FAQ: List Of Working Door/Window Sensors?

Wiki FAQ
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I have been searching these forums and I can not find a list of working Sensors, besides the one on Smartthings website. Can someone point me in the right direction? I purchased a bunch of Visonic MCT-320 SMA (2.4Ghz) from an ebay seller and he had stated that they work with Smartthings and now I come to find out the do not. He will not allow me to return and told me to switch to Wink, which I checked and they don’t work there either. Already wasted over 300 bucks on those and some Visonic MCT-302-SMA (2.4Ghz).

Any help would be appreciated.

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Have you opened a case with Ebay? If the description was incorrect then you are fully protected as a buyer.

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I did not read, I guess you call the fine print “AS IS”

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I suggest for your first purchase and first installation of a particular device, only buy 1 or 2 to test it in your application.

Thingsthataresmart is probably the best list of official and unofficially-compatible sensors. New devices are introduced and revised all the time, so it’s a moving target.
http://thingsthataresmart.wiki

Smarthomedb.com isincomplete with low crowd participation, so IMO not recommended.

FYI Visonic anything-SMA is typically not zigbee, very cheap but incompatible and useless for Smartthings. The exception is Visonic MCT340-SMA which IS zigbee HA1.2 and is compatible, but IMO not worth using unless they are free. Visonic in general is now DIY-unfriendly which goes double for their alarm systems.

ST forum search will have more practical notes on any specific device, search by part#.

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Shortest answer:

Any certified Z wave door/window sensor should have basic functionality with SmartThings out of the box for reporting open or closed. If it has advanced features like changing LED colors or humidity reporting that might require some custom code, which the community can usually help with. And it’s easy to verify Z wave certification by checking the official Z wave alliance products site:

http://products.z-wavealliance.org

The one thing to note with Z wave is that there are different frequencies in different regions, the frequencies cannot be changed after a device is manufactured, and the frequency of the device has to match the frequency of your hub exactly. That’s important because if you start trying to shop on eBay or buy sensors used you might end up with a European frequency sensor when you have a US frequency SmartThings hub or vice versa.

But if you stick with certified Zwave, it should be easy to find sensors that work with SmartThings. :sunglasses:

That’s zwave, what about zigbee?

For zigbee it’s considerably more complicated because many times the seller doesn’t know what they have. SmartThings is certified for the “zigbee home automation profile 1.2” (ZHA 1.2) and sensors with the same certification can usually be made to work, but may require custom code even for the basic open/close reporting.

Zigbee devices using other profiles may not work with SmartThings at all, or might pair but keep going off-line.

So a device can be certified for zigbee but still not work with SmartThings if it uses a different profile. Or has manufacturer – specific encoding. Or a retailer may tell you that the device is certified for zigbee home automation when it’s actually a home automation device certified for zigbee, but not for the ZHA profile. ( this is a common translation problem with Chinese vendors. )

As @ero4444 suggested, before buying any zigbee devices I would definitely check the forums to see if that specific model has already been made to work with SmartThings. And if not, ask the vendor for a copy of the device certification.

Finally…

Lastly, my personal recommendation is to only buy electronic devices from places with a good returns policy. Sometimes an individual device is defective, sometimes the product description was wrong, sometimes it just can’t be made to work with SmartThings. FWIW

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If you just want to see devices that have been officially tested for compatibility:

And if you want a quick look at which sensors already have custom code created for them, use the quick browse list in the community – created wiki, look in the device type handlers section, and choose the list for sensors. This will not include the ones on the official list, this is the list of custom code created by community members:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Quick_Browse_the_Community-Created_SmartApps_Forum_Section#Quick_Browse_Links_for_Device_Type_Handlers

Again, if a new sensor comes out and it is Z wave certified, you should get just the basic on/off reporting out of the box with SmartThings as long as it’s for the same region. But if it has advanced features, checking this list can show you if other community members are using those advanced features already. :sunglasses:

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Everyone, thanks for your replies!

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