Which motion sensor?

Hi everyone

I am undertaking a bit of a building project right now with my house and I am planning to use Hubitat as the brain.

One of the rooms has quite a large floor area so I may need a number of motion sensors in it. I am basing this off what Aeotec says is the coverage area in its manual.

I have been looking at the Aeotec multisensor 6 for two reasons: 1. It has a USB wire and 2. It can be neatly recessed in the ceiling with the compatible recessor.

Is anyone aware of any alternatives to this which can be wired in somehow (whether for just power or also relaying movement etc) and are compatible with Hubitat?

In an ideal world, I would like to avoid batteries and go for something cost effective. Motion sensing is the minimum - if it can detect other things that is a bonus.

The background to this is that I understand from the electrician that there is no easy way to wire in the USB into the mains unless I build in a switch above the ceilings at each point. He also has a concern that access may be a problem in the future.

I should also add that I am in the UK.

I would be very grateful for anyone’s thoughts.

Thank you!

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The only problem with z-wave motion sensors is that they are slow compared to zigbee.
I have a number of both types and find I can walk half way across the room before the aeon properly informs the hub that there is movement
A zigbee device in the same place catches me and reports almost instantly.

You should easily be able to convert almost any battery device to mains with a little bit of thought

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The Aeotec Multisensor is a very slow motion detector. The newer Trisensor from Aeotec is much improved but you would have to solder a power supply for constant power. The Zooz 4 in 1 is slightly faster than the Trisensor (but close) and must be soldered as well.

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Is the primary reason of your motion sensing for triggering automations OR for security ?
I’d advice against the later for several reasons.
As others have said retro fitting some battery devices to accept low voltage power is pretty easy if you’re a bit “handy” BUT you will need a power outlet nearby.
Don’t forget that any power pack is also a point of failure so it should be accessible so as to be able to be replaced.

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Look in to Lutron ra2.

Wireless motion sensors that last 10 years.

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Thank you all for your thoughts so far.

I’ll strike zwave. I know they are a little slower but had not realised that bad.

Which Zigbee ones do people prefer? Hue or SmartThings or another (I used to have a Xiaomi one but ideally I would like to recess things in the ceiling which is why I liked to Aeotec one). If the zigbee range is typically longer they may solve several problems in one and mean I need fewer sensors.

My primary goal was triggering automations with security as a bonus.

I’ll also check out Lutron ra2.

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This is a good thread...

You can also replace regular outlets with usb enabled ones.. something like this for power:

https://www.amazon.com/Capability-Receptacle-Resistant-thanksgiving-Screwless/dp/B07D3L6ZM4/

Note: the above outlet is not necessarily recommended - I just did a quick amazon search.

I could be wrong but Ra2 is a whole system including a bridge to be used with the HE - so you would need more than just the sensor. Also it is expensive.. others have more experience with this however. I just have some Caseta stuff which does not have a motion sensor afaik.

edit: a motion sensor capable of integrating with HE. thanks for clarification @mik3!!!

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Caseta does in fact have a motion sensor now.

However it’s useless since nothing is reported over telnet.

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I know you were steered away from Z-Wave above (something I'd recommend too if speed is important--the Aeon is almost the slowest sensor I've used, and most others aren't much better), but in case you're still considering options: the new Inovelli 4-in-1 (mode LZW60) also supports USB power. There is currently not kit to recess it in the ceiling like the Aeotec has, but they've said that is coming in the future. A few other Z-Wave sensors also have the option for USB power: the HomeSeer HS-MS100+ and the Zooz ZSE18 (identical hardware, different firmware), for instance. The HomeSeer HSM200 can also plug directly into a standard US outlet, but I'm not sure if they have different versions for other markets. None of these are meant to be recessed. The first-generation (Kickstarter-era, so I think 2013-ish) SmartThings/SmartSense motion sensor can also be USB powered, but they're hard to find, even on eBay and similar (I have one and I'm not giving it up :slight_smile: ). If you don't necessarily mind the appearance, you can also search here, on the ST forums, and probably various other places of different "battery replacement devices" people have used, often converting 5V USB to 3V and using some sort of insert/spacer in the battery compartment, as people have also hinted at.

You did say "power or relaying movement," however. The suggestions from me and others above would basically just be power; the motion sensing still gets sent over Z-Wave or Zigbee, regardless of mains vs. battery. You could also use any standard wired (security-system-type) motion sensor along with a product like Konnected.io, similar DIY options, or any contact-type sensor to then report motion from those sensors (or zones, depending on how it's set up and whether you keep or replace the panel these are intended to connect to). That's probably a bit overkill if your house isn't already wired for these, but it's certainly an option.

That being said, the batteries in most of my sensors (mostly Iris v2, but various others as well) tend to last well over a year with regular use, so batteries aren't that big of a pain for me. I also have a few RA2 sensors, but I'm not sure how easily accessible Lutron is overseas (or how much it costs--RA2 is already quite expensive in the US, but I like the 10-year battery claim on their sensors and remotes).

Best of luck as you continue searching!

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I have three aeotec 6's. Yes they're slow to reset and slow to report changes. I mainly use them for temperature and illuminance. I have a large room (kitchen/dining) that I have 6 Iris sensors to keep alive. They'er strategically placed over the table, over the center island. Pointing to the stove area and one over the sink. Also have one that monitors when you walk into the room. Maybe overkill, but I can be doing anything in that room and not worry about losing my lights. You can get those on ebay for cheap. Inovelli has a multi, but I've not tried it. But zwave isn't going to be as snappy. I don't peel through batteries in my Iris sensors.

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I have both xiaomi as well as aqara (affordable) and philips hue sensors (indoor and outdoor- ultra reliable).

All work great but the hue sensors will survive a hub reboot whereas the xiaomis might. If you can get the hues at a discount this is what I would go for. Alternatively used iris sensors are all the rage as well (if shipping to Australia wasn't so expensive I'd probably get one of those 10 packs that come up on ebay all the time).

PS if you need them to be discreet the xiaomi's are really small compare to the others.

I wouldn't call it useless because it is very sensitive, very fast and yeah, the ten year battery life thing. But for now, it does have to be tied to a Caséta main's powered device in the same "room" within their app. So it's just not as versatile if you want to control something other than a Caséta AC device.

@WBM I recommend the Sylvania Lightify (Centralite), the IRIS v2 (Centralite), or the Centralite branded Centralite motion sensors. Links are in that post @erktrek directed you to. The new Samsung are good to.

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Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it.

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I'm throwing a word of caution out on the Xiaomis and Aqaras. They're picky and have been known to cause issues, or fall off. They are used here, but most that use them have them attached to a second dedicated hub that is separate from their main zigbee mesh.

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I personally am happy with the Smart Things motion sensor as they also report temperature.
I use one of them for motion lighting and it's fast enough for my need, but I'm also not picky about that.

They are cheap enough and flexible enough I'd give one a go, as they are Zigbee

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I guess you could associate the caseta motion sensor with a repeater outlet and use the outlet as a trigger in HE but that seems like overkill.

A Caséta repeater outlet? What’s that? I’m not familiar with it.

Sorry the Lutron Caseta Smart Home Plug-in Lamp Dimmer Switch..

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-Wireless-Lighting-PD-3PCL-WH-Assistant/dp/B00KHSXB60/

Oh, I understand. No I wouldn’t personally add anything. At this point, I would call these a good buy for someone immersed in Caséta devices, but otherwise they don’t make sense unless they decide to allow them to work via Telnet (if that’s even technically possible).

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According to Lutron reps that will or is supposed to be available at a later time.