Does anyone have experience with the SmartThings Motion Sensor?

Devices & Integrations
1

Does anyone have experience with this device SmartThings Motion Sensor? Any feedback?
Is there any other product you would recommend?

2

I have both new and old ones, new ones are very solid, especially response time and battery life

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3

And the old ones eat up batteries like a tapeworm.

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4

My V2 motion sensors battery would last one week, at the most 2. No issues with V3 batteries, changed them at least a year ago. I got rid of all V2 motion sensors, replaced them with Iris.

5

You will have to be more specific: there has been many different generations of the smartthings brand motion sensor, and they had different features and qualities. What model number are you interested in?

Also, what country are you in (the device selection does vary) and what purpose do you want a motion sensor for? Again, different sensors have different features, so the best one for one purpose might not be the best one for a different one.

6

So thank you to everyone that responded. I guess a bit of background first. I was in WINK but that’s coming to an end I believe. So I’m new to SmartThings.

With that said, I will answer your questions.

  • I do not currently have any motion sensors. So I’m not sure what model I should consider.
  • I am in the USA and looking to track motion, inside my home, that would say turn on lights. I do have a dog so perhaps something that can be “desensitized” to not alert on my dog.
  • I use RING and NEST cameras outside so no need for external motion sensing.

Thanks again!

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7

Ok, that helps. :sunglasses:

There are several motion sensors that have adjustable sensitivity, so that they don’t alert for smaller creatures. Unfortunately, that does not include the smartthings motion sensor.

There are two different ways to handle Pets with the kind of motion sensors that work with smartthings.

The first, as I mentioned, it is an adjustable sensor. Some of these are inexpensive, some are quite expensive. It depends on their size, battery life, and the number of different adjustments you can set. The inexpensive ones generally just have two or three settings and can typically be set to ignore an animal under 40 pounds, but usually will trigger for larger animals, so it also depends on how big your dog is.

The other way, which can be done even with the smartthings motion sensor, is to put a tube over it to limit its field of detection and mount it at about standard adult shoulder height. That way it will trigger when an adult walks past it, but not a dog. However, it also won’t trigger for a small child.

So it just depends on what you are trying to accomplish. And what your budget is.

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So I have no budget and would prefer to get the better or best available.

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For the best in this context, it’s hard to beat the Fibaro multisensor, which has all kinds of parameters you can adjust. In order to work with smartthings, you need to get the Z wave model, not the HomeKit model.

The following is a good review of Z wave motion sensors, but doesn’t include Zigbee, which is why the smartThings motion sensor isn’t listed there.

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I’m new to SmartThings (coming from Wink). I’ve installed a SmartThings Hub (2018), a SmartThings Motion Sensor (GP-U999SJVLBAA) and 10 various lights and outlets. My system has been up for only 3 days. On day 2, the motion sensor was “offline”. IMO this is not a good first impression. It was a simple fix. Remove/Reinstall the battery and all was well. On day 3, the sensor is working normally.

There are a lot of options on the market. So far enjoying SmartThings and will continue investments in new devices and automations.

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Yeah, I just moved over from WINK too. I am really liking SmartThings. Seems to be faster and more stable.

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JDRoberts, thanks for the suggestion.

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