Hi everyone, new to Smartthings as of this afternoon. All of my doors are kind of inset into the frame a bit. I got 2 sensors working ok on smaller inset doors but I have one door with a probably quarter inch inset.
Before I try to make some kind of terrible system to shim the part on the door I thought I would ask if anyone has any quick tips on how they did it? Thanks in advance!
what kind of sensors are you using? I’ve heard some people have had luck with a recessed door sensor like this
Depending on your need there are also hinge sensors
http://m.lowes.com/pd/Nyce-Indoor-Door-and-Window-Sensor-Works-with-Iris/999912573
They are available in bronze and silver, 3.5" and 4"
Another option is the sensative strips. These have been out in Europe for a little while and just came out on the US frequency. These fit inside the door frame rather than on top of it, but not inside the wall the way the recessed sensors do, so installation is very easy. They are also paintable.
http://www.thesmartesthouse.com/products/sensative-z-wave-plus-strips-invisible-door-window-sensor
They are useful for windows and patio doors as well as inset doors like the kind you describe. They are officially supported. 
https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/211360866-Sensative-Strips
More discussion in the following thread:
Wow.
Those strips are incredible. Those could work in windows of you have the cash.
10 year battery life? They better.
They make the argument that the 10 year battery life helps offset the replacement cost as the batteries cannot be changed.
For what it is worth I really like mine, it pairs very easily, installation is pretty straight forward and simple. I will let you know in 9 years and 50 weeks how the 10 year battery life works out.
I’ve got the Vision Z-Wave Plus recessed door sensors. Work very well and you can’t see them. Only $27ea.
Thicker double-sided tape maybe? (you said shim, so I presume you want it to stick further above the surface than it does now)
I have these as well. On 4 doors
Not as reliable as i would like. I even tried mega magnets to resolve, not great results there either.
The magnet and sensor are well aligned, but several times a week i get a sensor that shows open when the door is closed. I cycle the door and the problem goes away but it’s annoying.
For this reason, I may try a NYCE Hinge or a Strip sensor to see if the issues can be resolved.
Anyone try these? Do they work with ST?
They’re brand-new, I don’t know if anyone is selling them yet. They’re part of Jasco’s new zwave plus line. They should work fine with SmartThings as a binary sensor.
Strips are very neat, but I have metal shelled exterior doors so I could have some RF issues.
For some reason the set 10 year life bothers me more than it should.
The NYCE hinges are neat, but again metal doors.
Then I am concerned about battery life from the tiny batteries.
Not sure if the pattern matches exactly, probably does.
But I think the GE hinge pin is probably the best option for me. I might try these when these become available to see if they do better than the recessed door sensors I have on the main doors.
I can always replace the recessed sensors I have on the sliders with the strips… but those doors don’t get used as often and I tend to have less issues with the status being incorrect on those…
Please keep us updated if / when you install these.
