I use two motion sensors to determine direction. Imagine, you're going up a flight of stairs with two motion sensors placed a little apart. If the bottom sensor detects motion and the top sensor does not, you are going up the stairs. Your system can turn off the lights at the bottom of the stairs and turn them on at the top. Same for the opposite scenario. Having two motion sensors on stairs or in a hall can determine direction.
Help 😂 ihay iWatch your Videos I need help I want to start my room my closet in my bathroom and I don’t know what to get I’m so confused there are so many brands so many gadgets so many sensors I really don’t understand this please help me😂
Hey, Brian. I have two types of sensors in use that I don't think you mentioned. One senses the orientation of the sensor itself. It's on my garage door and tells me whether or not the door is open, sensor horizontal, or closed, sensor vertical. The other is a magnetic sensor buried in the ground next to my driveway that is triggered when a vehicle passes by it to let me know there is a car entering my driveway. Great video by the way. Your videos constantly reflect a great deal of preparation and research. It's appreciated.
We store our dog food in a large plastic container. I use a contact sensor on the lid to track the number of times it is opened daily. The counter resets to zero at midnight. If we are traveling I can be sure at least one of the grandsons has remembered to feed the dog. If a feeding is missed by two hours or more it triggers push messages and TTS messages.
To get notifications when anyone rings my dumb doorbell I wired an external reed switch to a motion sensor (Aeotec Door/Window sensor 7) and fixed the switch right next to the doorbell coil which is magnetised to ring the bell, thus closing the switch and triggering an automation in Smartthings to send a notification. While good in theory the sensor battery drained within a couple of days. I'm not sure if the reporting to the hub is different when an external contact us used? I ended up placing the body of the contact sensor next to the coil instead which isn't as neat or reliable but doesn't drain the battery at least.
I haven't made the move to smart things or home assistance but once I do, I'm going to start using vibration sensor on the washing machine and dryer. For now, it's contact and motion sensors to turn on lights and let me know when someone leaves the door open.
My favorite automation is the one that made my son say, "That's pretty cool". When I get into my bed, the door checks that it's locked and let's me know that it's locked. All the lights turn off, except the bedroom lights, which turn off 10 minutes later. If I get up in the middle of the night, select lights turn on at a dim level, and when I go back to bed, they turn off again. When I get up in the morning, all the lights turn on at the appropriate level. If I take a nap during the day, some lights turn off and some keep their "turn on when motion is detected" settings. I don't need to give any verbal commands, or touch any devices. :)
@@AutomateYourLife And virtual switches! Your video on creating a virtual switch was so inspiring, I use virtual switches in almost every routine now. Want to create a controllable group of lights? Virtual switch. Want to control my lighting at different times of the day? Virtual switch. Want Alexa to tell me when the washer or dryer is done? Virtual Switch. Want to be able to easily identify which routines are running? Virtual switches for everyone!
Brian, you just keep cranking out useful videos. This was great. Of course there are leak and humidity sensors as well as sound sensors that sense fire alarms or glass breakage and even barking dogs. The Aqara motion sensor you were holding also has a light level sensor that can be used to trigger routines. I trust you'll let us know when the first Matter/Thread/Alexa/Google/etc. "BS" sensor is released!!!
I use the vibration sensor from smartthings everywhere it is common knowledge in my house for people to knock on Doors to operate lights instead of using the light switch . I also Use the weather inside of smartthings to determine whether or not I run with light codes
I'm using a Smartthings motion sensor on my screened-In porch.. if motion and above a certain temperature, the ceiling fan turns on. If motion and after sunset, the light turns on.
I use the Aeotec sensor as a relay connected to a device called TornadoAlert. If a severe thunderstorm or tornado is detected, Alexa announces it. The detector uses NASA research about lightning patterns that signify a severe storm.
So that's sounding like you've got a really humid environment. Your motion sensor would work to know when someone is in the room, but maybe once your humidity climbs up to a certain level you use that to determine presence. It doesn't guarantee it 100%, so you could additionally use something like a contact sensor on the door or even shower curtain. They're magnetic so they like to click together 😃 I don't know your exact setup, but that might help. My Smartthings one works in my bathroom cause the humidity never gets SO high. So it's a bit dependent!
@@AutomateYourLife it keeps working in general, except for the person that is in the shower. I can keep switching it on by moving my hand above the (glass) devider. My wife and kids are not that lucky. I was thinking of putting a second (simple lidl) motionsensor inside the shower, but decided against it, because of the possibility of getting it wet. Door sensor wouldn't work here, since my wife tends to leave the doors open :(
I placed my original Samsung multipurposent on my patio door with the magnet on the door trim. However the vibration sensor was way too sensitive as the siren an RCMP cruiser going by on the street wwould set it off. Oh well, it makes a good patio door closed sensor. As it is on the door it is interesting looking at the door temperature in warm and cold weather as it can be 10 or more degrees different than the indoor temperature.
Yo link for outdoor range and functions great. I have the speaker hub from them so it announces on it and also will announce on an alexa device in another room.
I have Lenovo Smart WiFi sensors that fortunately are rechargeable and last about 6 months depending upon the uses. If I could afford it I'd go Yolink LoRa.
@@AutomateYourLife I would recommend them only to beginners in the smart home to discover what is possible. The delay in triggering is disappointing, but reliability is good and no battery replacement saves money.
Hey David, what's the requirements for humidity? Did you want it to be a small threshold or a short time frame? What would those be? That'll help me direct you best.
@@AutomateYourLife thanks for your help! Looking to turn a bathroom exhaust fan on when humidity rises above 65% and back off again when it falls below 65%. The automation itself is easy, just can't seem to find a good sensor that will respond quickly enough. The multi sensor I'm currently using does not prioritize humidity, so it doesn't detect changing humidity levels quickly at all.
@@AutomateYourLife It sure could but I really don't want to deal with motion sensor anymore lol, I've bought some light fixtures that has a motion sensor built in, let's see if these ones works. I bought it from a Chinese site lol I'm already seeing the end result.
Hi Brian great videos, but I just inquire some ring contact sensors I want to use on 2 of my doors but can’t get them to work. I have the Amazon Alexa echo dot 5th generation but my ring and Alexa app doesn’t seem to recognize the devices. Do I need the base station for this to work? Or can this work alone? Thanks
I haven't used them myself Tim, but I believe those are Z-Wave Contact Sensors. So yeah, that'll take a Station/Hub from Ring to get working. Sorry for the bad news!
Brian, *How can I better utilize my Samsung SmartThings hub? I feel as I tho, I don't use my hub for much of anything. Besides like 3 or 4 motion and sensor automations. I'm wondering, if I use the SmartThings hub 🤔 more, will that make my Wi-Fi better. Instead of, so many devices using Wi-Fi openly. Maybe have SmartThings do all the heavy lifting 🤔. Can't see how that would work tho. 😕. **Also Also, does Nest cameras have voice announcements on Google Displays and Google speakers? I know Alexa has voice announcements with Nest cameras. But I'm in the Google/Nest ecosystem. I wonder, if I can use SmartThings to make that work. ***Also Also Also, I wish I can set automations with my Nest cameras (something else SmartThings should be able to do). Do you know how to do that? ****Also Also Also Also, Is there a way to turn off viewing of a Nest Hub Max camera from other Displays in the house? I have a Nest Hub Max in my bedroom. And I don't want my children to see, what daddy and mommy are up to at night, after hours. I know I can turn off the camera on the device. But I don't want to turn the camera off. Cause I might forget to turn it back on, after I'm done with the *TIP.* And I want my room to be constantly recording. Just not visible from other Displays in the house.
Hey sir, Watch Saturday's video. Set aside about an hour. Also, no Nest Cameras don't have voice announcements except for the doorbell press. That works. My SmartThings has lots of my Nest Cameras and doorbell in it, and yes they can start automations. No on the nest hub max camera. Get cameras out of the bedroom.
Though technically not a sensor, the sound detection and activation of routines on Amazon Echo devices can be really handy. From breaking windows and smoke alarms when in Guard mode to a barking dog and beeping appliances. But I want to see the Clapper light automation return.
I see a lot of these sensors are using CR123 batteries. Can you swap them for 16340 Lithium ion batteries ? Really impressed with the level of detail you go into with these videos, thank you 👍
Hey Edward thanks! There is a little bit more length on the 16340, and there is a little bit more voltage. I don't see a lot of these sensors accommodating that but I doubt the voltage would be a concern and I think you could shave off the cap if it was too tight of a squeeze. Not sure I would recommend that, but I think it's something I can test in the future! Time to buy a few ;)
@@AutomateYourLifeThanks for responding. I was mainly wondering because even though they last a long time, CR123's are $4ea in Australia and I hate disposable batteries.
Great video! It's nice to have a walk through of what you can do with sensors and a great step by step process of implementation. This is my favorite thing about your channel that you generally want to help people regardless of the sponsorship. Tired of the "OH this product X can do this because they gave me a sponsorship" channels. They don't tell you how its running or the routines they used... I had to go through 5 different brands of smart plugs to find a power monitoring plug because people were so vague on their channels about doing a lights turn off or curtains close when the TV is on. I had to go through much trial and error and Amazon returns to get a process set up well. You really are a great channel!
Thanks so much Bryan! It's been hard to ignore the sponsorship offers and I'm glad it's being seen by a few folks! Either way, just glad this video's hitting home.
I use two motion sensors to determine direction. Imagine, you're going up a flight of stairs with two motion sensors placed a little apart. If the bottom sensor detects motion and the top sensor does not, you are going up the stairs. Your system can turn off the lights at the bottom of the stairs and turn them on at the top. Same for the opposite scenario. Having two motion sensors on stairs or in a hall can determine direction.
Genuis, thanks
100%! What a great use case!
Help 😂 ihay iWatch your Videos I need help I want to start my room my closet in my bathroom and I don’t know what to get I’m so confused there are so many brands so many gadgets so many sensors I really don’t understand this please help me😂
Uhx😅
Hey, Brian. I have two types of sensors in use that I don't think you mentioned. One senses the orientation of the sensor itself. It's on my garage door and tells me whether or not the door is open, sensor horizontal, or closed, sensor vertical. The other is a magnetic sensor buried in the ground next to my driveway that is triggered when a vehicle passes by it to let me know there is a car entering my driveway.
Great video by the way. Your videos constantly reflect a great deal of preparation and research. It's appreciated.
Oh thanks sir! Great to see you!
Also, I forgot about that amazing sensor you had done a few years ago. What a great idea that one was.
We store our dog food in a large plastic container. I use a contact sensor on the lid to track the number of times it is opened daily. The counter resets to zero at midnight. If we are traveling I can be sure at least one of the grandsons has remembered to feed the dog. If a feeding is missed by two hours or more it triggers push messages and TTS messages.
That's a really kind automation for your dog!😃😃. Love that
Really great education. Thanks 🙏 for sharing all of your knowledge.
Thanks for watching Lawrence!
To get notifications when anyone rings my dumb doorbell I wired an external reed switch to a motion sensor (Aeotec Door/Window sensor 7) and fixed the switch right next to the doorbell coil which is magnetised to ring the bell, thus closing the switch and triggering an automation in Smartthings to send a notification.
While good in theory the sensor battery drained within a couple of days. I'm not sure if the reporting to the hub is different when an external contact us used? I ended up placing the body of the contact sensor next to the coil instead which isn't as neat or reliable but doesn't drain the battery at least.
I haven't made the move to smart things or home assistance but once I do, I'm going to start using vibration sensor on the washing machine and dryer. For now, it's contact and motion sensors to turn on lights and let me know when someone leaves the door open.
And that's good! It doesn't need to be perfect, just add to your life.
Amazing insightful tips!!
Thanks Ben! Go forth and Automate!
My favorite automation is the one that made my son say, "That's pretty cool". When I get into my bed, the door checks that it's locked and let's me know that it's locked. All the lights turn off, except the bedroom lights, which turn off 10 minutes later. If I get up in the middle of the night, select lights turn on at a dim level, and when I go back to bed, they turn off again. When I get up in the morning, all the lights turn on at the appropriate level. If I take a nap during the day, some lights turn off and some keep their "turn on when motion is detected" settings. I don't need to give any verbal commands, or touch any devices. :)
You gotta love that. All done with a few sensors hey? Actually, sounds like just the one under your bed!
@@AutomateYourLife And virtual switches! Your video on creating a virtual switch was so inspiring, I use virtual switches in almost every routine now. Want to create a controllable group of lights? Virtual switch. Want to control my lighting at different times of the day? Virtual switch. Want Alexa to tell me when the washer or dryer is done? Virtual Switch. Want to be able to easily identify which routines are running? Virtual switches for everyone!
Brian, you just keep cranking out useful videos. This was great. Of course there are leak and humidity sensors as well as sound sensors that sense fire alarms or glass breakage and even barking dogs. The Aqara motion sensor you were holding also has a light level sensor that can be used to trigger routines. I trust you'll let us know when the first Matter/Thread/Alexa/Google/etc. "BS" sensor is released!!!
Oh man, you're making me want to release a part 2 😃😃
And yep! I'll let you know as soon as I see anything!
Brian, thank you sir.
Thank you Ron!!
Nice informative vid Brian. Do you know of a outdoor contact sensor that might have a range of 200feet. I am wanting to put one on my driveway gate.
YoLink! Wayyyy back in my review of that system I had one. It's bigger than most but the range is huge and it has a good seal
Yolink has a promoted range of 1/4 mile.
Ring makes an outdoor contact sensor that is compatible with the ring alarm system if you have one.
Great tips Brian!
Thanks sir! Got a new tour yet??
@@AutomateYourLife working on something really cool, thanks for all the great advice
Bravo Bryan Bravo.
Thanks sir!😃😃😃
I use the vibration sensor from smartthings everywhere it is common knowledge in my house for people to knock on Doors to operate lights instead of using the light switch . I also Use the weather inside of smartthings to determine whether or not I run with light codes
I like the knock option for people!
I'm using a Smartthings motion sensor on my screened-In porch.. if motion and above a certain temperature, the ceiling fan turns on. If motion and after sunset, the light turns on.
Glad you're having success with that Derrian! That sounds like you've got that one located well
@@AutomateYourLife Man I'm COMMITTED. I have 10 water leak sensors, 4 humidity sensors, 17 motion sensors, and 12 contact sensors throughout my house!
I use the Aeotec sensor as a relay connected to a device called TornadoAlert. If a severe thunderstorm or tornado is detected, Alexa announces it. The detector uses NASA research about lightning patterns that signify a severe storm.
That's a really neat application! Love the relay connection there you're doing!
Hi Russ sounds interesting can you elaborate more on that if you could thanks.
I love the yolink outdoor driveway sensor!!
Fantastic sensor. Especially with that range. You can truly cover an acreage driveway with that.
Yolink outdoor is great. Just got one a few weeks ago, range is outstanding. No false alarms other than my friendly wildlife
@@ypark2877 for sure!!
Can you recommend a zigbee outdoor sensor? I scoured the internet and couldn't find one
Motion? Hue :)
What kind of motion/presence sensor would you use in the bathroom? Ours doesn't work during shower.
So that's sounding like you've got a really humid environment. Your motion sensor would work to know when someone is in the room, but maybe once your humidity climbs up to a certain level you use that to determine presence.
It doesn't guarantee it 100%, so you could additionally use something like a contact sensor on the door or even shower curtain. They're magnetic so they like to click together 😃
I don't know your exact setup, but that might help.
My Smartthings one works in my bathroom cause the humidity never gets SO high. So it's a bit dependent!
@@AutomateYourLife it keeps working in general, except for the person that is in the shower. I can keep switching it on by moving my hand above the (glass) devider. My wife and kids are not that lucky. I was thinking of putting a second (simple lidl) motionsensor inside the shower, but decided against it, because of the possibility of getting it wet.
Door sensor wouldn't work here, since my wife tends to leave the doors open :(
I placed my original Samsung multipurposent on my patio door with the magnet on the door trim. However the vibration sensor was way too sensitive as the siren an RCMP cruiser going by on the street wwould set it off. Oh well, it makes a good patio door closed sensor. As it is on the door it is interesting looking at the door temperature in warm and cold weather as it can be 10 or more degrees different than the indoor temperature.
Wow! A car on the street got it...that's amazing. I gotta try that actually.
Yo link for outdoor range and functions great. I have the speaker hub from them so it announces on it and also will announce on an alexa device in another room.
Yeah that's a good one 😃
Brian! You couldn't come up with 10 more?! ......Shaaaaaame :)
Ahahahaha I know right!!
@@AutomateYourLife you couldn’t have made it 60 facts so that it was even?
This is Brian, not @paulhibbert. 🤣
I guess I was the only one, that got that _Just the Tip_ joke in the thumbnail?
Probably cause, I use that line *A LOT.*
ahahhahaha, no man! We got a few of the comments :)
I have Lenovo Smart WiFi sensors that fortunately are rechargeable and last about 6 months depending upon the uses.
If I could afford it I'd go Yolink LoRa.
How are you finding those Lenovo ones?? I had one here and never set it up!
@@AutomateYourLife I would recommend them only to beginners in the smart home to discover what is possible. The delay in triggering is disappointing, but reliability is good and no battery replacement saves money.
Best stand alone humidity sensor that works with Smartthings? Don't want another multi sensor that does not allow you to prioritize humidity.
Hey David, what's the requirements for humidity? Did you want it to be a small threshold or a short time frame? What would those be? That'll help me direct you best.
@@AutomateYourLife thanks for your help! Looking to turn a bathroom exhaust fan on when humidity rises above 65% and back off again when it falls below 65%. The automation itself is easy, just can't seem to find a good sensor that will respond quickly enough. The multi sensor I'm currently using does not prioritize humidity, so it doesn't detect changing humidity levels quickly at all.
Motion sensor just don't work, either that or I'm the most unlucky person in the world. I just gave up installing them.
Sounds unlucky! Maybe some of these things I talked about could help too?
@@AutomateYourLife It sure could but I really don't want to deal with motion sensor anymore lol, I've bought some light fixtures that has a motion sensor built in, let's see if these ones works. I bought it from a Chinese site lol I'm already seeing the end result.
Wow this is a really great video! I thought I already understood sensors lol Thanks for the thorough and insightful video!
Thanks Christian! Glad this one hit home!
Would be great if these sensors could control the smart window winder that doesn't exist....
useful, thanks
Hi Brian great videos, but I just inquire some ring contact sensors I want to use on 2 of my doors but can’t get them to work. I have the Amazon Alexa echo dot 5th generation but my ring and Alexa app doesn’t seem to recognize the devices. Do I need the base station for this to work? Or can this work alone? Thanks
I haven't used them myself Tim, but I believe those are Z-Wave Contact Sensors. So yeah, that'll take a Station/Hub from Ring to get working. Sorry for the bad news!
You use a sensor to tell you if you’re sitting on the couch or not???
Well, more to do things when I sit :)
Brian,
*How can I better utilize my Samsung SmartThings hub? I feel as I tho, I don't use my hub for much of anything. Besides like 3 or 4 motion and sensor automations. I'm wondering, if I use the SmartThings hub 🤔 more, will that make my Wi-Fi better. Instead of, so many devices using Wi-Fi openly. Maybe have SmartThings do all the heavy lifting 🤔. Can't see how that would work tho. 😕.
**Also Also, does Nest cameras have voice announcements on Google Displays and Google speakers? I know Alexa has voice announcements with Nest cameras. But I'm in the Google/Nest ecosystem. I wonder, if I can use SmartThings to make that work.
***Also Also Also, I wish I can set automations with my Nest cameras (something else SmartThings should be able to do). Do you know how to do that?
****Also Also Also Also, Is there a way to turn off viewing of a Nest Hub Max camera from other Displays in the house? I have a Nest Hub Max in my bedroom. And I don't want my children to see, what daddy and mommy are up to at night, after hours. I know I can turn off the camera on the device. But I don't want to turn the camera off. Cause I might forget to turn it back on, after I'm done with the *TIP.* And I want my room to be constantly recording. Just not visible from other Displays in the house.
Hey sir,
Watch Saturday's video. Set aside about an hour.
Also, no Nest Cameras don't have voice announcements except for the doorbell press. That works.
My SmartThings has lots of my Nest Cameras and doorbell in it, and yes they can start automations.
No on the nest hub max camera. Get cameras out of the bedroom.
That falling latch garage door idea is a lot more work than just sticking the sensor on the track and the magnet on the door...
Oh? What have you run into?
I do have a great new sensor to show you on the 1st of October for that too. It was a stick on.
I can here just for the tip, you delivered.
🤣🤣🤣
Though technically not a sensor, the sound detection and activation of routines on Amazon Echo devices can be really handy.
From breaking windows and smoke alarms when in Guard mode to a barking dog and beeping appliances. But I want to see the Clapper light automation return.
Absolutely! And that IS a sensor!
Amazon should let us record a sound and then have an automation occur when an Amazon echo device detects that sound.
I see a lot of these sensors are using CR123 batteries. Can you swap them for 16340 Lithium ion batteries ?
Really impressed with the level of detail you go into with these videos, thank you 👍
Hey Edward thanks!
There is a little bit more length on the 16340, and there is a little bit more voltage.
I don't see a lot of these sensors accommodating that but I doubt the voltage would be a concern and I think you could shave off the cap if it was too tight of a squeeze.
Not sure I would recommend that, but I think it's something I can test in the future! Time to buy a few ;)
@@AutomateYourLifeThanks for responding.
I was mainly wondering because even though they last a long time, CR123's are $4ea in Australia and I hate disposable batteries.
Great video! It's nice to have a walk through of what you can do with sensors and a great step by step process of implementation. This is my favorite thing about your channel that you generally want to help people regardless of the sponsorship.
Tired of the "OH this product X can do this because they gave me a sponsorship" channels. They don't tell you how its running or the routines they used... I had to go through 5 different brands of smart plugs to find a power monitoring plug because people were so vague on their channels about doing a lights turn off or curtains close when the TV is on. I had to go through much trial and error and Amazon returns to get a process set up well.
You really are a great channel!
Thanks so much Bryan! It's been hard to ignore the sponsorship offers and I'm glad it's being seen by a few folks! Either way, just glad this video's hitting home.