Zigbee External Door Contact Sensor (recessed), hardwired with battery backup

Devices & Integrations
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Hello, it’s the end of 2024, and I wanted to ask if anyone can recommend a single Zigbee external door contact sensor (recessed), with hardwired power (low voltage DC is acceptable) plus battery backup.

I am looking for an alternative to the " Aeotec SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor - Zigbee - Door and Window Sensor, Temperature Sensor". The particular door has problems where the sensor or the corresponding magnet keep on falling off, and it is in a sufficiently inconvenient place that people forget or neglect to replace the battery timely. At the same time, the door itself has low voltage DC power routed right next to the frame.

In the Z-Wave world, the following products come very close:

  • Zwave Door Sensor Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor 7: drill one piece into the door and one piece into the door frame. The battery is inside. This is not very conducive to hard-wiring.

  • Ecolink DWZWAVE2.5-ECO Z-Wave Plus Door/Window Sensor: attach to wall and attach any standard, wired “recessed magnetic reed switch” to the internal terminals. Drill through casing if needed. This works but still does not address the battery vs. hardwired issue.

Based on prior experience, I have this possible Zigbee solution:

  • MHCOZY ZG-001 Channel 5V 12V ZigBee Smart Relay Switch,Adjustable Selflock and Momentary Working Mode. Attach wires to standard magnetic reed sensor embedded in door. Put the whole thing in a recessed box inside the wall next to the door. The MHCOZY ZG-001 is powered by 5V DC or AC/DC 7-32V. In this case, I can supply it with 24VDC (there is a 24VDC power supply close to the door in the wall). All that is needed is some very small lithium battery backup solution that takes 24VDC in and 7-32VDC out.

Is the last option the best/only way to do this with Zigbee with SmartThings as close to “off the shelf” as possible?

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Also with Aeotec you will change battery every 2 years. I don’t even remember when was changed last time and it’s on 90%. No need to be hardwired.
Edit: just checked Amazon orders. I can believe it. Got battery for it in October 2021. That’s over 3 years.

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Thanks for the Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor 7 plugs :slight_smile: However I did ask for Zigbee…

MHCOZY ZG-001 is the wrong product. That is a relay (output), not a sensor (input).

I did find this product ZigBee Module ZM-10 - ZigBee Relay I/O Module: 2 relay outputs, 1 digital input, 1 digital output, 3 analog inputs, 2 digital inputs, 1 meter input, built-in temperature sensor, DC power supply ZigBee Module ZM-10 which has both battery and continuous power, but it is very industrial/off the beaten path.

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Bumping this thread about eight months later.

I managed to put together a Zigbee solution (Aqara Door Sensor T1) and a Z-Wave solution (Aeotec Door/Window Sensor 7 Pro), but neither works effectively.

For power, I got a “Waveshare Solar Power Management Module for 6V~24V Solar Panel Supports Solar Panel/USB Connection Battery Charging Onboard MPPT Set Switch“ which takes 24V in and supplies 3.3V out. I connected the 3.3V terminals to the battery terminals of the Aqara T1 Zigbee device, and it works fine. I also connected the 3.3V terminals to the terminal block of the Aeotec sensor, and it works fine as well.

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In both cases, however, the door sensor open/close status does not change reliably when the recessed door contacts are actuated. The contacts I got are kind of cheap ($2 apiece) but they appear to be effective, and when I tested them with my multimeter they connect and disconnect reliably each and every time. Either the connection between the recessed door contact lead wires and the door contact sensor is poor, or the door contact sensor is poor at handling external contacts, or there is a communication issue between the sensor and the SmartThings hub. It could also be that the SmartThings hub is just bad at reliably propagating Zigbee state changes. I checked all communication paths, however, and nothing seems amiss. When I power the sensors up they work reasonably well for 2-4 cycles of opening and closing the door, but after awhile I close the door, but the sensor still says “Open” for 30 seconds to infinity, or I open the door, and the sensor still says “Closed” for 30 seconds to infinity. I need reliable operation 100% of the time.

Can anyone suggest any other external contact sensor products (Zigbee, Z-Wave, or Matter-over-Thread) that actually work 100% of the time?

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There’s your problem. Their Zigbee stuff might work great with their own hubs, but are unreliable with others.

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But can the same be said of the Aeotec Door/Window Sensor 7 Pro? It’s Aeotec, the same manufacturer as the Hub v3 itself.

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The Aqara T1 lineup is basically the original Xiaomi design — not exactly known for reliable smart home products. Aeotec, on the other hand…

I was foolish enough to buy three Aqara Zigbee vibration sensors, and they stopped reporting after just a day or so. I replaced the batteries, re-paired them, and even kept them close to the hub. By the next day, they either went offline or went to sleep. Returned them the same day.

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Got it.

I ordered an Ecolink DWZWAVE2.5-ECO Z-Wave Plus Door/Window Sensor, which has dry contact input sensors built-in. For hardwired connection I have a CR123A dummy battery. Let’s see how well that product works over time.

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