I am looking to add lightstrips, motion sensors, water sensors, contact sensors to my current system and would like to query everyones experience as to what works the best with what I have and with HE in general.
We currently have:
Hubitat Elevation
Lutron Caseta Dimmers, with Lutron Bridge Pro
Nest Hub, OG Google Home and several Google Minis
Harmony Hub
WYZE Cams x4
I want to integrate:
Contact Sensors for all doors and windows.
Water Sensor for Basement
Multi-color Lightstrip for TV Bias Lighting (so 6500k is required)
Motion Sensors for various functions
This will get me started. I guess I'm really just after what brands you pros have used and what works the best with the HE and the other things devices I have.... Thanks!
Not saying I am a pro... But I have had good luck with:
Fibaro Flood Sensors (as a basement water sensor)
WADWAZ Contact Sensors (although I would look for newer Z-Wave Plus replacements)
Zooz ZEN31 RGBW Controller for multi-color strips, but I have never used for bias-lighting
I've started using the Smartthings sensors, and I like them a lot for what I'm doing and they are priced right compared to others. I have the flood sensors, much better than Fibaro that I tried and really hate considering the price they are sold. The ST motion sensors are also nice as well as the contact/tilt sensor (tilt works great for garage doors) and they also have vibration detection so they could be used for detecting a knock on the door.
@Dauntless4rcher:
I actually thought that was something you were looking for... But yes, controllers like that can control all RGB & W (most of the ZigBee & Z-Wave capable ones do). But I am not sure they would refresh fast enough to have TV-matching colors, unless you are just looking for general backlighting to it. In which case, yes, they are great. Then ZEN31 also has points for momentary switches. I have not used them yet (still building the project they are for) but I plan on having a couple buttons so that people can do some basic control right from the project instead of from a Hubitat dashboard.
The Iris contact sensors work great and can be gotten cheap on ebay they also do temps.
Same for the motion sensors, which also include humidity.
Find the seller whose name starts with alex and send him a message offering a deal for however many contact and motion sensors you want.
You should be able to get the motion sensors for 8.5 or less each and the contact sensors for 3.50 or less each, if you are buying at least 10 of each at once. Shipping included
@DementedDragon, Is this the same guy that says the magnets and batteries are not included, yet they are included and are usually brand new? I'm looking at more contact sensors on the cheap to hack for other projects. Also looking at those buttons he has.
Yep thats the same guy (well company) and they seem to really be out of the magnets now, i didn't receive any with my last batch, however batteries are still included.
Rare earth magnets are dirt cheap on ebay and work better and further away anyway
For the contacts I actually prefer these over the iL06's.. They seem to be more reliable and respond faster, and are a bit smaller making them easier to blend in with the decor.
I haven't looked into it with these so im not sure if they are able to do it, BUT in many instances you can solder some wires inside of the contact sensor and convert them into cheap flood sensors. Some other nifty tricks too.
I agree with @snell for the Fibaro Flood Sensor, we sometimes have problems with an AC unit overflowing with water, so I use it to shut the AC down if there's a leak.
LED
Also I have the Zooz ZEN31 RGBW controller and it works flawlessly. Lots of options and good range.
MOTION / Multi-Sensors
I use several Zooz ZSW40 Ver. 2 multisensors throughout the house for motion, temperature, and humidity. Lux response is a little slower than I like, but the other sensors are spot on. Motion, in particular, is the fastest of any device I've tested and battery life is exceptional.
I recently purchased two Innovelli 4 in 1 sensors but haven't put them into production just yet. They look nicer than the Zooz IMO and the lux reports much faster than Zooz.
CONTACT SENSORS
I use EcoLink ZWave Plus sensors. They are a bit larger than others, but they have great range, battery life, no branding, come with both brown and white covers, and the magnets can be further apart than any other device I've tried (5/8").
As an added bonus they have inputs to attach other devices for DIY projects. I recently purchased two pressure pads and was able to attach them to the contact sensors. I put the pads under the mattress and now can know if someone is in the bed - very helpful for turning on my under-the-bed LED strip (using Zooz ZEN31) as a nightlight.
However, they are big, so I am currently testing an Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor 7 for a complete hidden look. So far it's fantastic.
