Ok I am stuck in a choice hell Of my own making. Looking for a motion sensor for a small ensuite bathroom. Mostly for motion AND light level detection so that I can program a scene to flip the dimmable lights to a specific level based on ambient light level (or time of day even).
Temperature is a bonus as we don’t have a remote temp sensor for upstairs yet.
The main goal is hands free lighting with fairly sensitive and fast response short distance motion inside the room and being able to really crank the lights down low in the middle of the night.
I’ve identified the three devices I think best fit my Budget: Aeotec Trisensor, Zooz 4 in 1 v2, and Fibaro (I have no use for the eye).
Small size and aesthetics are important, it IS a modern bathroom, the idea of an “eye” or ball sensor “might” make people think there’s a camera, but I can put sensor above door, or behind a monitor.
Response speed is important, I really do need a device to respond quickly. I have mainly Lutron (with Hub) and they react through Hubitat very quickly, but that’s not comparing apples to apples, but fairly good Z-wave mesh And aeotec repeater too.
Ideas? I have most hubs with Hubitat, but no Hue yet. Thanks for your opinions in advance.
ZWave sensors and specifically Motion Sensors respond a fraction of a second more slowly than Zigbee ones.
I have many Aeon MultiSensor6's, Dome, and Zigbee Iris v2 and v3 motions. The motion result is the 'human detectable' one. Humidity, we can't tell that it reported a change 1 min 'late' but motion is 'human detectable'. If you walk into a room and step on a Lego because the light came on 'late', it's detectable
For locations with that level of needed response, the Iris v2 and v3 are the way to go. I think you can still find them on Ebay, but they are getting rare.
The v3 is Motion + Humidity while the v2 is Motion + Temperature.
For ZWave, it feels like they want to be certain of the detection and take an extra 1/4 of a second.
The Dome is Motion + Illuminance
Which means your answer is most likely the Aeon TriSensor: Motion + Temperature + Illumination
Now I’m also wondering if a Hue Indoor Motion / Light sensor might fit into that mix and forego temp for now (least important of the three). That is if it can run HUE HUB free directly from HE...still researching that.
Why Hue Motion Sensor not most suitable would you say? (I would only pick it for a fast motion response time, if that is its advantage over others. Well that and it’s lower price.)
OIC, good to know Hue sponsor slow on illuminance. Probably not a deal breaker (since really for my purpose it’s mostly to detect if it’s night or a REALLY cloudy day)... but is it faster on Motion response with HE direct than other z-wave options (I do have an ok mesh going)? Speed is the main factor. I mean even the GE occupancy dimming switch I am using now is a “little” slower than ideal but it works (except that you have to manually change the dimming level between different ambient light conditions).
The Iris v2 that I have are far and away the fastest to report motion but I don't have any of the 3 you mentioned in the OP. Then again, the Iris doesn't report illuminance.
Maybe someone who has the sensors you cited can make a liar of me but I have not found any motion sensor that also reports illuminance quickly and most not at all. I'm very disappointed in the Aeotec and Inovelli multisensors in this regard.
Both the Hue and Iris are Zigbee. You'll find the consensus is that Zigbee motion sensors report motion faster than Z-wave. Why that is the case is beyond me.
In my experience on a C4 hub the Zooz 4-in-1 sensors work as fast as Iris v2. Using a C7 hub they have become slower and less reliable. Not sure if any Hubitat Z-Wave improvements will make things better. Also, they pair in S0 mode on the C7 which adds overhead to the mesh. The Zooz also doesn't report real lux. The reported light range is 0-50. That's good enough for most automations, but not consistent with other sensors.
The Hues work pretty well even if they're not as small as an Iris v2. Costco has a 2 pack for $60, which is also cheaper than the Zooz.
Costco has a 2 pack of Hue outdoor sensors for $80. They also work pretty well and don't interfere with any "off" automations based on light levels.
Not "subtle" as in largish and rather square and visually obtrusive.
Suitable? They work well and are very dependable.
Zigbee, quick, stays connected, battery lasts reasonably long.
Price, that depends where you live.
Also, it sounds like this might be your first Zigbee device, if so I'd recommend adding at least one IKEA Tradfi Repeater at the same time.
A small investment in what's sure to be your future Zigbee addiction.
Lol, I am pretty sure I had at least one Zigbee device... hmm but do you think I can remember what it is? Maybe other stand alone motion detectors. Guess I should keep better track. But thank you for the hint re repeater.
I’m going to try the Hue device and use for the potential increase in detection and transmission speed. I’ll try and report back on the results for the next person in my position. Thank you everyone!
One nice thing about the Hue sensors is that the activity reset (going from active to inactive) is configurable (from the device page) down to 10 seconds. This is quite handy if you have someone turn off the light when exiting the bathroom, as the light will likely come on if someone goes in right after them.
Sensor placement will affect ‘detection speed’ so factor that in.
YMMV but I’ve had great results mounting my Iris v2 Motions, at the top of the door frame pointing straight down.
This also minimizes the “ Is that a camera in the bathroom ?” question.
As I recall in my research I couldn’t find a price that was prohibitive, but certainly one would expect an occupancy sensor on the dimmer switch to be no lag beyond motion detection sensitivity.
