Yup. This was, I believe, something that really pushed HomeKit forward for me as a viable Smarthome solution. It opened up a ton of new automation possibilities base on the speed and responsiveness of the Hue zigbee motion sensors. Seems like such a long time ago now.
Great news! Congrats! It still kinda feels like magic when you realize you’re using all these products from different vendors and they just work together!
DBlake wow.. thank you so much for share your experience. Finally, I can do more to utilize my Philips Hue motion (the light sensor) to control my Koogeek light socket through Koogeek apps. I was stuck for days to configure how to make my Koogeek talk to my Philips Hue motion sensor.
Chris Young totally agreed. It is now way more easier to make it happen, compared with a decade ago when smart home system was all wired connected only and cost millions of dollars.
Great video, at this stage I can't use the automation feature of home because I don't have a homekit/tablet. Any other ideas how can I create a scene where when I walk into the room the motion sensor turns on my phillips and nanoleaf lights, at this stage it is only doing the phillips lights?
Thanks Stefan! You’ll definitely need something else to tie your Hue and Nanoleaf together with automations. Thankfully you have some choices here. The easiest and probably cheapest way would be to pick up an Amazon Eco Dot (approx ~50$) and add both your Hue and Nanoleaf products by enabling the Alexa skill for each vendor. You can then create a “routine” (Amazons word for automation) that will turn on the selected lights when your Hue motion sensor is triggered. You do have other options like HomeKit (requires a HomePod mini or Apple TV ) or potentially look at other automation systems. Hope this helps!
@@Homekitgeek Thank you that is such a big help and it means a lot. I am just surprised in 2021 compatibility is still such an issue. I should just be able to use the home app or any app and link them, unfortunately the world isn't that easy
Can also on android be accessed via app called hue essentials and then click smart controls in menu. Shows temperature but as of yet until philips unlock a feature where as can link with smart thermostats etc. Future could be good if they unlocked features of the sensor for further apps to communicate. Any way that's my 2 penneth 😀
Really appreciate you sharing your experience! I need to get an Android device up and running for testing. Definitely agree that this is something they need to do. Immediate use-cases could be pairing the information with the Ecobee thermostat as a remote sensor or working with the Keen Smart Vent system as a remote sensor as well. They did unlock the homekit support recently so at least we know that they are open to releasing functionality to 3rd parties if enough customers ask them.
I’ve got the Elgato Eve motion sensors, which are BT. They are pretty bad IMO, as the reaction rate is too slow (eg. I have one in the small bathroom, and it doesn’t detect motion and switch on the light fast enough - visitors end up looking for the light switch instead!).... also, can’t figure how to do occupancy, as opposed to motion (in the same example, someone using the toilet, or in the shower, maybe fairly still, but the lights switch off after the desired time, without re-sensing all the time to see if there’s movement - if that makes sense!)... Do you know if the Philips Hue Motion sensor is better? Or is it a HK limitation?
Hey @SkyeDaMan. The Eve motion sensors definitely had a pretty bad response time in the past, but there was firmware updates that got them to the point where they were usable for most situations. The Hue (and any other zigbee sensors) are faster in general than any of the BT sensors, so in that sense, you should be happier there. I don’t remember off the top of my head how the Occupency/Motion maps on the Hue sensors. This definitely isn’t a homekit limitation, it’s more of an implementation detail on the specific sensor. There is usually a time-lapse on sensors before they reset themselves to detect another motion event. This time-lapse is different on different devices and there’s also a bit of variation with when homekit checks the sensor. The Ecobee room sensors for instance had a 5 minute period between “resetting” themselves to detect a new event. Just something you need to play with a bit to see if it will work for your application.
HI, great video. You answered a lot of my question. I have a lot of Lutron product which I really like. I looked at the Caseta Smart Motion Sensor which turn out was just a dumb sensor. Now I want to branch out to the Hue product but my concern is delay. Does controlling other brand homekit product as fast as controlling hue bulb?
hey Ming Tang! Thanks for stopping buy. Although technically I’m sure there’s a difference between Hue motion sensors controlling Hue products vs using them to trigger non-hue devices through HomeKit, the reality is that it’s so fast that you won’t even notice it. I actually use the Hue motion sensor as my preferred motion sensor throughout the house. The fact that it is also exposed to Amazon Alexa for triggers as well is great so I can have my backup system in place if things go wrong. Hope this helps!
Hi thanks for you video. I have a question, I hope you can help me out here, but did you have any issue of homekit not triggering the lights? I did the setting and everything seems fine, but when motion is detected nothing happens. Motion is recognized in the home app but the automation is not trigger?
Yup. This definitely happens now and then. I would start by making sure that you are triggering a scene and not an accessory directly. You can always test the scenes to make sure they are working as intended. For the motion event. I would also turn on notifications for the motion to make sure it working. One thing about motion sensors to know is that most seem to have a quiet period where they will not trigger against any motion. They basically sit and do nothing u too they time out and become active again. I would also make sure that you’re on the latest firmware for all concerned devices as well as make sure you’re HimeHub (AppleTV HomePod it iPad in Homehub mode) are up to date and on the same version of firmware. Hopefully these steps will help to resolve your issue!
Chris Young Hi, thanks for the advice. I was having the beta version of the Apple TV. So I restore it and now it is working fine also with the accessories. Thanks for advice :)
Assuming you’ve got a device acting as a home hub (AppleTV, HomePod, or iPad in Homehub mode that you leave at home) you can turn on notifications for all HomeKit motion sensors. Hope this helps!
Hey AlleXD - This model is NOT the outdoor model. Depending on climate, location, etc... it MIGHT survive, but I’d highly recommend looking at the Hue outdoor motion sensor instead which was designed specifically for outdoor conditions. Hope this helps!
Great video, I have an echo plus and a few hue bulbs but dont have the hue hub. will I need to get one for this product to work? or will it work with connecting straight to the echo plus?
Unfortunately, in April 2018 the Amazon Echo Plus still doesn’t support any motion sensors that I’m aware of. You’ll need the Philips Gen2 hub to be able to use this. Note that all your motion sensor config will have to be done in the Philips Hue app and you won’t be able to trigger non Hue devices with it. Just a current limitation to the Amazon Echo system. make sense?
Yep not a problem, I am still trying to find out more ways of using the zigbee hub in the echo but just don't know the limitations with the app etc. For example should I be able to buy a zigbee motion sensor of any type and be able to find it via the echo plus and be in my devices? Cheers for the quick reply.
Honestly, the echo plus itself doesn’t currently allow and sensor based actions in the routines function. So even if you were able to add a zigbee sensor to your Plus, you couldn’t configure it to do anything. For automated actions like this you’ll need the vendors bridge or an external SmartHome hub like Samsung SmartThings or Wink. Not ideal at all.
Thanks for the information Chris! I thought that might be the case but thought I would check. I shall try and come up with another solution to my smart home issue. if not then will just go out and by another hub. Cheers for the great videos though! Subscribed!
Hi. How about cut off time? I read that its hardcoded to 30 sec. I'm thinking of Elgato for that reason. Have u have any automations problem due to this. For example tv - room and you see a movie for 2 hours. You don't want to move every 30 seconds :)
Great question. Most of the motion sensors have a cut-off time between detecting new motion. Some as long as 5 minutes between resetting. Looking at your question, I’m guessing your concern is that you’re going to have to keep moving to keep a homekit scene active for the whole movie which would be really really annoying. This is definitely not the case with any of the motion sensors, Philips, Elgato, or other. When you setup the automation, by default, it will stay in the desired state until something else happens to change that state. So if your motion detector triggers a scene, the scene will stay active for the whole movie. If the motion detector sees motion again after a timeout, it will simply trigger the scene that’s already active. From our perspective, nothing changes as the lights don’t flicker or change colours etc... The exception to this is if you deliberately put in a “Turn Off” value for the scene which is not mandatory. This is handy for, as an example, turning on a fan when 30 minutes when the temperature goes above X degrees. After the 30 minutes, it will automatically turn off again which is pretty cool. Hope this answer makes sense!
Chris Young thanks. I guess then i Was wrong. Then i think i Will but some Hue Motion sensors. What things show in Apple Home app? -motion -temp -light (lux) Can i use all of them separatly?
No worries! We’re all learning. The Philipps Hue Motion sensors gets exposed as a Motion, Light level, and Temperature sensor within Apple Homekit. The Apple Home App can see all three, but you might need to look at the Elgato Eve or the @brutella Home app ( 3rd party app which cost $, but is really great!) to be able to create automations using the light sensor.
I think this is covered, but wanted to make sure it’s clear. The Philips Hue 2nd Gen bridge is required for the Philips Motion Sensor the work with HomeKit if you have that already this is a great addition to your smart home at a really inexpensive price compared to other offerings on the market.
Hi again. Just bought one motion sensor. I have set like this motion on = light on motion off = light off. So good so far. But let's say I set motion = lamp on duration 10 min, and the other automation like motion off = lamp off. Will this mean that lamp go on for 10 min, then after 10 min no motion lamp off. Correct? Is this not the same as just have a motion on automation for 10 min? Confused :) My wife just said ok but will I have to move every 30 sec?!
Thanks for the comment! This video was done 18 months ago. Totally get that there’s a lot of choices out there. If this channel isn’t your thing, that’s cool. Wish you luck in finding something that’s more your cup of tea. :)
This was an amazing update! One of the reasons I recommend Hue in many different situations.
Yup. This was, I believe, something that really pushed HomeKit forward for me as a viable Smarthome solution. It opened up a ton of new automation possibilities base on the speed and responsiveness of the Hue zigbee motion sensors. Seems like such a long time ago now.
I was just able to use the eve app, and enabled this sensor to trigger non hue lights to turn on. New favorite sensor!
Great news! Congrats! It still kinda feels like magic when you realize you’re using all these products from different vendors and they just work together!
Agreed
DBlake wow.. thank you so much for share your experience. Finally, I can do more to utilize my Philips Hue motion (the light sensor) to control my Koogeek light socket through Koogeek apps. I was stuck for days to configure how to make my Koogeek talk to my Philips Hue motion sensor.
Absolutely! The rising tide floats all boats as they say. :)
Chris Young totally agreed. It is now way more easier to make it happen, compared with a decade ago when smart home system was all wired connected only and cost millions of dollars.
does it notify you when you're not home?
Great video, at this stage I can't use the automation feature of home because I don't have a homekit/tablet. Any other ideas how can I create a scene where when I walk into the room the motion sensor turns on my phillips and nanoleaf lights, at this stage it is only doing the phillips lights?
Thanks Stefan! You’ll definitely need something else to tie your Hue and Nanoleaf together with automations. Thankfully you have some choices here. The easiest and probably cheapest way would be to pick up an Amazon Eco Dot (approx ~50$) and add both your Hue and Nanoleaf products by enabling the Alexa skill for each vendor. You can then create a “routine” (Amazons word for automation) that will turn on the selected lights when your Hue motion sensor is triggered. You do have other options like HomeKit (requires a HomePod mini or Apple TV ) or potentially look at other automation systems. Hope this helps!
@@Homekitgeek Thank you that is such a big help and it means a lot. I am just surprised in 2021 compatibility is still such an issue. I should just be able to use the home app or any app and link them, unfortunately the world isn't that easy
Can also on android be accessed via app called hue essentials and then click smart controls in menu. Shows temperature but as of yet until philips unlock a feature where as can link with smart thermostats etc. Future could be good if they unlocked features of the sensor for further apps to communicate. Any way that's my 2 penneth 😀
Really appreciate you sharing your experience! I need to get an Android device up and running for testing. Definitely agree that this is something they need to do. Immediate use-cases could be pairing the information with the Ecobee thermostat as a remote sensor or working with the Keen Smart Vent system as a remote sensor as well. They did unlock the homekit support recently so at least we know that they are open to releasing functionality to 3rd parties if enough customers ask them.
I’ve got the Elgato Eve motion sensors, which are BT. They are pretty bad IMO, as the reaction rate is too slow (eg. I have one in the small bathroom, and it doesn’t detect motion and switch on the light fast enough - visitors end up looking for the light switch instead!).... also, can’t figure how to do occupancy, as opposed to motion (in the same example, someone using the toilet, or in the shower, maybe fairly still, but the lights switch off after the desired time, without re-sensing all the time to see if there’s movement - if that makes sense!)... Do you know if the Philips Hue Motion sensor is better? Or is it a HK limitation?
Hey @SkyeDaMan. The Eve motion sensors definitely had a pretty bad response time in the past, but there was firmware updates that got them to the point where they were usable for most situations. The Hue (and any other zigbee sensors) are faster in general than any of the BT sensors, so in that sense, you should be happier there. I don’t remember off the top of my head how the Occupency/Motion maps on the Hue sensors. This definitely isn’t a homekit limitation, it’s more of an implementation detail on the specific sensor. There is usually a time-lapse on sensors before they reset themselves to detect another motion event. This time-lapse is different on different devices and there’s also a bit of variation with when homekit checks the sensor. The Ecobee room sensors for instance had a 5 minute period between “resetting” themselves to detect a new event. Just something you need to play with a bit to see if it will work for your application.
Chris Young thanks fella 🙏🏾 and keep up the great work with the vids
HI, great video. You answered a lot of my question. I have a lot of Lutron product which I really like. I looked at the Caseta Smart Motion Sensor which turn out was just a dumb sensor. Now I want to branch out to the Hue product but my concern is delay. Does controlling other brand homekit product as fast as controlling hue bulb?
hey Ming Tang! Thanks for stopping buy. Although technically I’m sure there’s a difference between Hue motion sensors controlling Hue products vs using them to trigger non-hue devices through HomeKit, the reality is that it’s so fast that you won’t even notice it. I actually use the Hue motion sensor as my preferred motion sensor throughout the house. The fact that it is also exposed to Amazon Alexa for triggers as well is great so I can have my backup system in place if things go wrong. Hope this helps!
Hi thanks for you video. I have a question, I hope you can help me out here, but did you have any issue of homekit not triggering the lights? I did the setting and everything seems fine, but when motion is detected nothing happens. Motion is recognized in the home app but the automation is not trigger?
Yup. This definitely happens now and then. I would start by making sure that you are triggering a scene and not an accessory directly. You can always test the scenes to make sure they are working as intended. For the motion event. I would also turn on notifications for the motion to make sure it working. One thing about motion sensors to know is that most seem to have a quiet period where they will not trigger against any motion. They basically sit and do nothing u too they time out and become active again. I would also make sure that you’re on the latest firmware for all concerned devices as well as make sure you’re HimeHub (AppleTV HomePod it iPad in Homehub mode) are up to date and on the same version of firmware. Hopefully these steps will help to resolve your issue!
Chris Young Hi, thanks for the advice. I was having the beta version of the Apple TV. So I restore it and now it is working fine also with the accessories. Thanks for advice :)
Bismarck Ledezma Navarro LOL ahhhh. I understand. I haven’t made the jump I go the beta yet. Still too many issues. :). Glad you got it worked out!
Is it possible to make this send a notification each time motion is detected whilst I am out of my house?
Assuming you’ve got a device acting as a home hub (AppleTV, HomePod, or iPad in Homehub mode that you leave at home) you can turn on notifications for all HomeKit motion sensors. Hope this helps!
@@Homekitgeek Awesome, thanks for the fast response too!
Can I install it outdoor?
Hey AlleXD - This model is NOT the outdoor model. Depending on climate, location, etc... it MIGHT survive, but I’d highly recommend looking at the Hue outdoor motion sensor instead which was designed specifically for outdoor conditions. Hope this helps!
Great video, I have an echo plus and a few hue bulbs but dont have the hue hub. will I need to get one for this product to work? or will it work with connecting straight to the echo plus?
Unfortunately, in April 2018 the Amazon Echo Plus still doesn’t support any motion sensors that I’m aware of. You’ll need the Philips Gen2 hub to be able to use this. Note that all your motion sensor config will have to be done in the Philips Hue app and you won’t be able to trigger non Hue devices with it. Just a current limitation to the Amazon Echo system. make sense?
Yep not a problem, I am still trying to find out more ways of using the zigbee hub in the echo but just don't know the limitations with the app etc.
For example should I be able to buy a zigbee motion sensor of any type and be able to find it via the echo plus and be in my devices?
Cheers for the quick reply.
Honestly, the echo plus itself doesn’t currently allow and sensor based actions in the routines function. So even if you were able to add a zigbee sensor to your Plus, you couldn’t configure it to do anything. For automated actions like this you’ll need the vendors bridge or an external SmartHome hub like Samsung SmartThings or Wink. Not ideal at all.
To be clear. Echo plus is a great choice if you want just timebased routines and voice controls. Sensor driven automation requires another hub.
Thanks for the information Chris! I thought that might be the case but thought I would check.
I shall try and come up with another solution to my smart home issue. if not then will just go out and by another hub.
Cheers for the great videos though! Subscribed!
Great video!
Appreciate the kind words!
Hi. How about cut off time? I read that its hardcoded to 30 sec. I'm thinking of Elgato for that reason. Have u have any automations problem due to this. For example tv - room and you see a movie for 2 hours. You don't want to move every 30 seconds :)
Great question. Most of the motion sensors have a cut-off time between detecting new motion. Some as long as 5 minutes between resetting. Looking at your question, I’m guessing your concern is that you’re going to have to keep moving to keep a homekit scene active for the whole movie which would be really really annoying. This is definitely not the case with any of the motion sensors, Philips, Elgato, or other. When you setup the automation, by default, it will stay in the desired state until something else happens to change that state. So if your motion detector triggers a scene, the scene will stay active for the whole movie. If the motion detector sees motion again after a timeout, it will simply trigger the scene that’s already active. From our perspective, nothing changes as the lights don’t flicker or change colours etc... The exception to this is if you deliberately put in a “Turn Off” value for the scene which is not mandatory. This is handy for, as an example, turning on a fan when 30 minutes when the temperature goes above X degrees. After the 30 minutes, it will automatically turn off again which is pretty cool. Hope this answer makes sense!
Chris Young thanks. I guess then i Was wrong. Then i think i Will but some Hue Motion sensors.
What things show in Apple Home app?
-motion
-temp
-light (lux)
Can i use all of them separatly?
No worries! We’re all learning. The Philipps Hue Motion sensors gets exposed as a Motion, Light level, and Temperature sensor within Apple Homekit. The Apple Home App can see all three, but you might need to look at the Elgato Eve or the @brutella Home app ( 3rd party app which cost $, but is really great!) to be able to create automations using the light sensor.
I think this is covered, but wanted to make sure it’s clear. The Philips Hue 2nd Gen bridge is required for the Philips Motion Sensor the work with HomeKit if you have that already this is a great addition to your smart home at a really inexpensive price compared to other offerings on the market.
Hi again. Just bought one motion sensor. I have set like this motion on = light on motion off = light off. So good so far. But let's say I set motion = lamp on duration 10 min, and the other automation like motion off = lamp off. Will this mean that lamp go on for 10 min, then after 10 min no motion lamp off. Correct?
Is this not the same as just have a motion on automation for 10 min?
Confused :) My wife just said ok but will I have to move every 30 sec?!
Why subscribe to a channel who does the 20th review of this product ? Show me why are u worth too subscribe 2
Thanks for the comment! This video was done 18 months ago. Totally get that there’s a lot of choices out there. If this channel isn’t your thing, that’s cool. Wish you luck in finding something that’s more your cup of tea. :)
Chris Young all smart home channels are my thing upload more tut with review and i will subscribe 👍🏼