I would really appreciate some direction to documentation about MultiSensors. I do not care if they are Z-Wave, Zigbee or something else, only that people have had GOOD experiences with them.
Specifically I want to know what is a realistic explication (for example, Motion is detected and turns a light on). And, what is Not a realistic explication (at least at this time), example, Motion is detected and Alexa make an announcement on all echo devices in the house.
I'm just looking for study material, maybe examples.
Anything causing Alexa to make a sound currently is not directly available. The Hubitat Alexa Skill is not currently using the sensor API to present sensors to Alexa. Maybe will will change sometime soon but I don't know.
My experience and others probably agree is that ZigBee sensors are by far faster than Z-Wave sensors. My personal favorite of sensors are NYCE. Yes they are expensive. THEY WORK.
Multi-Sensors in general are a gamble I have found. Most are "ok" motion sensors and then the other "sensors" are there and they are ok... not great. I think a favorite of most is the Zooz 4-in-1 because it does work and is reasonably quick for a z-wave motion sensor if you get the V2.
A personal favorite of mine for Lux + Motion is the Hue Motion sensor paired direct to HE. It's fast, reliable and the Lux updates on it's own unlike a lot of "multi-sensors" that require motion to trigger the Lux update. The Aeotec I've read also updates Lux on it's own based on the frequency and the Zooz should as well but the Hue is just very fast at updating the Lux as changes occur not based on a timeout or percentile change needed.
One thing is for sure that sensors will need a good solid mesh to work well. So before you start buying power plugs and wall switches etc... decide on the sensor route. You don't want a dozen Z-Wave plugs and switches and then a bunch of ZigBee sensors with no mesh to operate in.
To your actual question about documentation... well this is it... the forum.
Do you mean "documentation" or "reviews"? It's not clear to me what you're asking for--devices that people generally find to work well?
It's also unclear what you expect from a "multi-sensor." These are traditionally used by manufacturers to describe devices that support multiple functions, often motion or contact plus temperature, humidity, or light readings. Examples include the Aeon Multi 6 (motion, light/lux, temperature, humidity, UV, and maybe more I'm forgetting) and the SmartThings Multi (contact, vibration, tilt/axis, and temperature...or something like that). None of these sensors would directly turn on a light: that's what you use Hubitat for, to tie them together with an automation that responds to an event from the sensor and sends a command to the light. If you want motion to trigger this you could use a multi-sensor that supports motion, but a plain motion sensor would also do--and in my experience, most of those are a lot faster (probably because all multi-sensors I know of with motion are Z-Wave, and Zigbee motion sensors tend to be a bit faster in my experience).
If you can clarify, I'm sure someone can chime in with additional information. Just want to make sure we're taking about the same things!
To just echo what @bertabcd1234 said, if you give us some more ideas about what you would like to accomplish, we can better help you understand what the best possible choices might be.
There's an almost overwhelming amount of information for a novice to discover, so if you give ideas about what you want to accomplish, no matter how large or small, we should be able to offer suggestions that will help you find out how to accomplish it and further your study.
This is realistic, I do it and many of us do, but perhaps you mean for your current level of understanding about the hub and devices. This will get easier, rest assured. Lots of advancements everyday bring these things closer and closer, and what is already possible but complicated will become simple in due time.
Mulit-sensors are jacks of all trades in a sense, but masters of nothing. You'll find specialized sensors with maybe two capabilities are more practical, less expensive per use case and function more efficiently in general.
Here's a list of compatible devices. You can find here what has been tested, and that should give you a better understanding of what type of devices are available too. Then asking will probably be the best way, because some on the list are frankly garbage.
You confirmed my thoughts about Sensors making Alexa respond with a sound is not currently available and documentation is limited to opinion. So, I need to be careful of explications.
I wanted to monitor two different areas. The first being inside of my detached Garage, approximately 40 feet away from the house, for Temperature and Humidity and the second outside so I could sense on LUX and Motion.
My network has been around for about 10 years and consists of approximately 20 Z-Wave devices, so if I were to put a Zigbee MultiSensor towards the fringe of communication I would only be asking for problems. That means for the time being, until I can gradually introduce Zigbee, I probably need to stay with Z-Wave and the Aeon Multi 6 sensor or the Zooz 4-in-1 V2. Any Z-Wave sensor suggestions for Temp & Humidity?
Thanks Frits,
I fully understand the difference between 900 MHz (Z-Wave) and 2.4 GHz (Zigbee's) frequency separation.
I guess I was not clear when I attempted to say I have no Mesh 2.4 GHz network. But, my 900 MHz is sophisticated and should repeat signals easily. Thus, installing these sensors on the fringe of 2.4 GHz Hub coverage without repeaters would be problematic.
I had the Aeon Multisensor 6 z-wave sensor. After like 3 years of this thing refusing to communicate reliably, I just replaced it with an Iris motion sensor and an Aqara zigbee sensor. Then, I took the Aeon outside and stomped on it repeatedly, and I think I messed up a tendon in my knee.
The Zooz 4-in-1 has been good for me for temp/humidity readings I used to keep one in my garage as well. If you have a PWS you may want to consider options there as well such as Ambient Weather if you have the Observer IP module you can add up to 8 of their temp/humidity sensors. There is a Hubitat app but I don't know if it pulls that information or not. I know of other plugins that do though.
This is complicated. I'm not sure I would say it's not available, unless your meaning is with completely native integration. It is not currently available with an official integration, but it is possible to make Alexa speak based on a sensor input. I use this method. It requires the use of the SmartThings cloud and it requires Google Assistant Relay, which requires a node.js server running on your network. I did say it's complicated, but not currently available really depends on your definition.
Yes, but since they are all mortal and don't have thousands of employees working on the hub and integrations, we'll just have to wait as they work through, project by project.
