Starting out fresh - Please RECOMMEND your favourite sensors and siren

I am new to home automation. I would like to start out with securing my home first. Can you tell me what is popular and fully compatible with ST.

  • Two basement windows (2 open/close sensors, glass break sensor)
  • Three first floor windows (3 open/close sensors)
  • Front door, side door and patio door (3 open/close sensors)

There is a lot of break-in in my area where they get in the basement windows. I am not so sure whether they break the glass and then open the windows or they simply use a crowbar. The two basement windows are next to each other. I can just put a motion sensor right in front of them (we rarely go down there)

What open/close sensors is popular on the forum? Please also recommend a good motion sensor (no pets) for main floor and siren/strobe.

Is presence sensor from Samsung is needed to arm/disarm alarm when my wife and I both have an iPhone with SmartThing apps on it?

Thank you.

Motion with no pets is pretty wide open. I’ve used Aeon multisensors but they use batteries fast. However, inside you may have an option to plug it in - much better. The SmartThings SmartSense ones also work very well for me. The battery lasts a long time - about a year on some now and I just got some replacement batteries (cr123) for when they do go - at 30%. The new version is also extremely small.

I like the Aeon recessed door sensor if that fits the style of door you have. A bit of work to install it - need to drill but then it basically is out of site.

I haven’t done a wide cross test on response time, etc. but I feel that the new SmartSense motion sensors respond a bit faster than the old (gen 5 Aeon Multisensor).

The only siren I’ve tried is the Aeon Siren. A bit touchy to pair, but certainly loud enough - it ranges from loud to wake the dead. There are a choice of 5 tones but all are alarm-style noises, in my opinion and it seems that it is pretty restricted to just picking one and using it as the noise. All in all, not a flexible device - but it is aloud alarm siren.

As of now. I would not recommend ST as your alarm system. Especially when you mentioned about a lot of break in. It’s not reliable enough and it will be a pain with false siren alarm. I would go with a monitor alarm company instead.

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IMO ST is fine as a secondary system to verify or supplement a primary dedicated burglar alarm system. I don’t think ST should drive a loud siren yet - too many false alarms and problems with disarming.

You won’t find any current Zwave/Zigbee glassbreak sensors - maybe soon but not now. Zwave shock alarms are not adequate and have more false alarms than a “real” glassbreak - all the more reason you need a primary dedicated burglar alarm system.