I'd like to put some motion sensors outside, mainly to turn on yard lights. On a fair portion of the house I don't have any cover to keep them out of the weather. Looking at Motion Sensors, all of them indicate they shouldn't be exposed to the weather directly.
Can anyone suggest a solution that is able to be out in the open??
Thanks
Hue outdoor motion sensors are fine to be exposed.
+1 for the Hue sensors. Only potential issue is they are very sensitive.
If you want Z-wave devices, Zooz provides the ZSE29 devices that are designed for outdoor use. They also report luminance as well as motion. The devices are fully adjustable for sensitivity, whether you want them to report only during periods of low illumination, and you can set the delay for repeat motion events.
I have two of them alerting me to motion during the day and controlling lights at night. You just need to have a good signal path between the sensors and either the hub or a repeater.
Also +1 on the Hue sensors. They're also great on battery life. They are very sensitive but I limit the rules based on luminance and since that's after sunset most alerts are accurate.
I use the aeotec trisensors and I like it. Much more accurate than my Samsung sensors.
I decided to use the Hue outdoor motion sensors based on recommendations from this community and have not been disappointed. I think Costco.com has the best deal....2-pack for $80 if I remember correctly.
Another recommendation for the Hue outdoor motion sensor. Had them for over a year, and they have never failed. The only caveat to their use is that lux readings update very 5 minutes (so it is not an instantaneous update).
Usual response from me..
I use standard dumb pir's (tenner from screwfix) linked into hubitat via nodemcu's.
Work ace.
Unfortunately, I just had a Hue motion detector fail. It was only a few weeks old. It still connects to the hub and the battery status, luminence and temperature are still reporting correctly, but the motion is showing active constantly, even if I place the sensor in a location where there is zero motion and turn the motion sensitivity to low.
I have removed the device from the hub, reset it to factory, and added it back several times without improvement. I have also removed it from Hubitat and paired it with my Hue bridge, but it still does not work. Thus, I am going to have to get a new one unless someone has another suggestion of fixing it.
I plan to keep the malfunctioning device and use it as a freeze sensor in the corner of my basement where I once had the pipes freeze a few years ago. I might also try it as a thaw sensor in my chest freezer.
Have you updated the firmware?
I have four Hue Motion sensors. Three of them work properly, the fourth does not. They are all reporting the firmware as 100B-010D-420049E0. I do not know if this is the latest firmware, but clicking on the Firmware update button does not change anything.
I put the malfunctioning motion sensor in my chest freezer. The battery is still reporting 100%, which is a surprise due to the cold. Maybe that will drop later. The luminance is reporting zero as expected. The temperature is reporting -0.25 degrees F, but may still be dropping. Even in the closed freezer, the motion sensor is still reporting motion as active. So, even though it is not working as a motion sensor, it is still useful.
I believe the latest firmware is * firmwareMT: 100B-010D-42006BB7
They are sometimes tricky to update, some help is in this forum post here.
Dunno if you have Arlos or not but I use them with IFTTT to detect motion. Saves me the hassle of another set of devices and they work pretty well.
What sort of mounting solutions do you use for the Philips Hue sensor when putting it outdoors?
Seems like a trivial question I guess but I'm curious.
It comes with a mount for flat surfaces and corners.
I keep both of mine under an eave to protect them from direct sunlight and rain. They can handle high humidity just fine.
Does that mount work for brick surfaces? I'm thinking of getting 1-2 of these for my backyard. Also, what is their detection range?
It'll work on brick - you'll have to supply your own screws.
The range is decent - around 12-15 feet on the motion.
If your sensor is mounted on brick, you might need a repeater close by as brick will block much of the signal.
Download the Hubitat app
