So I’m circling back to a solution that (because you only think about it when the power is out) allows me to receive an alert from ST when my utility power is restored.
Here is my post from last year about this: Power restored monitoring. Am I overcomplicating this? - #12 by nsweet
Basically, I use a lockout switch to power my home with a generator during an outage. My main panel breaker is turned to the off position, and the generator backfeed breaker is turned on. This powers all circuits in my home, including subpanels.
My problem is, when the power is restored, I don’t really know. My original idea was a little complicated, and wouldn’t really work anyway. So I went back to the drawing board and have an idea now that I think is a simpler solution.
My utility provider gives a discount if you have a separate meter for your AC units. So on the outside of my house I have another breaker box that is fed by this separate meter, that feeds the AC compressors. Obviously when we lose power, that panel goes dead. So this is the one downside of my current utility setup. I cannot use my generator to run our central air because those are not on my main panel in my home that my generator powers. Luckily, we have some window units we can use to get by. But my thought was, I can wire another 15 amp circuit in that breaker box to connect a smart device of some kind (whatever is easiest and cheapest) that ST will monitor the status of. If that device goes offline, and remains offline for a set amount of time, and then returns back online (after utility power is restored), I can have ST send a push notification. I could use WebCore for this.
But I have two questions.
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Does ST monitor devices going offline in real time? I tried testing this with another device in my house, and it doesn’t seem to notice when the power is killed to a smart device.
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What would be the most simple smart device to wire up? I was thinking like an in wire relay (https://www.amazon.com/Enerwave-ZWN-RSM1-PLUS-Wireless-Control-Required/dp/B01G7OD1F8/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=zwave+relay&qid=1624816617&sr=8-2). That way I could just tuck it inside the breaker box.
Let me know what you guys think. Again, I might be going at this the wrong way. But I’d like to get something once and for all so I don’t have to depend on the neighbor to text me when our power is restored. Thanks!