ST Motion Sensor

Does the Motion Sensor from ST require power or is it battery powered?

SD

The latest version is battery powered. The original ST motion sensor had a usb powered alternative to battery. That (as well as the latest) version is still available at the ST store

In a review on CNET it stated the Motion Sensor was also a repeater.

Is this still the case with the battery powered one?

SD

@sdaniel105

The battery operated ST motion detector does NOT function as a zigbee repeater.

The units Dlee spoke about above are, correct?

Have a three story 5000 sq foot house how many range extenders/ repeaters should I install?

My post above is a link to a recent discussion on the topic. For your house I would think placement of your hub on the middle floor would cover your range. Extenders might not be necessary, usually are not. Local environment factors will determine.

The smartsense motion and contact sensors report signal dba (strength) and lqi (quality) in each device’s event history very frequently (when the value changes). So you can easily get one device, move it around the house and test connectivity.

Example 1, my farthest motion sensor upstairs through multiple walls:
2015-03-25 8:09:30.893 AM PDT
28 minutes ago DEVICE rssi -56 MBR Bath Motion was -56 dBm true
2015-03-25 8:07:00.997 AM PDT
31 minutes ago DEVICE rssi -55 MBR Bath Motion was -55 dBm true
2015-03-25 8:07:00.997 AM PDT
31 minutes ago DEVICE lqi 100 MBR Bath Motion Signal (LQI) was 100% true
2015-03-25 8:02:00.762 AM PDT
36 minutes ago DEVICE rssi -57 MBR Bath Motion was -57 dBm true

Example 2, motion sensor in same room as ST hub and wifi router
2015-03-25 8:14:32.880 AM PDT
28 minutes ago DEVICE lqi 99 Den Motion Signal (LQI) was 99% true
2015-03-25 8:14:32.880 AM PDT
28 minutes ago DEVICE rssi -36 Den Motion was -36 dBm true
2015-03-25 8:12:02.726 AM PDT
31 minutes ago DEVICE lqi 97 Den Motion Signal (LQI) was 97% true
2015-03-25 8:09:32.584 AM PDT
33 minutes ago DEVICE rssi -34 Den Motion was -34 dBm true

And I have a smartsense multi sensor mounted on my septic pump switch to count septic pump frequency and log to thingspeak (trending frequency of pumps is a good way to identify a problem early). This sensor is outside and enclosed in a pump box surrounded by electrical equipment. Not ideal for solid signal, but seems to never miss.

LQI pretty much hangs at 100, so doesn’t report LQI that often.

2015-03-25 6:23:46.185 AM PDT
2 hours ago DEVICE rssi -73 Septic was -73 dBm true
2015-03-25 6:21:17.128 AM PDT
2 hours ago DEVICE rssi -69 Septic was -69 dBm true
2015-03-25 6:16:18.226 AM PDT
3 hours ago DEVICE rssi -70 Septic was -70 dBm true
2015-03-25 6:13:48.865 AM PDT
3 hours ago DEVICE rssi -68 Septic was -68 dBm true