I live in an area where winter time lows can reach -40 and I want to have a motion sensor activated solution for recording activity at my front door. I am thinking of doing the following:
Install a smart light switch on the switch that controls my exterior doorway lights.
Install a SmartThings motion sensor inside my house as I have a window that has a clear view of the front entryway.
Install a motion activated camera in the same window as the motion sensor.
I would like the motion sensor to trigger the light switch to turn on the lights. Presumably, the motion activated camera will start recording too. If the camera is not motion activated, it would be great if the SmartThings motion sensor could start the recording.
Are there any recommendations on hardware that I can buy that would do what I am trying to achieve? I have a generation 2 SmartThings hub and was hoping that buying a motion sensor and the Samsung HD camera that it supports will let me accomplish my goal.
Does anyone know for sure if this will work? Are there other hardware options that would work better or that would do the trick for less money?
I have been reading up on different options as it would appear that the motion sensors will not work through a pane of glass and I cannot find a motion sensor that is rated for our -40 degree winter climate.
I’m now wondering if there is any way to have the motion detection from a camera intercepted as a trigger by ST that would then turn on the lights (as once again, the night-vision is foiled by the pane of glass between the camera and the subject.
On some cameras, you can specify which area of the image should be monitored and pixel changes in that area are used to trigger a motion alert.
Does anyone know if the cameras supported on the V2 ST hub can use the camera as a motion sensor? That would let me use the camera to sense motion visually and trigger the lights to turn on whenever someone walks up to the front door.
I am using motion sensors outside that aren’t rated for below freezing temperatures. I think the biggest impact is on battery life.
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
4
How about a pressure plate under the rug on the porch. That could be wired to a contact sensor inside the house. When someone steps on the plate the contact closes and the lights come on, the camera starts rolling, and you can let the dogs out!
Hello
I have a Smarthings system installed in my condo. The condo is on the 2nd floor and looking for a compatible video camera to install outside my front door. I would to see who is at the front, the camera must be a true wireless (battery) and be weather proof (cold temp area) with built in two way-talk and advance motion audio detection.
The only thing I have found that is close is Arlo video camera. It wireless uses battery’s and is weather proof for cold areas but doesn’t have built in two way-talk and advance motion audio detection.
Or video out video doorbell same compatibly as above
Hello
I have a Smarthings system installed in my condo. The condo is on the 2nd floor and looking for a compatible video camera to install outside my front door. I would to see who is at the front, the camera must be a true wireless (battery) and be weather proof (cold temp area) with built in two way-talk and advance motion audio detection.
The only thing I have found that is close is Arlo video camera. It wireless uses battery’s and is weather proof for cold areas but doesn’t have built in two way-talk and advance motion audio detection.
Or video out video doorbell same compatibly as above larsenjl1948@gmail.com
How cold does it get where you live? I’m in Winnipeg and most winters, it gets down to -40 (where Celcius and Fahrenheit meet). We made news for being colder than Mars a while back. Winnipeg: Colder than Mars
I have yet to find a camera that is rated to function in weather colder than -10C/14F.
A pressure plate probably would not work due to ice build up. Additionally, you can’t really use a rug in the winter as you have to shovel the steps off after each snowfall. Thanks for the suggestion though.
I picked up a D-LINK DSC 933L camera as it was on a Boxing Day sale to get an idea of what the software was capable of. The motion sensor feature of the camera is based on pixel changes on the image and you can even block off the portion of the image that it should watch to determine motion has happened. The Camera can then send you an email with pictures of what caused the motion.
If I can somehow get the ST hub to treat the camera as a motion sensor so that it can turn on my lights using a smart light switch, I will have a working solution.
Does anyone know if the ST hub can acknowledge a camera’s motion sensor as an actual motion sensor trigger to the system?
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
10
Is there a path where everyone is forced to approach your doorway? Or can you just come at it from any angle?
You could possibly use a beam break detector as the trigger.
You can buy the detector kit (ones for the garage are great, fairly well priced, and have really good range) and set it up in an inconspicuous way (out of sight) where the beam will be broken by anyone approaching. It can also be high enough to not be tripped by small animals.
Connect it to a contact sensor and then ST does the rest.
It definitely doesn’t get THAT cold. Overnight lows in the 20’s are common during winter and we occasionally get into the single digits (F).
I have used a camera through a window before. The only problem I had was the night vision created too much glare off the window to be usable. It worked fine when there was sufficient light outside.
I don’t know if ST can detect motion directly from the camera but, those D-Link cameras usually have email capability. You should be able to run it through IFTTT to turn on a switch. The only problem would be the delay time for IFTTT to process everything.
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
13
I looked through the IFTTT channels and all of the ST triggers require one of the sensors to fire so I would need an email to turn on something or open a door to trigger things. On the other end, the GMAIL channel just lets you send another email. No easy or simple method here unless I’m missing something.
IFTTT works best when you have a trigger on one channel cause an action on another channel. I have used emails into my GMail to trigger things to happen to ST. The only problem is delay.
I use a Raspberry Pi 2 with camera module with a web interface. The camera is looking through my front window. Motion sensor on the camera works through the glass. The only thing I have not figured out is night vision, so I may go try your light switch idea. -40 here some times in Medicine Hat.