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I was given the opportunity to beta test the tilt sensor.
I received four of them. All four paired within seconds of initiating the add device procedure. The following are my observations of this product.
Size
I was amazed of the compact size of the product. It measures 1 1/8 H x 1 1/4 W x 3/8 depth. It is white in color and is almost unnoticeable mounted on my garage doors.
Mounting
It comes both with the adhesive tape and mounting screws. The base plate is pre drilled with 2 holes for using the screws. The package comes with 4 screws which is a good thing because even though I pre drilled the holes one of the screws twisted off during the installation. They are very small in diameter but more than adequate to hold the sensor in place.
Battery
It is powered by a CR 2032 3 volt battery.
Configuration
It can be configured as follows
Horizontal = open (for example when fitted to a garage door)
Vertical = open (for example when fitted to the lid of a box)
Play a chime when this tilt sensor is opened
Lowes has announced an asset protector and I’m not sure what the difference between this in the Vertical mode and the asset protector would be.
Magic
I tested it with the devices I have which include the smart plug, dimmer switch, wall switch and wall outlet. It controlled all as expected. It sent the text and email message notifications as defined. It appears and works as an alarm sensor just like any other sensor.
The sensor is zigbee and although mounted about 90 feet from the hub is reporting 100 signal strength. I have a magic rule to turn on my garage lights and they are on within 5 seconds of the door movement.
Overall I’m impressed with the product. I’ve been using contact sensors for the last 1.5 years to accomplish the same thing but I’ve always had problems with the alignment between the sensor and magnet and inconsistent results. This device is rock solid and performs the task for which it was intended 100% of the time.
If you need this type of sensor rest assured you can purchase it with confidence. It just works and works very well.
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Just like to thank scunnyngham for letting me post this here.
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Reblogged this on myke500 Unofficial and commented:
Cant wait toget my hands on one or two of these.
I want one of these for my garage. I also want the Iris garage door opener when it is available, and I believe I read that the garage door opener will come with one of these.
These sound great but I did not want to wait so I jury rigged the normal door sensor to do this same thing and it works pretty well. I was able to get them to do the same job plus the door sensors are a little cheaper and readily available. 🙂
I would like an indicator light inside my home when my garage door is left open. I installed a tilt sensor and created a magic rule to turn on a night light plugged into a smart plug. The rule will turn on the light but not turn it off unless an auto delay is set for turn off. I want it to stay on until the tilt sensor (de) activates or closes. Any recommendations?
They’re supposed to add a rule to notify when it closes and in fact the description says it will now. That’s why I added a 2nd sensor in the meantime.
any idea when these sensors will be available?
Mike
They’re available for shipping on the site now.