Setup and usage of Aeotec MultiSensor 6

[Hadje]

Thanks guys. I'll go with fishing low voltage to each spot. I agree that running supply lines is something I really didn't want to do!

 

I've been trying to find a source of cheap, somewhat clean and most importantly safe usb chargers to use as suggested. The (non-counterfeit) apple charger is apparently the best cube charger (also here), but I want to find something less than $10 each. If I'm putting it in my walls I want to make sure it can handle long-term use, doesn't pose a fire-risk and provides a clean enough signal for powering electronics. There isn't anything purpose-built (that I can find) for in-wall use, so I'm going to go with Guitartexan's suggestion once I find a supply that I'm comfortable want test out my smoke alarms!

 

I'm going to try this unit from Sparkfun. I trust the quality will be much higher than what I can get from Amazon, and a reviewer ran it under load with a clean scope signal and no issues.

[stusviews]

Hadje,

 

It is not in compliance with the code and is also a fire risk if you place a device that requires line voltage in a wall without enclosing it in an approved wall box with access, such as a switch box with a blank cover. It is OK to run low voltage wires in the wall.

[Hadje]

Hadje,

 

It is not in compliance with the code and is also a fire risk if you place a device that requires line voltage in a wall without enclosing it in an approved wall box with access, such as a switch box with a blank cover. It is OK to run low voltage wires in the wall.

 

 

Thanks Stus. That was my concern, and why I was looking for a 120vAC->5vDC power supply that is  designed to be mounted in the wall. I've looked quite a bit and really haven't found anything purpose-built for it. Is it okay to mount a small transformer in the second (empty) portion of a 2-gang box that has a power outlet in the other position?

[stusviews]

Yes. The low voltage wires cannot be exposed or connected to inside the electric box. So, if you modify a plug-in power supply by opening the case, removing the blades and soldering wires in place, then you must replace and secure the case and the bottom, too, where the blades protruded. The wider blade is the neutral.

 

It's also OK to plug the adapter into the outlet, poke a hole in the wall and fish the low voltage wire to the other location.

[mwester]

My preferred approach is not to hide a power supply in the wall -- I want them where I can see them, unplug them, test them, and replace them!   I used the approach that stusviews mentioned at the end of the previous post -- there's a single-gang box with an outlet into which I plugged the device.  I put a double-gang wall plate with a blank filler plate for one half, and route the wire for the motion sensor power into the wall through a small hole drilled in that blank filler plate.  Nice and neat, and easy to test and service if necessary.

[Guitartexan01]

For those that have no desire or need to see them and test them frequently, just put them in a deep switch box behind the switch. This alleviates the need to cut your Sheetrock (and possibly mess it up,requiring tape, float, and paint) and is acceptable under NEC. The goal for me was to have a clean and custom appearance, not larger covers on the wall possibly with wires sticking out of them. If I need to test the transformer I can always pull the light switch and have a look.

 

 

GT

[fryfrog]

So I've now got 12 of them sitting on my desk powered by USB. Most of them report a similar temperature, give or take a degree. There is one that is ~5 off from the rest and one that is ~3. Humidity seems worse, the spread seems to be 10-20% with the lowest reporting 34% and the highest 49%. It is dark right now, so I'm not surprised they all report 0 for uv index and lux.

Is it possible to log or export all the temp/humidity values? I found a chart, but can only view one sensor at a time and I can't seem to just get the raw data.

 

I still wonder what the hell the "binary" sensor is and why there is a separate motion node in addition to motion in the multisensor node. *Most* of them have binary and motion matching, but 3 of them didn't. When I wave over all of them, 1 of those three sync'd their binary and motion node up... but 2 of them still report different values for them.

[Teken]

It would be great if you had something accurate to compare to besides one another.

 

I haven't seen any of these sensors provide very much accuracy so not surprised at the results you indicated thus far.

 

But would like to know how far off its compared to a known calibrated tool etc.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

[fryfrog]

I'm open to a reasonably priced suggestion for something I can order from Amazon, otherwise I'll see if I can do a bit of research and find something myself.

 

Something else I just discovered is that I should have been including them all "securely" with a double press instead of the single press I was using.

[andyf0]

I'm open to a reasonably priced suggestion for something I can order from Amazon, otherwise I'll see if I can do a bit of research and find something myself.

 

Something else I just discovered is that I should have been including them all "securely" with a double press instead of the single press I was using.

I'm interested to know why you think you should. Given how long it takes to communicate securely to a lock, assuming it's the same, it would make the motion sensor unusable to me.

 

If you do try the double click, are you able to include it securely to the ISY?

[Scott847]

....

 

Is it possible to log or export all the temp/humidity values? I found a chart, but can only view one sensor at a time and I can't seem to just get the raw data.

 

....

 

A great way to get a chart/log of the data is to send the Z-Wave sensor data from ISY to Smart Energy Groups (SEG).

 

Following is the body of an ISY network resource that logs data from my Aeotec Multisensor 6 and Everspring Z-Wave Temperature/Humidity Sensor. 

(site 123456789abcdef (node myisy994 ? (temperature ${sys.node.ZW006_1.CLITEMP.raw}) (humidity ${sys.node.ZW006_1.CLIHUM.raw}) (am6-temperature ${sys.node.ZW015_1.CLITEMP.raw}) (house_humidity ${sys.node.ZW015_1.CLIHUM.raw}) (light ${sys.node.ZW015_1.LUMIN.raw})))

This is sent with following protocol information in the ISY network resource: http, PUT, Host api.smartenergygroups.com, port 80, Path /api_sites/stream, Encode URL unchecked, Timeout 2500ms, Mode C Escaped. When you create the SEG site it will show a site token that you put in place of 123456789abcdef.

 

Teken posted a great tutorial about this at http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/16095-autelis-bridge-pushing-data-to-smart-energy-groups-seg-guide/

 

Following shows the chart from a gadget on a SEG dashboard with temperature data from two sensors.

 

[fryfrog]

Thanks, I'll get that all setup and reporting. I think I've run across that site in looking at per-circuit power monitoring. Their store is familiar.

[jsandlin]

I have a couple of questions on the setup of the sensor that I hope someone can help me with.

I am trying to use the humidity and temperature to control a exhaust fan in a bathroom. The problem I am having is that the sensor doesn’t  update at a useable interval.

The default value of parameter 111 is 3600 seconds if I lower that to 60 seconds it seems to work but the sensor is battery powered and I want to get as much out of the batteries as I can.

 

Parameter 5 looks like it might send the humidity and temperature when motion is detected but I have tried both settings and can’t get it to send the information.

 

Parameter 42 looks like it can be used to send the information when the humidity changes also but I have tried to set it as low a one with no luck.

 

So far the only setting that I can use is the time setting for the automatic reports. Any suggestions on as setup that might work?

[Teken]

I have a couple of questions on the setup of the sensor that I hope someone can help me with.

I am trying to use the humidity and temperature to control a exhaust fan in a bathroom. The problem I am having is that the sensor doesn’t  update at a useable interval.

The default value of parameter 111 is 3600 seconds if I lower that to 60 seconds it seems to work but the sensor is battery powered and I want to get as much out of the batteries as I can.

 

Parameter 5 looks like it might send the humidity and temperature when motion is detected but I have tried both settings and can’t get it to send the information.

 

Parameter 42 looks like it can be used to send the information when the humidity changes also but I have tried to set it as low a one with no luck.

 

So far the only setting that I can use is the time setting for the automatic reports. Any suggestions on as setup that might work?

 

Just to be clear when you set the device to update based on humidity change it doesn't work? I am thinking lots of this is related to the fact they designed this unit to push regular updates while its under power and not so much via battery operations.

[jsandlin]

After some more testing I can’t get luminance (parameter 43) or humidity (parameter 42) to result in an update on USB power or battery. The only way I have found to update the information is to change the time interval (parameter 111).

[jsandlin]

After some more experimenting I found that to get an update when any of the parameters (41-44) meet the thresholds that are set parameter 40 has to be enabled. Hope this saves someone else some time.

[Jimbo.Automates]

After some more experimenting I found that to get an update when any of the parameters (41-44) meet the thresholds that are set parameter 40 has to be enabled. Hope this saves someone else some time.

Thanks for the effort and info! I planned to use one for controlling an exhaust fan as well.

[telljcl]

Just added one of the Multisensor 6 units and have a few questions as I'm not really familiar with Zwave devices.

 

Added it to ISY OK, but can't seem to see how you would reference the temperature, or light level, in a program (if temp is > 80 then...).  How do you reference one of the values of the device (since the device has "sub values" that don't seem to be addressable by programs?)

 

Also, is there any way to offset temperature errors in the sensor (mine is about 5 high)?

 

Appears there is a cryptic way to adjust parameters (time between updates etc...) by using the "config Zwave" option on the ISY right click menu, but trying to determine how to set them is a bit confusing for me.

 

Guess I need "multisensor use for dummies" type info.

 

Thanks for any insight.

[Teken]

It would be great to see some images for others to follow.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

[Scott847]

... Added it to ISY OK, but can't seem to see how you would reference the temperature, or light level, in a program (if temp is > 80 then...).  How do you reference one of the values of the device (since the device has "sub values" that don't seem to be addressable by programs?) ....

 

In an ISY program you add a condition and pick the value for the part of the sensor you want to check such as:

 

If

   Status  'Sensor 1 Multilevel' > 85° F

Then

   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

... Also, is there any way to offset temperature errors in the sensor (mine is about 5 high)?

 

Appears there is a cryptic way to adjust parameters (time between updates etc...) by using the "config Zwave" option on the ISY right click menu, but trying to determine how to set them is a bit confusing for me. ....

 

Setting the Z-Wave parameters is somewhat complicated for a battery-operated device like the MultiSensor 6:

 

1. To keep sensors on while configuring, in ISY do: Z-Wave / Advanced / Automatically put battery devices back to sleep = No

 

2. Hold the MultiSensor 6 action button for 3 seconds to keep it awake for 10 minutes (it starts blinking to show it's awake)

 

3. In ISY change parameters by right clicking on the Z-Wave device, then Z-Wave / Set Configuration Parameter

• Query to read current value
• Set to change a value

4. Press the MultiSensor 6 action button to put it back to sleep

 

5. To change sleep setting back to normal, in ISY do: Z-Wave / Advanced / Automatically put battery devices back to sleep = Yes

 

The MultiSensor 6 manual appears to have an error for the temperature calibration setting, which is parameter 201. It appears to be a 1-byte parameter (not 2-byte) and to effectively enter a negative number in ISY you start with 255 and decrease the more you want the setting to be calibrated lower. E.g., if you want it offset 0.1 degrees lower you set Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 255. To offset lower by 5.0 degrees you would set the Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 206.

 

In my case I'm using battery so I had to increase the temperature reading by 2.3 degrees, which means setting Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 23. When on USB power it dissipates some heat causing higher temperature readings.

 

The humidity reading was too high so I had to decrease it by 5%, which means setting the Parameter 202 1-byte Value to 251.

 

I couldn't find the MultiSensor 6 manual on the Aeotec website but found it here: http://products.z-wavealliance.org/MarketCertification/File?folder=&filename=MarketCertificationFiles/1390/MultiSensor%206%20manual%20(3).pdf

[telljcl]

Thanks !

 

OK - I was missing that the drop down box in ISY programming has temperature numbers, humidity, lux numbers etc... discreetly listed in the drop down.  Didn't notice that.  

 

Thanks for the tips on offsetting temp and humidity, and also that when USB powered (as mine is) the temp is high because of internal heat.  Makes sense I guess since it is always "on" on USB power as I understand it.

 

How would you configure the sensor to send temperature and humidity when the value changes (appears to be on a timer now)?  EDIT: Looks like set at a 10% change triggers a "report" by default. That will work.

 

Thanks again for your time.

[Jimbo.Automates]

In an ISY program you add a condition and pick the value for the part of the sensor you want to check such as:

 

If

Status 'Sensor 1 Multilevel' > 85° F

Then

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

 

Setting the Z-Wave parameters is somewhat complicated for a battery-operated device like the MultiSensor 6:

 

1. To keep sensors on while configuring, in ISY do: Z-Wave / Advanced / Automatically put battery devices back to sleep = No

 

2. Hold the MultiSensor 6 action button for 3 seconds to keep it awake for 10 minutes (it starts blinking to show it's awake)

 

3. In ISY change parameters by right clicking on the Z-Wave device, then Z-Wave / Set Configuration Parameter

• Query to read current value
• Set to change a value

4. Press the MultiSensor 6 action button to put it back to sleep

 

5. To change sleep setting back to normal, in ISY do: Z-Wave / Advanced / Automatically put battery devices back to sleep = Yes

 

The MultiSensor 6 manual appears to have an error for the temperature calibration setting, which is parameter 201. It appears to be a 1-byte parameter (not 2-byte) and to effectively enter a negative number in ISY you start with 255 and decrease the more you want the setting to be calibrated lower. E.g., if you want it offset 0.1 degrees lower you set Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 255. To offset lower by 5.0 degrees you would set the Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 206.

 

In my case I'm using battery so I had to increase the temperature reading by 2.3 degrees, which means setting Parameter 201 1-byte Value to 23. When on USB power it dissipates some heat causing higher temperature readings.

 

The humidity reading was too high so I had to decrease it by 5%, which means setting the Parameter 202 1-byte Value to 251.

 

I couldn't find the MultiSensor 6 manual on the Aeotec website but found it here: http://products.z-wavealliance.org/MarketCertification/File?folder=&filename=MarketCertificationFiles/1390/MultiSensor%206%20manual%20(3).pdf

Thank you very much for figuring this out and writing up the instructions!

[Scott847]

Following is additional info about MultiSensor 6 reporting based on some testing. This information doesn't seem to be very well documented anywhere.

 

Note: References to parameters below are P followed by the parameter number, then /S with the size in bytes. For example, P40/S1 is Parameter 40, which is a 1-byte parameter.

 

- P40/S1: Change-based reporting when set to 1, disabled when set to 0 (only works when USB-powered).

 

- P111/S4: Set to the interval between regular reports in seconds (only works when USB-powered) for the sensors configured in P101/S4. This is supposed to be the interval in seconds but is actually 1.16 times higher than configured. For example, setting P111/S4 to 300 should be every 300 seconds (5 minutes) but actually reports every 348 seconds. So if you want updated values at least every 5 minutes set P111/S4 to 259 (this is 300 / 1.16).

 

REPORTING BEHAVIOR

 

*** USB-POWERED ***

 

- P40/S1 = 0, P111/S4 = X: Every X seconds reports only those sensor values that have changed from any previous report (changes of 0.1 degC, 1% RH, 1 lux or more).

 

- P40/S1 = 1, P111/S4 = X: Same regular periodic reports as when Parameter 40 is 0... PLUS additional immediate change-based reports for each sensor that changes from the previous change-based report by the amounts in Parameters 41 through 43 (P41/S2 in units of 0.1 degrees, P42/S1 in units of 1% relative humidity, P43/S2 in units of 1 lux).

 

*** BATTERY-POWERED ***

 

- Only reports every 59 minutes only those sensor values that have changed from the previous reports by 0.1 degC, 1% RH, 1 lux or more. Parameters 40 through 45 and 111 have no effect on sensor reporting.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Scott847,

 

Thanks so very much!

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[danbutter]

Anyone using this as a light sensor?

I've thought about having a light in my hallway triggered by a motion sensor at night, but it can also be dark there during the day if it is really gloomy outside.

Was thinking maybe something like this that can tell how dark it is would help me with this.

 

Any thoughts?