I had a SmartThings multi-sensor on my garage door. When open, I had it send a text message to that effect. It also shows when door is open, versus closed.
The sensor I had still signals temperature but no longer functions as a garage door sensor.
I added a second sensor and it showed it being set up as a garage door sensor, but then didn’t provide any further signal. They both show up in my list of devices.
Did we lose the ability to use SmartThings motion sensors as garage door devices? Is this a problem others have had?
That would account for the one that isn’t reporting the temp. The other one, though, is over 77% battery. And it is reporting temp. It’s connected. It just doesn’t seem to function in the door context anymore.
The SmartThings multi-sensor devices have never been anything but a problem. And they’re almost physically impossible to reset, which is always the “solution” you get from SmartThings support.
They’re a bad mistake. I’m either going to do without or look for an alternative from another company that actually provides a device you can reset just by pushing a simple button.
I don’t think you’re going to find a battery-operated zigbee or Z wave device which will let you reset just by pushing a button. You pretty much always have to take the battery out. There are mains-powered devices that you can reset just by pushing a button, but you’re not going to put one of those on the garage door.
I have to clean out dirt/dust and sometimes little spider webs from the multi I use on my garage door about every 6 months after that it works fine again…
1 Like
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
14
You can two contact sensors. Put one at the top and one at the bottom. Place the magnets support that when the bottom one is closed, the door is closed. When the one at the top is closed, the door is open. Just use CoRE and make a piston.
I’m going to try an Econolink tilt sensor. If I have to deal with the battery, at least it looks a lot easier to remove and place back. The SmartThings button battery is almost impossible to remove. And when you reset, you don’t have to perform the gymnastics of trying to force that button battery back in while simultaneously pushing a tiny little button.
I still don’t understand why a functioning motion sensor that is sending temperature readings, so obviously it is connected, can no longer sense activity. Unless even 77% is too low. In which case, it’s a dud.
The difference is that a garage door normally has five possible states: opening, open, closing, closed, and unknown.
There are many use cases when you want to identify a garage door in motion.
If you put a contact sensor in both positions, you might be able to get by by assuming that if both sensors are open the doors in motion, but you don’t know the direction. (And, of course, you have to pay for two devices.)
So it just comes down to the use case details. .
1 Like
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
17
The motion sensor worked without a problem, for months.
bamarayne
(Jason "The Enabler" as deemed so by @Smart)
19
Ok… so you just have the sensor to tell you if you lefty it open or not.
If you’re controller is compatible… you can get a GD00Z-4 Garage door controller. I’ve had mine installed fires a year and have never once had a problem with it. Regular price is around $99.00
The last time this happened to me, it was wifi interference. I had to play around with wifi channels away from what my hub was using for zigbee, Same symptoms as yours, temperature reports but no open/close activities.
Edit: I had 3 of the v1 ST multis that were being used for door contact and acceleration (mood cube and laundry dryer).
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