Aeon Labs MultiSensor (DSB05)

not only sounds correct,
it also works, funny to notice the routing time delay, z-wave is almost immediate, if it routes it may take few moments..

I have just purchased a few of these to replace some Insteon motion sensors. Has anyone noticed the distance of the motion sensor to be shorter than the Intseon ones? I have the sensitivity turned to max and it seems I have to walk closer to trigger the z-wave modules. Also, since the Insteon modules were boxy I had them just sitting on ledges etc. Since I have to mount the Z-wave ones I was thinking of doing so on the ceiling. Anyone have any thoughts/feedback on this? I have 10 ft ceilings in my home.

Thanks!
~Lou

On the plus side, I noticed the improvement in data/reporting right away compared the Insteon modules. I think I am going to dig my new mixed protocol environment

I have just purchased a few of these to replace some Insteon motion sensors. Has anyone noticed the distance of the motion sensor to be shorter than the Intseon ones? I have the sensitivity turned to max and it seems I have to walk closer to trigger the z-wave modules. Also, since the Insteon modules were boxy I had them just sitting on ledges etc. Since I have to mount the Z-wave ones I was thinking of doing so on the ceiling. Anyone have any thoughts/feedback on this? I have 10 ft ceilings in my home.

Thanks!
~Lou

On the plus side, I noticed the improvement in data/reporting right away compared the Insteon modules. I think I am going to dig my new mixed protocol environment

So while it appears the signal transmission appears to be lightning fast, the physical act of triggering motion seems to take a second or two. Has anyone else noticed this? I have the sensitivity turned to max.

I have on my ToDo list to add Indigo sensor level temperature adjustments, so that you can have Indigo convert between C & F and also offset the temperature to give it a better baseline. I'm not sure when I'll get to that, but it is on my wish list.

I'm noticing a variance between my DSB05 and other thermometers. I have a DSB05 sitting between 2 free-standing digital thermometers, which are sitting within a few feet of one of my Venstar tstats.

The 2 free-standing and the nearby Venstar all report temps within a degree or so of one another (my 2nd Venstar, while not as nearby, is also in that range). The DSB05, however, is often several degrees off.

70.7 aeotech
73 standalone
73 standalone
74 venstar

Is how it stands currently. The spread might not be as bad as I first thought, but it's too bad for my tastes.

Humidity, as measured by the DSB05 (measured with a group of humidity gauges in a similar setup), is off several points too.

Matt, your idea of allowing for offset calculations for a sensor device in Indigo is a great! Looking forward to that.

In the meantime, is there a recommended way to get more accurate readings from my DSB05? I suppose every time it updates temperature values, I could run triggered script to put the more accurate calculated value into a variable?

Thanks,
Mike

Hi friends.

Does anybody knows if the led status of the DSB05 could be set as "always off". I'm planning to put one on my bedroom and I don't want to see a led blinking while i'm trying to sleep.

Thanks

[matt (support)]

I don't believe so -- it doesn't look like there is a user settable parameter for the LED behavior. Some opaque tape over the LED might do the trick?

I've used tape in both the insteon motion sensor and this one and it does the trick.

I used white electrical tape to cover all the INSTEON LEDs in my bedroom. I like it because it tones the brightness way down, yet you can still faintly see the activity indication. It also doesn't stand out against the white modules.

Mike

I have on my ToDo list to add Indigo sensor level temperature adjustments, so that you can have Indigo convert between C & F and also offset the temperature to give it a better baseline. I'm not sure when I'll get to that, but it is on my wish list.

I'm noticing a variance between my DSB05 and other thermometers. I have a DSB05 sitting between 2 free-standing digital thermometers, which are sitting within a few feet of one of my Venstar tstats.

The 2 free-standing and the nearby Venstar all report temps within a degree or so of one another (my 2nd Venstar, while not as nearby, is also in that range). The DSB05, however, is often several degrees off.

70.7 aeotech
73 standalone
73 standalone
74 venstar

Is how it stands currently. The spread might not be as bad as I first thought, but it's too bad for my tastes.

Humidity, as measured by the DSB05 (measured with a group of humidity gauges in a similar setup), is off several points too.

Matt, your idea of allowing for offset calculations for a sensor device in Indigo is a great! Looking forward to that.

In the meantime, is there a recommended way to get more accurate readings from my DSB05? I suppose every time it updates temperature values, I could run triggered script to put the more accurate calculated value into a variable?

I came up with this simple technique to modify an external kept sensor value variable when a change is reported by the sensor. It's a trigger that operates when any change is detected on the specified sensor value.

Code: Select all

# amount to adjust current value
adjustValue = 4

# current value as reported by sensor
currentValue = indigo.devices[543518302].sensorValue

# adjusted value (assumes positive ajustment - change to minus if negative)
adjustedValue = currentValue + adjustValue

# record adjusted value in related indigo variable
indigo.variable.updateValue(414235954, value=str(adjustedValue))


Mike

Curious if there is a way to update the Lux reading upon a motion event? I've noticed both me and my wife turn on a light switch when we enter a room regardless of whether the windows are open and the sun is shining in or not... I'd like to add a delayed trigger for a few seconds after I enter the room (after motion is triggered and hopefully lux has been updated) and if it is "bright enough" already, to turn the lights back off.

[matt (support)]

Unfortunately, I don't believe there is. There is no way to poll out the current lux state -- it has to be sent by the motion sensor at regular intervals.

Does anyone know anything about the 2nd edition of the MultiSensor at Smarthome? It's much more expensive, and out of stock, but I can't tell what else is different..

http://www.smarthome.com/75515/Aeotec-D ... ion/p.aspx

[matt (support)]

That is strange -- the photos and specs look identical to what MacHomeStore.com sells. The only difference I can see is this one says it is "2nd edition" and it costs significantly more. Even the model numbers are the same. Maybe they just haven't updated the product page yet except for the product name and price?

several bathrooms in my house have vent fans which plan an important role in eliminating excess humidity.

right now, i have the fans on switching relays and i use indigo to implement a simple timer. when fans are turned on, they run for a fixed amount of time, then turn off. (i also have Insteon motion sensors deployed for lights)

i've been eyeing the dsb05 multi sensor as a possible way to do something smarter - i.e., to turn the fan on automatically when humidity reaches a certain threshold, and shut off when it reaches some lower threshold. i may have to use some other intelligence to vary these thresholds based on the ambient humidity, etc…

i might also do the reverse to have a unit that turns on a bedroom humidifier when the humidity is too low.

wondering if anyone has tried this kind of thing? does the DSB05's humidity sensing seem stable and accurate enough to support this?

several bathrooms in my house have vent fans which plan an important role in eliminating excess humidity.

right now, i have the fans on switching relays and i use indigo to implement a simple timer. when fans are turned on, they run for a fixed amount of time, then turn off. (i also have Insteon motion sensors deployed for lights)

i've been eyeing the dsb05 multi sensor as a possible way to do something smarter - i.e., to turn the fan on automatically when humidity reaches a certain threshold, and shut off when it reaches some lower threshold. i may have to use some other intelligence to vary these thresholds based on the ambient humidity, etc…

I've been considering the same thing for my new house in Florida. I'll be interested in following this thread to see how it works for others. I don't have any z-wave stuff (yet) so I originally thought of using an OS temp/humidity sensor and RFXCom (which I do have) to monitor humidity levels. I'd also be interested in what people think are the appropriate hi/low humidity values.