Power Outage Sensor

Has anyone used a Z-Wave Power Outage Sensor like this with SmartThings?

Seriously looks like a simple EcoLink style door or window open/close sensor that was hacked with an iPhone charger to acheive.

Not looking for a ton of reporting, monitoring, or hooking up to the panel (like the Aeon stuff does). Plugging into an outlet or power strip would be more than ample for what I’m trying to monitor. Simple device that my wife could setup and get alerts when the outlet is not ON is all that is needed. (Basically setup directly in-app without coding, regardless of how easy it may be.)

Was hoping to possibly acheive with a SmartThings Outlet (F-OUT-US-2) and the “Notify Me When” SmartApp/Automation. But simply triggering an alert when it is turned off via power (not button press) does NOT work since status does not relay an update unless power is active.

I made my own
But… anything like this will only work if you still have power to the hub (ups) and an internet connection (router & firewalls also on ups)

Yes - SmartThings hub, router, modem, etc. are all on a UPS battery backup already. Even if the UPS itself could send an alert that would work, but unaware of any that are Z-Wave compatible at the moment.

anyone know where one of these can be purchased? not listed as in stock at any of the links I can find.

Nest protect smoke detectors (mains powered version) also notify about power outages in the app so I’d imagine the nest manager will pick it up as well.

I put a RIB on the incoming power and the output goes to a input on my Konnected panel. Since my stuff is UPS backed up I get a alert when there is no AC power. Works well, cost me $20 for the RIB and already had Konnected. Otherwise I’d use a RIB + EcoLink or RIB + ESP8266 (ST_Anything).

Thanks. This is probably a good solution for many, but would not be easy enough for my wife to setup on her own.

Do you happen to know if the power notifications are only through Nest app or do they come through SmartThings as well? May pickup if it ever goes on sale.

What about the ST hub itself it has battery backup, is there anything on it that reports when the power is out? maybe a DH or smart app can report that? But then you would need to keep ST hub not on UPS, may be add a bigger battery to it.

Unfortunatley, none that I could find. The tradeoff of dropping UPS battery backup protection would probably not be worth it since all functionality of the hub basically seems to “stop” when running on the internal AA batteries. (May not actually stop, but was completely unreliable - which is what convinced me to use a UPS with the hub.)

What I think I’ll need is a plug of some kind connected to a sensor with battery for this to function properly. If the Amazon link above was available for purchase, would give it a shot.

I havent had any outages since installing my hub, and a quick look at the nest manager source also doesn’t give me any clues. Maybe the author @tonesto7 could advise.

actually any device that is hardwired going offline is an indicator that power is gone - and the realiabilty would be same any wireless thing you plug in. Another option could be some device driver pinging anything on your network that is always on, like a firestick, appletv etc. - take a look at this thread Presence Sensor based on pings

That is what I originally thought, however in reality it did not work.

I setup numerous smart outlet style devices to alert me if they were turned off. Power went off and NONE of them changed state to OFFLINE or sent notifications through they were OFFLINE. Waited over an hour for notification. Alerts only worked if the outlet was turned off (via direct button press, app on/off, remote, etc). Alerts did NOT work if power went off.

Basically if I can set it up as an open/close sensor it should be very reliable. Finding an available sensor for this that just works out of the box is the immediate challenge.

Did you see this thread ?

The device is pretty cheap - thin I will order one too.
https://www.amazon.com/Aeon-Labs-AEDSB09104ZWUS-Aeotec-Monitor/dp/B00DIBSKFU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515615765&sr=8-2&keywords=aeon+labs+home+energy+meter

Yes, I’m aware of the Aeon Smart Energy Monitor and do not want any devices hooked up directly to my breaker box panel. It is considered a code violation in many areas.

Have a few of the Monoprice Z-Wave Plugs that you linked (and now removed). They were not functioning correctly for alerts if power was disconnected. There was no OFFLINE notification sent to the hub in XX number of minutes. Only was able to sucessfully get alerts for on/off when using the button on the device or via remote/app.

Worth mentioning about those Monoprice Z-Wave Plugs - the energy reporting does NOT function on them. The wattage values are not reported via the SmartThings app correctly. Works great as an on/off switch and has a pass-through outlet on the other side. If you want energy reporting with wattage values, stick with the SmartThings Outlet (F-OUT-US-2) - works great for that purpose. (Too large to fit two of them into one single-gang outlet, however.)

If anyone sees the seven7express Z-Wave Power Outage Sensor in stock anywhere, please share. Looks like it’s the cheapest and easiest solution for this need.

I haven’t found anything suitable so I’m working on mains powered electromagnet with a Multipurpose Sensor. When mains power fails the Multipurpose Senor will open and I will be notified via ST automation.

Make your own. All you need is a 5VDC relay ($5), power supply (you probably have one already) and a Monoprice sensor ($25). Power the relay via USB (red is +5VDC and black is ground). The output of the relay connects to the sensor’s external input. You could even throw it in a little work box for around $6.

Obviously, your hub and router need to be on UPS for any of this to work.

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This is my first attempt at making a power sensor… and it works as described above.

20190427_085952

The relay is a reed 5V relay connected to a plug in USB charger. The 5V from the charger keep the relay closed until there is a power outage. My entire system is under a UPS, and this sensor is battery powered.

Excuse the crappy workmanship… I was testing the concept and when I make more I will find a cleaner way of doing this.

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