor to consistently notify me when the dryer is done. The problem is I don't think their is enough vibration for it to work properly. I've even took a metal cloths hanger and made an arm to cause the sensor to sway and vibrate more aggressively. It still doesn't seem to be enough.
Couple thoughts tell me if any of you tried these.
Just put the sensor in the dryer itself, I'm a bit concerned with the steam and heat.
Does a 240v power monitor that's zigbee exist?
A temp sensor installed into the dryer vent... The more I think about this if it had humidity sensor as well it may actually work to know the dryness of my cloths.
I use a SmartThings multisensor mounted via Velcro on the back of my front load dryer and it works great. Then use the Better Laundry App for notifications.
I tried the Aqara on my 30 yo kenmore and it does not vibrate enough to trip the sensor. Same for my washer but I'm particular about them being level and plumb.
I ended up using a sonoff 2 channel wifi switch/power monitor flashed with tasmota. It was $14
The only zigbee solutions were significantly more expensive as I wanted to monitor washer also. and I didnt need to control power only monitor power consumption.
There are power monitoring zigbee circuit breakers on aliexpress however the driver might be an issue.
A temp sensor on the exhaust could work but it would be slower responding then power consumption. With my config I know 1 minute after it stops (timed cycle).
Humidity would be tricky as you would need to capture the humidity at the start of the cycle
That sensor has been PERFECT for me. It has a cable with a sensor on the end of it. You stick it over an indicator light and it changes status based on if it is detecting the light. Lots of configuration options too. Can run on usb or battery power.
You could always get an Aeotech HEM gen 5, or IoTaWatt and do the monitoring at the breaker. It works incredibly well. This was you don't need to rack your brains on trying to rig up something. With my iotawatt I monitor Washer, Dryer, 2 water tank, and AC. For monitoring I use @augoisms Laundry Manager and so far works well.
There is not for either. Aeotec is z-wave, the IoTawatt is Wifi, but there is direct integration with hubitat, no cloud, 100% local and works fantastically.
I've seen some people use a door open/close sensor. Put the sensor on the panel and a small magnet on the dial. When the magnet gets around to the right spot, the sensor closes and your rule does stuff. You could even use multiple magnets if you use different cycles.
After that, maybe sticking the sensor on the outside of the drum, but that would require getting to it relatively easily. It could be insulated from the heat with a little block of something, though now that I'm typing this out it sounds like a tad like a fire hazard.
I've suggested some sort of notification sensor here and no one is interested so I haven't done this. Our 40-year-old dryer buzzes like the clock at the end of a basketball game. I'd rather it just ping my phone.
I put an Amazon Echo that I had in my junk box (how many almost free ones did I think I need?) into my laundry room and created an Alexa routine to flip a virtual switch when she hears an appliance beeping.
At first it wasn't perfect because she would hear the microwave oven or range in far reaches of the house. But after putting in a test to make sure the washer had completed recently, the false notifications have virtually disappeared. Supposedly, Alexa will be able to identify specific sounds sometime this year.
Wow good idea thanks but not for other issues
When it comes out.. .i have beeping for water leak or dog fence wire broken. I.do.already have sensors for this but it never hurts to have a backup.
