You've got mail! Mailbox door opened notifications?

[user7093]

Our mailbox is about 600' down our driveway, and across the street.

I have a WiFi AP at the end of the driveway, so there's WiFi in range of the mailbox.

I'm looking for some sort of WiFi open/close dectector that I could use to send notifications when someone opens the mailbox. Lots of stuff for Zwave/Zigbee, but I can't find anything WiFi based.

Couple notes:
Mailbox is all metal, so would likely need an external antenna?
Needs to work in temp ranges from -20 to 100F
Would be nice to use a small solar panel to recharge the battery

Any ideas?

[johnwill1]

I've not personally used them but there have been a lot of posts regarding using ESP boards flashed with Konnected as they're cheap/versatile. You could connect a standard magnetic alarm contact to it that so it signalled when the mailbox door was opened.

Take a look at this post:

Looking Into Konnected NodeMCU

I’ve been using the Fibaro Implant (FGBS-222), mainly for its access to Dallas 1-Wire protocol temperature sensors. However, the Implant has been very unreliable, freezing up every month or so. I’ve gone to great lengths to work around its lack of reliability. Hence, I’m open to other options, and djh_wolf suggested the Konnected NodeMCU. I’m a little hesitant to jump on that, but it may be worth it. I have a few questions if anyone could help with their experience… I see the NodeMCU hardwa…

and the info provided by @djh_wolf who often recommends them

[djh_wolf]

I'm considering asking for a printed T-Shirt.

They've been an absolutely rock solid part of my smart setup for years.

@johnwill1 's suggestion is solid. That'll work perfectly.