Need a "Thing" recommendation for a long range motion sensor

Devices & Integrations Device Ideas
1

Any chance there is a motion detector out there with a FANTASTIC range? I am on the third floor of a condo, and I would like to put something in my mailbox downstairs that would notify me when I get mail… any body know if I got a chance of finding something to do this? Thanks

2

Standard Zigbee or Zwave devices are unlikely to work for this, not just because of the range but because of the architecture. It’s not just the distance it’s the layers of materials the signal has to get through, from walls to water pipes to glass… Just not likely.

If you go down to where your mailbox is, can you sign in on your phone to your own home Wi-Fi? If so, there may be a possibility of a Wi-Fi device. But if your phone can’t get a Wi-Fi signal when positioned at the point where you want to put the motion sensor then I am not seeing this as very likely.

There might be something you could do with the cellular device, and then a cloud collection but it would cost more.

3

Honest, thanks… I will check the phone, but I doubt it.

4

The longest range devices that might work easily with SmartThings are the KumoStat wireless tags ($35), but you have to also buy their base station ($60). The integration with smartthings is cloud to cloud, not direct to the hub. The devices are good, but the customer service from that company is terrible, so if you do happen to get a bad one it tends to be really hard to return. But to be honest, I wouldn’t even try it if you can’t get a Wi-Fi signal where you want to put the device.

Again the examples they give are outdoors clear line of sight across an empty parking lot. That’s a lot easier to get signal through then up through a building.

http://wirelesstag.net/longrange_intro.html

Part it comes down to your budget whether you willing to risk spending the money on a device that may not work and may be difficult to return.

5

is the mail in site of a window in your unit or inside somewhere downstairs… because I have a zwave door open/close sensor on my mailbox and put a booster in the garage it is about 100 feet away and works…

if you can put a booster or wired device such as a switch in your window facing it … you may have a hope

1 Like
6

When you say a booster, do you mean a wifi booster or a zwave booster? What are you using in your garage?
Thanks

7

depends what type of device you have I have a zigbee outlet in the garage to boost the presence sensor range and also a zwave switch to boost zwave