motion sensor for vacation home recommendation?

Other Devices & Integrations Door Locks & Sensors
#1

Hi,

we have a vacation home that is sometimes rented, or we give the keys to friends. I have a Z-Wave thermostat to control the heat and IR repeater to control the minisplits remotely, but I’d like to take things a step step further using motion detection. it’s all still very basic, but eventually I’ll add a few more things, like auto lights on when the guests walk in, etc.

[ul][li]Turn on heat (or A/C in summer) and alert me when someone walks in. I try to turn it on for guests ahead of time, but I can forget sometimes[/li]
[li]Turn down heat (set house to Away mode) after 6 hours of inactivity[/li]
[li]Turn down heat more (set to Vacation mode) after an other 3 hours of inactivity. That way, if they forget to turn the heat down when they leave, it’s done for them. [/li][/ul]

here are my requirements:

[ul][li] batteries need to last up to 6 months. we’re sometimes not there for 2 or 3 months at a time.[/li]
[li]detect motion reliably up to 12 feet[/li]
[li]be inobstrusive (I don’t care for the eye of sauron look of the Fibaro). We have strangers coming in, and I don’t want them to be creeped-out[/li]
[li]I really don’t care about temperature readings, light levels, etc. [/li][/ul]

[edit]I use a VeraEdge there, and a Vera3 at home. would be nice to have something that works with both so I can test here first, but it’s not necessary[/edit]

any recommendations from the community? The battery life is really important to me as we could realistically be away for 3 months at a time and I can’t ask anyone to change the batteries for me.

thanks in advance!

#2

[quote=“lionelandjen, post:1, topic:191242”]Hi,

we have a vacation home that is sometimes rented, or we give the keys to friends. I have a Z-Wave thermostat to control the heat and IR repeater to control the minisplits remotely, but I’d like to take things a step step further using motion detection. it’s all still very basic, but eventually I’ll add a few more things, like auto lights on when the guests walk in, etc.

[ul][li]Turn on heat (or A/C in summer) and alert me when someone walks in. I try to turn it on for guests ahead of time, but I can forget sometimes[/li]
[li]Turn down heat (set house to Away mode) after 6 hours of inactivity[/li]
[li]Turn down heat more (set to Vacation mode) after an other 3 hours of inactivity. That way, if they forget to turn the heat down when they leave, it’s done for them. [/li][/ul]

here are my requirements:

[ul][li] batteries need to last up to 6 months. we’re sometimes not there for 2 or 3 months at a time.[/li]
[li]detect motion reliably up to 12 feet[/li]
[li]be inobstrusive (I don’t care for the eye of sauron look of the Fibaro). We have strangers coming in, and I don’t want them to be creeped-out[/li]
[li]I really don’t care about temperature readings, light levels, etc. [/li][/ul]

[edit]I use a VeraEdge there, and a Vera3 at home. would be nice to have something that works with both so I can test here first, but it’s not necessary[/edit]

any recommendations from the community? The battery life is really important to me as we could realistically be away for 3 months at a time and I can’t ask anyone to change the batteries for me.

thanks in advance![/quote]

How many are you talking about?

I don’t use battery motions and use wired alarm motions for several reasons. They cost 10.00 each but need alarm panel integration. If your only doing one or two and no other door sensors and such I can see where it would cost more then buying 2 battery motions. But if your doing several door sensors and motion sensors then alarm panel option is even cheaper.

#3

it’s a small condo, so just one motion sensor is needed in the entrance/kitchen/living area.

Alarm panel isn’t an option.

#4

[quote=“lionelandjen, post:3, topic:191242”]it’s a small condo, so just one motion sensor is needed in the entrance/kitchen/living area.

Alarm panel isn’t an option.[/quote]

You can still avoid batteries if you go with something like a multisensor even if you don’t want the extra sensors. You won’t have to worry about sleeping, changing batteries.

#5

I have two of the Ecolink PIRZWAVE2 sensors for almost a year without changing the batteries they are also running in the test mode (4 second trip) Check the forms on them most report great batt life with them

#6

I use solar-powered ceiling-mounted Leviton LevNet (EnOcean) Occupancy Sensors. Not z-wave, but with the Vera EnOcean plug-in and a $40 EnOcean USB stick, you could have wireless and battery free motion detection for under $200. For full disclosure I do install the optional battery, and it has a 10 year expected lifespan…

The EnOcean plug-in didn’t really work for occupancy sensors when it was first released in 2013, but after some work now it is rock solid for the standard LevNet occupancy sensors (but likely not for other EnOcean devices). That said, I am still somewhat hesitant to suggest it as EnOcean currently isn’t supported by most of the other home automation systems (other than Zipato). Additionally Leviton is in the process of changing out to the newer frequency, and most of what you find online is the old frequency. But if you are interested let me know…

#7

Two options -
EzMultipli is a plug in motion sensor that never needs batteries, you can set it to be a night light too, if you have outlets in the space you need could be a good bet (though you probably need 2 to cover the space).

The other is the Fibaro, you can turn off the light so you don’t see the cat eye effect (will just be a little small white ball), or you can set it to white which is way less creepy. Also you can turn off a bunch of the functionality to really extend the batter life (if you don’t need temp or lux just turn those completely off). It is highly configurable which is nice, but may not fully reach the space that you need.

#8

Thanks everyone.

EZMultipli is a good idea/option for my home and the kids, I’ll be sure to check it out. for our vacation place, it needs to be wireless and securely mounted. it’s already tough enough as it is to get people to not unplug my vera when they stay in our place, I can’t imagine using up a power outlet. :smiley:

Sadly, the Fibaro looks to be sold out just about everywhere, so I’ll hold off for now, but when it becomes available in the US again, I’ll be sure to check it out. .