Every single one of my lighter-duty ones kicked the bucket after a couple years. I’d probably opt for the more expensive one, knowing that the cheap ones are ... well, cheap! 
2 Likes
IRRC, @lewis.heidrick has one or two pressure sensors that he uses in his automations. He should have some good info (as usual!). 
@ogiewon as well. A whole project!
2 Likes
I have 2 Withings sleep pads. They are excellent. Highly recommended. The sleep diagnostics are really good, and the integration from a community app here on the forum is also very good. They are a bit expensive but in my opinion worth every penny.
1 Like
What do the WIthings mats do for you in terms of sleep diagnostics leading to better sleep?
I am unfortunately now on CPAP due to sleep apnea, so improving my sleep is a priority for me, given the mask can still cause issues sometimes.
The SK630 linked in the first post.
1 Like
Yep! Mine is still working for me, and I'm coming up on two years since I bought it. But my couch only gets used once or twice a week, so I'm probably not a good tester for "heavy duty" use cases. It's pretty thin, and I'm not sure I'd trust outside, at least not where it gets as cold as it does where I live.
In related news, I'm glad that Gravatar I created like 10 years ago keeps following me everywhere... 
2 Likes
Perhaps I should get the heavier duty model.
1 Like
Curious if anyone here knows, how do the pads listed above compare to force sensing resistors like the one here? Is one of them suited for a better use case or are those resistors really just for Arduino like setups, versus the pads which use already built contact sensor inputs?
Things like this...
Yeah, I know. I need to get to bed earlier, stop browsing the Hubitat forum all night, and get up earlier and have a proper breakfast.
2 Likes
It looks like you'd have to have some skills to make them work.
The idea of little force sensors under the feet of a couch or bed where you could get a weight for the person or persons on it, and maybe an identity, is interesting.
Do what I do and browse the community on your phone in bed 
Though I should not be doing this either, as I am also on a CPAP machine.....
1 Like
That's what I meant. It's why my sleep hours are so poor lol
2 Likes
As @danabw mentioned above, Dan posted a project using the FSRs. It does require some tinkering and knowledge of Arduinos to setup, but it has been one of my wife and Is favorite automations.
3 Likes
I randomly found the same pad and your review sold me on it 
, I bought two, snipped the cords, and used Ecolink z-wave door sensors since those have easy screw-down contacts. My only issue is that I'm using them for bed occupancy and the weight of the mattress is enough to trigger them. I had to move them all the way up to the head of the mattress and they work pretty well that way. I wanted to keep things on z-wave (less moving parts) so this was perfect for me!
I ordered the more robust 18x24" version off eBay.
1 Like
Which version of the pressure mats did you use? The 25 lb or the 60 lb? If it's the 25 lb sounds like I should try the 60 lb. If it's the 60 lb, then I guess that's what I should expect too.
I just got the SK630 mentioned in the original post. I found that if I place it ever so slightly, around where you lay your head, it works just fine.
I also was having issues with the Ecolinks (presumably since they were wedged between mattress and box spring) and got a single Zooz ZEN17. It was cheap, is 700 series, is hardwired for power, and supports two of the pads at once so it was a very nice upgrade. Happy to show you how I configed mine if it's helpful.
1 Like
