Adding the Ecolink Z-Wave PIR Motion Detector, Pet Immune (PIRZWAVE2-ECO) to my SmartThings network

Last week I ordered this motion detector for my home. I want to use it to automatically switch some lights etc in my SmartThings network.

Connecting the motion detector to the network is easy. Just follow the instructions. I use this for 2 different scenarios. 1st scenario is when I go downstairs in the morning, the sensor detects me coming down the stairs and tells the house ‘Goodmorning!’, that turns the lights on, turns the Nest to 69, if it isn’t already and turns on the Sonos on my favorite radio channel. The 2nd scenario is when the house is in ‘away’ mode. I want the motion detector to tell the house ‘I’m back!’ this makes the lights turn on and put the Nest in ‘home or present’ mode. I will write another post how I programmed these 2 scenarios in SmartThings.

So does the motion detector work? Yes it does, there are some caveats to be honest. When it detects motion it stays in this mode for at least 4 minutes. When it doesn’t detect motion it ‘turns off’ for at least a minute before it detects motion again. I did not figure out how I could change these timings, I guess it’s done to save battery. For my scenarios that’s ok but if you would like to use it to automatically switch on and off the bathroom lights for example I wouldn’t use this sensor. The price is pretty good. $28 for this sensor isn’t that expensive I think.

The sensor comes with a wallplate and some double sided tape. I positioned it in a spot where it can detect us coming down the stairs, enter the frontdoor or enter the kitchen through the pantry. So these 3 areas and my 2 scenarios cover everything I currently want.