ZOOZ
Matthew D.
This cost almost twice as much as the THIRDREALITY device, but it works reliably and has more adjustment options. It mounts easily and can be aimed at different zones. I am using with a Hubitat C8 PRO hub which is then a bridge to Apple Homekit. BTW, I am thinking the Z-Wave LR (long range) devices are a lot more reliable than Zigbee devices.
Jethro
Love zooz products, have a dozen or so in Home Assistant. Bought an additional ZSE18 for the Laundry Room. For the life of me I could not get it to connect to the HUB. tested pulled the battery, plugged in the USB, put the battery back in and BAM! battery is at zero - Nada! I think I need a battery......
J. Whiteside
I have a few of these motion sensors now that I use with Home Assistant. I use them to automate my bathroom lighting and entry way lights. In most cases, I have them operating Lutron Caseta smart switches, but also tied in a wifi plug for an LED strip. This is just a really nice "quality of life" thing to have.
These units can operate as either a basic motion sensor or as a motion sensor and a z-wave repeater. The instructions on how to join them to your network as a basic motion sensor are provided in the supplied manual. I noticed my units weren't repeating and learned that I had to join them in a slightly different way to get that. (Press & hold button for 5 seconds for repeater mode, press 3x for basic motion sensor.) If you want to use them as a repeater, it's absolutely necessary to use USB power as it will kill your batteries quick.
I haven't used battery operated mode, I bought these specifically because they used USB power. My units came with the CR123 battery, I think older models may have used a different battery. This is generally good for longer lifespans. Unfortunately for you, I haven't tested it much so I can't really offer much insight into battery life.
I really dig the magnetic mount, it's so useful! In both my bathrooms, I was able to mount them on my vanity, which was fairly unobtrusive & discrete, as opposed to mounting to sheetrock. There's a fair bit of flexibility in the sensor's general direction too, thanks to the creative cup-like mount. The size is quite satisfying, I don't think "gawd that huge sensor" at all. I've had issues here and there with my z-wave network, but these have generally been reliable.
As for cons? They aren't pet immune, my cats will frequently trigger the lighting when they enter the room. I also wish it had USB-C instead of micro-USB, I just find USB-C more physically reliable. (That said, this device will see infrequent plugins so it's less of a concern I guess.) I also found them slightly slower when I had them in regular motion sensor mode, but as a repeater they are almost instantaneous. (We're talking sub-second in both cases, though.) I do sort of wish they had a multi-sensor (i.e. temp, humidity, light, motion) in the same form factor as it might have saved me another sensor that I needed. On the other hand, having another sensor closer to the shower (for humidity detection) has also been beneficial. I've heard rumors that future firmware updates may add light detection capabilities, but that hasn't yet been confirmed.
Overall, I'm glad that I've invested into this particular model. It has some unique things that you just won't find in other competing sensors. Zooz support is pretty good and they are active in the home automation community. It's always good to see a US based support system, too. Overall, I think this motion sensor should be up for your consideration!
RH in SC
Two things I absolutely love about this motion sensor are its ability to be always powered via a USB cord (yes it also contains a replaceable battery), and its magnetic base. The base can be attached by a 2-sided adhesive pad, or a screw, or just by its magnet.
I felt the motion sensitivity wasn't as good as I was hoping, but being able to reposition the sensor so easily countered whatever issues I had there.
My sensor is attached to my garage door opener, 9.5 feet up, and 10-15 feet away from my 2 entrance doors. I have it set on maximum sensitivity. I use it with my Hubitat Elevation hub.
Edit/Update: I bought a 2nd unit for my master bathroom. With no outlet close by to my desired location, I've been relying on battery power. The sensor battery lasted 7 months. I guess that's fine. Now I know.
The Chad
Updated Review:
Well I moved this sensor from the office to the kitchen where there is a lot more traffic. The battery died within a month. I got a new battery and that one went down 30% in a couple of weeks. So I decided to buy a long cable and plug it in. Since then it has been great. I'm assuming the extra traffic made the battery die more quickly. So in high traffic areas I would highly recommend plugging it in otherwise you will be going through a lot of batteries.
Original Review:
I have this connected to my Hubitat hub. Connected without issues. The magnetic base makes it very easy to mount and position how you want it. It detects motion very well (my hand moving, cracking open the door 2 inches and the door is beneath it), however I did have to put the sensor on the max sensitivity level for it to be able to detect motion accurately. I have it monitoring a small 11x11 room. I've had it for almost 2 months and the battery is at 80%. I love that you can also plug it into power using a micro-usb and have it also act as a Z-Wave repeater. We've had 1 false positive in those 2 months. Overall I am very happy with it and it has done a great job.
