Which Motion Sensor to buy?

Should I use the Smartthings brand motion sensor, or the new Lowes Iris brand? Why?
Thanks

I have both. Received the ST version in bundles that I purchased. From a functionality perspective they are pretty much the same providing motion and temperature readings and both made by Centralite. But they differ significantly in size and price. The Iris version is much smaller and cheaper. I personally will be buying more Iris motions as I need them.

There is lots of discussion in this thread about them:

There is a custom device type mentioned, but I had success following the instructions in Post 502 to utilize the SmartThings device type which makes this device run locally on a v2 hub.

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I love the Fibaro motion sensor. It’s very customizable and reliable.

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Are you using the custom device type or the stock type? I have one arriving today :smile:

I’m using the custom device type with all of the parameter adjustments. I was able to dial the sensitivity in perfectly so that it doesn’t notice my cat. This was my primary motivation for buying them. I still need one or two more.

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Which device type are you using? Do you mind sharing that information? Any issues with parameter reporting?

Cool, thanks. That’s great; I didn’t even think it is pet immune.

This is the one I’m using. I haven’t noticed any problems.

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That’s the one @Mike_Maxwell uses too and he is happy with it…

@allison do you mind sharing your PIR input values?

As with many things, it just comes down to your particular use case. The less expensive sensors have fewer features. They may not be as adjustable in terms of sensitivity. They may not report on temperature. It just depends on what you need.

The Iris sensors are very inexpensive, but I have not been impressed with the engineering. Just as one example, the battery cases are quite difficult to open on a number of these devices. Several people have reported breaking interior pieces while trying to change batteries. It’s not a big deal when you know to be careful, but it does indicate the level of quality in the overall build. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it, but it is something to be aware of.

Other people use the sensors as temperature sensors inside of freezers or refrigerators. The smartthings brand reportedly works very well for this. The iris sensors, on the other hand, have not done as well according to member reports in the forums. My guess would be that this is again just a reflection of the quality of the overall build and they don’t do as well in harsh conditions.

On the other hand, the iris sensors are smaller and might fit better in some specific situations. (The Fibaro is also very small sensor)

Then there’s the whole zigbee versus Zwave thing. If most of your mains-powered devices are Zigbee you might want to stick with A Zigbee sensor since the mesh will be stronger. Or, of course, the other way around. The iris sensor is Zigbee, the Fibaro is zwave.

My personal favorite are high-quality Zigbee devices for battery operated small sensors. Zigbee has a somewhat better battery life, and handles interference from water a bit better. On the other hand, I would prefer a better quality Z wave device to an inexpensive cheap build Zigbee. But that’s just me. I don’t buy very many budget electronic items. I’m willing to pay more to get a longer warranty and better quality. But I recognize that as a personal preference.

There’s also the issue of interference. Boosted Wi-Fi will interfere with Zigbee devices, but not with Z wave. If you are using Wi-Fi boosters, you might well be better off choosing zwave devices wherever possible.

How exactly were you intending to use the motion sensors?

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Thanks… very very good information. More then anything I just want them to trigger turning lights on.

Do you have pets that you want to not trigger the motion sensors?

I doubt that is possible… I have an 80 lb german shepherd house dog… I would think she will set off anything…

I understand, my dog is 75 pounds and sets off any regular motion sensor. :sunglasses: But what I’ve done is stick motion sensors in places where you have to intentionally do a hand wave to trigger it. For example, I have a motion sensor on the side of the nightstand pointing right towards the bed. So as I get up I can wave a hand over it and it will trigger the lights to come on. But the dog jumping up and down off the bed does not.

I also have a motion sensor inside a box on the shelf. Again a hand wave over-the-top will trigger it, but the dog walking past will not.

Some people use motion sensors set quite high and use either tape or a bit of pipe to limit the trigger area so that the person walking past will trigger it but the dog will not.

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I just have the sensitivity set to 30. The default was 10 with a range of 8-255.

Wonderful, thank you. I set mine to 50 last night, I may need to scale back if you had success with 30…