Sensors losing connection when near metal - any suggestions

Devices & Integrations Connected Things
1

Hi

I have a sliding door with metal frames.
When I put my contact sensor on the metal it loses connection. Any suggestions on what I can do here?

Thanks

2

are they zigbee or zwave sensors, or both. best thing for either, or both would be to get a router/repeater plug/outlet for either or both types. place it in the middle of the path (or slightly closer) to the metal patio door where the sensors are.

a good rule of thumb is to have at least 1 router/repeater (zigbee and/or zwave) outlet in each main room of a house.

1 Like
3

What’s the brand and model number of the sensor?

(Also, a caveat: most contact sensors will not work well on ferric metal because the magnet will eventually magnetize The metal and the sensor will think it’s closed when it’s actually open. That’s a whole separate issue from what you’re seeing, but I did just want to mention it. If instead the metal is aluminum, though, that issue won’t come up. The easiest way to test for this is just to take an ordinary kitchen magnet. If it sticks to the metal frame, you’re going to have a problem if you put a contact sensor in that location.)

As long as the metal frame is not ferric, though, @awestun’s suggestion should help a lot. You may just need another device nearby to catch the signal from the sensor. :sunglasses: