I'm looking for a way to measure outside light levels to modify my sunrise/sunset rules which don't work very well if there are dark clouds/storms in the area. Hoping to find a simple Z-Wave light sensor that runs on batteries and is rated for outdoor use.
I have the the Hue zigbee sensor that @rlithgow1 mentioned. On the z-wave side, for outdoor sensors here are the options I'm aware of:
I have used both the Hue motion sensor and the Sensative strip. They both work well. Hue is zigbee, the strip is zwave. Hue uses AA batteries, the strip uses a 10-year, non-replaceable battery. Can't speak to Zooz but I have had mixed luck with their other devices so I tend to stay away from them.
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Bit pricy, but the Hue is reliable and the batteries last 1-2 years.
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Price is totally worth it - those things are tanks. Mine's never missed a beat and sees seasonal temperature swings from -25F to 100+F. Very impressive units!
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Only negative I’ve seen, and this common among Zigbee devices, is that the battery goes from 60% to zero with no stops in between. But tanks is a good description. I also like the tunable sensitivity.
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Weatherflow weather station was my answer to this. More expensive, but I wanted a weather station anyway, and I like the 1x/min reporting forever with no battery change out needed.
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That’s the way I went as well.
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When you devide the price by the number of sensors that are all solar powered so you don't have to change batteries, the cost of the station is worth it.
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FWIW I use a Xiaomi Mijia Light Sensor Zigbee 3, mounted above the lock on my double hung window (inside) facing out. This window is facing mostly North so clouds passing by don't trip my RM levels.
Its been there for more than a year and I'm happy with the results.
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