New User

New User here. Thinking about coming to Habitat from Smart Things. I currently have door sensors (Lowe's Iris V2) 2 Utilitech Sirens, 2 Ikea motion sensors and 1 Lowe's Iris V2 motion sensors. Using Smart Things my sirens will sound if motion is detected or doors are opened when the system is armed. (I do not have a keypad, I arm via the ST app) Will this same set up work using Habitat and how easy will it be to set up?

I think pretty much all those devices are compatible - I really like the Iris V2s motion sensors I have a few myself. I hacked them to take usb power.

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In terms of arming etc. take a look at the Hubitat Safety Monitor and see if it will work for you...

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Hubitat_Safety_Monitor

I think it should be relatively straightforward, and we are here to help!

disclaimer: I do NOT work for Hubitat, Inc..

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Nice mod!! I have a bunch of 1st gen Iris devices that will work with Habitat too? Isn't that correct? Like V1 motion sensor, V1 door sensors, V1 keypads, V1 smart plugs & V1 smart buttons. Just trying to do what's easiest with all the changes ST keeps making.

A few references you might find helpful:

Compatible devices official list:
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=List_of_Compatible_Devices
(In addition there are many devices supported by the community that you can find by searching these forums)

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Thanks for the information and the list! It looks like IKEA motion sensors are not compatible. Or the Iris V1 keypad. So back to the drawing board I guess.

The keypad should be no problem. You just have to factory reset it and pair next to the hub. Hubitat actually has support v1 and v2 the moment iris went out of biz

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The Sonoff SNZB-03 work well and are inexpensive as is the Third Reality Sensor. Stay away from any tuya/Aqara stuff NOT labelled Zigbee 3 - and remember things can be iffy regardless for the really super cheap devices no matter how tempting.

The "hot" product right now seems to be the Aqara FP1 which is a "presence" sensor. Meaning it detects people via mmwave rather than IR. It can tell if people are in a room but not moving. Acts like a motion sensor. @kkossev has written some excellent community drivers for it and other Aqara/Tuya stuff. The only issue is it's not cheap.. but works great. You can find them on AliExpress.

If you decide to get a Hubitat Elevation report back and we can give you some additional advice like installing the community based Hubitat Package Manager which streamlines installation and updates of community apps and drivers like for the FP1 for example.

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While there is no built-in driver for this, there is a community driver.

Being zigbee 3.0 devices, these should work with the built-in Generic Zigbee Motion sensor driver. They may also work with the built-in driver for the Hue Motion sensor.

These make use of zigbee broadcasts and do not work with Hubitat as explained in the post linked below.

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I have a Third Reality motion sensor know and it always gives me false alarms. From the air conditioner and heater vents.

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That's interesting to know your experience.. I've only used the Sonoff and have had no issues - except maybe some battery reporting.. but battery reporting in general seems a little messed up depending upon the device. The 3rd reality sensors have been recommended by others.

In terms of triggering, yeah placement is important also battery life and how many repeaters in the area. It's not always a simple thing to figure out. You could also try putting "blinders" on your sensor to see if that helps.

Yes I've read where people have turned the Third Reality upside down to limit false alarms or putting some tape over the sensor. I haven't tried any of those things yet. I may end up going with Habitat still. I've got lots of Iris V1 devices that should work and most of my devices I've added with my Smart Things should work as well. Just hate to spend the $ and be out that much more when I could just buy another door sensor and siren that will work with ST then I would be set with my current system. I bought a Dome siren but its showing up in ST as a light bulb. And I bought an Aqara door sensor and it shows up in ST but won't show open/close and it won't show active in my Security Armed settings. And both of those devices are showing as compatible with ST.

"Hubitat" :wink:

I can't speak to SmartThings anymore as it's been a few years since I migrated. Sounds like you will have compatibility issues regardless which platform you choose and HE is pretty affordable for what you get.

Having said that if all you need is an additional sensor or two and you will be good to go then why not stick with ST? I'm just playing the "devils advocate" here.. after all this is about making sure your system works with your use-case and goals and NOT necessarily the tech behind it.

Also I think you might need to set your expectations accordingly based on the thread and compatible devices list that @tony.fleisher referenced in his prior post. I mention this because others have purchased an HE and some have been very frustrated when it does not perform the way ST supposedly did/does. The internal hardware is different with HE having the more up to date ZW radio (700 Series) as well as the general philosophy of local processing vs cloud augmented and the approach of the apps and rules engines.

In terms of the 3rd reality sensor - that's the first time I've heard of false positives unless it was a low battery issue or faulty device - I did a quick search of the HE forums and nothing came up but I did not dig too deeply. It could be a combination of environment and platform but can't say for sure. Maybe others who have that device can chime in.

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