Securifi Community Forum

Sensors and Home Automation => Home automation => Topic started by: mparadis on January 17, 2017, 08:44:51 pm

Title: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: mparadis on January 17, 2017, 08:44:51 pm

Anyone use any sensors on their crank windows? I'm going to look to put some sensors on the few crank windows at my house (not my favorite windows) and will need to figure out something different because they have screens on the inside so there isn't space to place the sensor and magnetic reed. Was wondering if anyone found any elegant solutions for this. Thanks!

Title: Re: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: grouter on January 17, 2017, 08:53:15 pm

Maybe it is possible to have the sensor inside and the magnet on the moving window with the screen between? Some of the magnetic switches I have will show closed when they're way more than the. 75 inches they say they need to be within. But it may only work with the farther gaps with fresh batteries...

Title: Re: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: mparadis on January 17, 2017, 09:06:47 pm

I think my gap may be a bit more but the screen frame is also magnetic which I imagine will interfere.

Title: Re: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: fillibar on January 18, 2017, 12:20:16 pm

You could try a door/window sensor with an exterior trigger like a Linear or the Monoprice ones. Then put any little switch or smaller mag sensor in the space with wires leading to the actual sensor (hopefully in a spot where it could still be useful itself).

Title: Re: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: mparadis on January 18, 2017, 04:29:20 pm

I was thinking of trying that out at some point. Have you tried either of those with an external trigger?

Title: Re: Best Sensor For Crank Windows with Screens
Post by: fillibar on January 18, 2017, 06:18:55 pm

Yes. Both send a signal back about it (I can see the Z-Wave dongle on my Almond 3 flash) but right now Securifi cannot report it. Maybe we will see that in the future. I asked at any rate.

I have tried them with reed switches, push button switches, and bare wires... They seem to be fine with whatever means to open or close the circuit. I guess someone could use it with a completely separate circuit even.

A related workaround would be to just wire leads to the original reed switch itself (or on other models where it is accessible).That way you could completely customize the trigger and it would be possible with almost all door/window sensors someone might get hold of.

I am looking at maybe using some connected to aquarium float switches for "wireless" monitoring.