I’m in the middle of a quest here… Trying to find the best way to have presences detected at home… Thing is… I live in an apartment building… on the 6th floor…
First I tried the smartpresence fob… neat, but batteries run flat in less than you can say supercalifragilisticespialidocious… (did I manage to spell that right??)
Then I tried the integrated geofence approach in the app… that was perfect… EXCEPT! It would detect me at home while I was in the park near home… and that sucks… not to mention I have to have everyone who I want to access my home while I’m not there (family, cleaning, …) install the app… and that sucks!
I also tried the Sharptools approach… and that rocks… BUT! I have to install it (and other apps) in everyone’s phone… which sucks too!
Later I went the IFTTT Approach… same as Sharptools… awesome approach… sucks when you need to allow someone else in the house…
So… I was thinking… how about having an electronic door lock with a keypad or fob or even fingerprint scanner and have people just go that route?
On paper it seems the most efficient way…
BUT! I happen to have a locksmith for a friend… and he’s trying to convince me from using such locks… for he claims they are non secure and could be pried open with a hammer and screwdriver…
My door is a multipoint mortise kind of door… here’s a pic of the middle of it…
I need your guys help in europe! What can I tell him about these electronic locks?
I know I started out as just trying to detect presence but ended up talking about locks… I think this is the route to go… but… there’s too many options!
The Yale smart lock from Assa Abloy should be physically as secure as any other residential lock. Perhaps even more so, because it has a tamper alarm. But I believe that one has to be professionally installed. You will need the zwave module in order to integrate it with SmartThings.
Hey JD! Thanks, I looked into that precise lock… but Yale UK won’t ship it to Spain and Yale Spain won’t even sell it! I looked into it… loved it… Still stuck…
@danielccm I’m in the uk and I use a Yale coded lock to do exactly what you mentioned. I’ve set it up so who ever enters their code is then marked as present. I still use mobile phones for presence but if that fails which it regularly does then the code will override it. Handy for guests. If you set up a guest presence as a simulated presence in smartthings then when they entered their code they are marked as home. When they leave, away.
The Yale lock I use for a upvc multipoint lock also has a built in alarm with tamper trigger notification sent to smartthings. The Handle gets disengaged from the door when locked and is approved by insurance company’s.
As far as I’m concerned it’s more secure than my original upvc door lock because it’s lock snapping resistant and has extra security features that a standard multipoint lock doesn’t have.
Also no need for professional installation. I did my own in as little as 15 minutes.
OK, there is an available zwave module for the Yale YDM3168, so that’s good. But I think it’s a different shape than the one you linked to at Vesternet. So if you do decide to buy that one, just make sure you get it with the Z wave module.
If you found the presence sensor battery an issue I’ve followed these instructions to mod the ST presence sensor: Presence Sensor battery upgrade It’s been working but can’t tell exactly how long but still reporting 100%
Hey! Thanks for the tip! But it’s not all just the battery… but also the range… as I said, I live in an apartment building with a swimming pool and some bars and shops nearby… I don’t want the house to think I’m home when I’m down having a drink! lol!
That said… I’ll be sure to give it a go! as I have another hub in another location where I could use it…
