Pressure Mat Recommendations?

[ritchierich]

@cjkeenan

how do the pads listed above compare to force sensing resistors like the one here ?

@velvetfoot

It looks like you'd have to have some skills to make them work.

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.

[Release] HubDuino Bed Occupancy/Presence Sensors

All, I have been wanting to figure out an automatic way of knowing whether or not my wife and I are in bed or not. This would allow for some additional automations, like automating Hubitat Safety Monitor arming at night, automatic path lighting in the middle of the night, notification of sleep walking, etc... This might also be useful for ensuring children are where they are supposed to be Or for knowing if elderly loved ones are following their normal routine. I have added a new Dev…

[zacs]

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!

[velvetfoot]

I ordered the more robust 18x24" version off eBay.

[JustinL]

@zacs

My only issue is that I'm using them for bed occupancy and the weight of the mattress is enough to trigger them.

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.

[zacs]

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.