How to CORRECTLY pair a Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor 7 with a hub

[SBarcus]

I purchased several of these G7 versions because I had a previous generation sensor and was happy with it. I almost returned them because they would all pair, but wouldn’t work - the status would change once and then stay stuck. The problem is the S2 security. If you pair them using the instructions, or by using the app and selecting the “Recessed Door Sensor Gen 5/7” device, you will be prompted to scan the QR code on the box. This will set the device to use S2 security which will pair, but FAIL to work correctly, at least it did on my SmartThings Hub V3 running Firmware Version 000.029.00008.

Solution:You have to force the sensor to connect using the unsecured protocol!

Note: If you already paired the sensor using the S2 security (i.e. you scanned the box QR code), you must delete it from the Hub before adding it unsecured.
To delete it:

1. Click the sensor’s icon in the SmartThings app
2. Click on the vertical dots (…) in the upper right-hand corner and then select “Edit”
3. Click “Delete device” and then “Delete” on the confirmation popup
4. Quickly push and release the tiny button on the front of the sensor (and I do mean quickly) - it should start flashing slowly and then go out.
5. The app should show the device was deleted. Click “Done”

To Pair the sensor:

1. Open your Recessed Door sensor cap and pull out the sensor “guts” per the instructions and remove the battery (remove the plastic battery tab if it’s stuck to the battery)
2. Put the battery back in the sensor (it’ll flash red and then go out)
3. Open the SmartThings App (I use the newest version, not the Classic app)
4. Click the “+” in the upper right-hand corner
5. Click “Device”
6. Click “Scan” in the upper right-hand corner (it should now show “Scanning…”)
7. Quickly push and release the tiny button on the front of the sensor (and I do mean quickly) - it should start flashing quickly, then turn solid red, then go out. If it doesn’t, try removing the battery for 15 seconds and then putting it back in.
8. The app should now show the “Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor” and a “Rename” button. Click the “Rename” button to rename the sensor to something useful, like “Front Door”.
9. Click the back arrow (<) in the upper Left-hand corner to go back to the “Add Device” screen.
10. Click the back arrow (<) in the upper Left-hand corner again to go back to your devices.
11. Scroll until you find the “No room assigned” group and the sensor should be listed.
12. Press and hold the sensor icon, select “Move to other room”, select the room from the list, and click “Move”.
13. Put the sensor back together and snap on the cap. Use the magnet to see that it’s working by watching the status on the device’s icon in the app. It should show Closed when the magnet is near and Open when it’s away.

Install in the door per instructions and enjoy!

Time will tell if the battery life is as good as they claim.

[HalD (Hal)]

Thanks!

I’m going to take a look at this sensor. I’ve got a custom iron front door and no way a surface mount sensor is going on it.

The roller latch has popped open on is twice in high winds when the lock wasn’t engaged. Unknown to us, it happened at 4:30am today. We’re out in the country so just happy a family of raccoons didn’t happen by!

[aruffell (Alex)]

@SBarcus - I just experienced the same exact issue. I am guessing that the default Z-Wave Door/Window Sensor DTH doesn’t support secure messaging required by S2. I emailed ST support to see if true and when they plan on updating the DTH. Compared to the previous generation (unless changes were made to ST since I last paired an old generation version of this sensor), the G7 includes/excludes easily and with no issues at all. All my G5 versions were always a nightmare and required a large number of attempts. Now if we can get S2 working on the G7… I might consider replacing them all.

This is what it says when I got it to work without S2: