There is a long thread elsewhere describing my battle with the Frient motion sensor pro and the fact that the lux sensor doesn’t update reliably. Does anyone know of a motion sensor with a lux sensor that I can rely on for an automation where a light is turned on if the lux value is below a certain level? The Frient sometimes doesn’t update the lux for hours, despite people walking through the motion sensor area and being detected. If the last time it measured the lux level was either before it got dark or when the light was on last time, the automation doesn’t trigger because the lux level is stored incorrectly.
Alternatively, would a separate lux sensor be the answer and include the two devices in the automation, with the Frient motion sensor detecting motion and the lux sensor providing the light level?
That’s what I do with both of my battery powered Aqara (lumi.sen_ill.mgl01) sensors. These little devices report in real time, and im going on over 2 years of battery life.
I use the IKEA VALLHORN; it’s reliable and affordable. It reports data to SmartThings frequently. The newer MYGGSPRAY with Matter over Thread might turn out to be a better choice, but I haven’t tested it yet
The MYGGSPRAY does report lux with fairly quick response times, five minute intervals if idle and immediately on drastic changes like a nearby light turning on or off.
However, the values reported appear way low to me, never seen more than 25 on a scale of 0 to 100000. Mine are in darkish hallways though, so these values aren’t necessarily all wrong.
I like the look of the Aqara, but it seems a bit of overkill in a situation where all I want is a light sensor though. I will keep it in mind if I want a similar situation elsewhere in the house (thinking about the landing at the moment).
I will check it out. Mine is a reasonably bright kitchen during the day, and I can just play with the trigger level. With the Frient, I have to set it to 4 lux for it to work how I want it to.
