What controller are you using (optional)?
SmartThings
“I got this to use the dry contacts function. It seems this doesn't work so well and Aeotec offer very little in terms of support/compatible pressure pads etc. i followed videos to make jt work and the battery drained within 2 days! Not great”
“Having run a smart home system with a Vera controller (currently Vera Plus) for over 10 years now (all devices from Vesternet!) I had until now always bought the Fibaro door/window sensors, only because I could match the window frame colour. However, in my experience I have always had huge problems with the Fibaro sensors:
• Difficulty initially including them, got there in the end but a lot of mucking about.
• Losing connection when changing the battery, therefore having to re-include the device which invariably required them being removed from the door frame and having to re-attach later.
• Of the 8 or so such sensors in my house most have had to be replaced at least once over the 10 years, as they just stopped working.
• The cover can fit either way so you don’t know where exactly to align the activation magnet
However, this is meant to be a review of the Aeotec sensor. The first thing to be aware of is that they are not fully compatible with a Vera controller, although there is a clear workaround to be found on the Aeotec support site. This is straightforward and worked first time, although it has left a second/ghost icon on my desktop. Also, the Aeotec sensor doesn’t have a temperature sensor, unlike the current Fibaro sensor.
Otherwise, my initial impression was that it was better build quality, easier to include and the cover can only fit one way so you can see where to line up the magnet. I am using it in a non-ideal location, externally on a sliding front gate and wrapped in cling film. It’s a fair way from the controller, so I do lose contact sometimes, but it seems to come back as soon as it is activated by movement.
Time will be the main factor of course in deciding if the Aeotec sensor is the best choice and it is only available in white, which may be an issue aesthetically in some situations. However, after only 6 weeks of use, I’m happy with choosing Aeotec.”
“I bought this to use with Hubitat. Inclusion was straight forward and Hubitat selected the correct driver first time. This was the only wireless battery contact that I could source that has a wired input so was perfect for my intended use.
I don’t have any smart locks in my house but wanted to monitor the position status of the regular deadbolts on my upvc doors. I’ve done this by fitting a regular lever microswitch in the frame that gets closed when the deadbolt is closed with the key. In the driver for the Aeotec contact I’ve disabled the internal contact and connected the input terminals to my microswitch.
The above all works great. Now at a glance at my Hubitat or SharpTools dash I can see which doors are locked unlocked without the usual “did I lock the garage door?” uncertainty. Additionally I can now use the lock position in my rules.”
“This sensor paired easily with my Hubitat. I use it as a dry contact sensor. I have some copper tape at the middle of my curtain pole, and then copper tape on two of the curtain rings wired to this sensor. It allows me to adjust automations based on whether or not my (non-automated) curtains are closed. It is small and light enough to easily hang on the back of the curtains and the z-wave communication is reliable. The only negative is the battery life could be little better, I've had to replace the battery after about 3 months.”
“The sensor itself is a nice package, and easy to install. Its not currently fully supported in Vera UI7, but Aeotec have a workaround to make it display properly in the UI.
I've got a reasonably large mesh and get no other device offline/online issues, but both this and the previous Aeotec door/window sensor have been troublesome. Aeotec support are great though, so definitely worth reaching out if you have issues.”
