smokegrub Posted March 14, 2019 Posted March 14, 2019 I am aware that Kumoapps and various other tools are available to import data from these tags into the ISY. However, for users such as myself the complexity of doing so is enormous. I have found these tags extremely useful. Measuring temperature and humidity is easy and can be done even in extreme environments such as freezers, attics and crawl spaces. Reporting of motion is another strong suit. I use them for gates, doors, mailboxes and the like. Their range is incredible. Their setup is easy. Battery life is amazing. Their most significant shortcoming for me is the complexity for using their data to control other devices and programs in the ISY. Is what I am requesting technically possible? I would love to be able to "see" the tags in the ISY and be able to use their data just as I am able to use data from other devices.
palayman Posted March 14, 2019 Posted March 14, 2019 I have about 30 of these tags. I using polyglot on a raspberry pi and the cao nodeserver. It was easy to setup using the instructions in these forums and has been a great addition to my isy. You can find these instructions in the Polyglot sub forum https://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/111-polyglot/ .
larryllix Posted March 14, 2019 Posted March 14, 2019 1 hour ago, palayman said: I have about 30 of these tags. I using polyglot on a raspberry pi and the cao nodeserver. It was easy to setup using the instructions in these forums and has been a great addition to my isy. You can find these instructions in the Polyglot sub forum https://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/111-polyglot/ . In addition...I have been informed that PolyGlot can run on a cloud server and that may be much simpler for you @smokegrub. The complexity of prepping a RPi and setting up Polyglot way surpasses the kumoapp setup posted by mwareman, and myself. The cloud Polyglot option may be a much better for your concerns of complexity, and the Tags are somewhat cloud based anyway, so one more jump in the cloud would not be a big data security risk increase. BTW: I only get about 8-11 (marked) months of any of my CAO Tag battery (Sony CR2032). Are you getting more and what brand?
smokegrub Posted March 15, 2019 Author Posted March 15, 2019 8 hours ago, larryllix said: In addition...I have been informed that PolyGlot can run on a cloud server and that may be much simpler for you @smokegrub. The complexity of prepping a RPi and setting up Polyglot way surpasses the kumoapp setup posted by mwareman, and myself. The cloud Polyglot option may be a much better for your concerns of complexity, and the Tags are somewhat cloud based anyway, so one more jump in the cloud would not be a big data security risk increase. BTW: I only get about 8-11 (marked) months of any of my CAO Tag battery (Sony CR2032). Are you getting more and what brand? Do you use the lithium ion version? Also, I use settings designed to optimize battery durability. For example m,y motion sensor at the mailbox is turned on at noon and off at 5:00 PM, the timeframe within which my mail is delivered. The device is turned off all day on Sunday. The reason I posted as I did is not only the complexity but also simply asking why the device can't be integrated with the ISY? Other devices are integrated. I love these things in my arsenal. They are dependable, flexible in their settings and have amazing range. They work beautifully letting me know when the garage door is open and do so almost instantaneously. If I happen to have my phone or my computer on at the time a device is reporting its status, I can have it speak a predefined message. Frankly, I am amazed they aren't apparently used even more widely. Oh well, you know all their qualities!
larryllix Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 45 minutes ago, smokegrub said: Do you use the lithium ion version? Also, I use settings designed to optimize battery durability. For example m,y motion sensor at the mailbox is turned on at noon and off at 5:00 PM, the timeframe within which my mail is delivered. The device is turned off all day on Sunday. The reason I posted as I did is not only the complexity but also simply asking why the device can't be integrated with the ISY? Other devices are integrated. I love these things in my arsenal. They are dependable, flexible in their settings and have amazing range. They work beautifully letting me know when the garage door is open and do so almost instantaneously. If I happen to have my phone or my computer on at the time a device is reporting its status, I can have it speak a predefined message. Frankly, I am amazed they aren't apparently used even more widely. Oh well, you know all their qualities! CR2032 is the only battery the Tags will take, and is lithium. My Tags update every 15 minutes for temperature, humidities, Lux, and position. Some Tags update when changes are incurred like motion on my garage door. There is no turning them off. I doubt the devices will ever be integrated into ISY any more than they already are, with PolyGlot and Kumoapps interfaces. Their protocols are not native to ISY and CAO would has already created several methods of stuffing their information into every device they know of. My 7 Tags are starting to get out of sync with each other and it seems like a battery is always dues to be changed every month. I also have five ecobee sensors that function similarly and take the same batteries so it seems like a constant battle. The batteries the first units came with seemed to last for more than a year but I never recorded the dates. Do you know how long your batteries have been lasting?. What brand have you been using?
palayman Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 30 minutes ago, larryllix said: My 7 Tags are starting to get out of sync with each other and it seems like a battery is always dues to be changed every month I tried several brands, but have not found one that last noticeably longer than another. The ones I have outside seem to need replacement more often as do the ones that are farther away from the hub and as such have a significantly lower signal level. You may have seen they announced some new tags, maybe yesterday, that can be power externally from a wall wart or an external battery.
larryllix Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 Yeah, I saw that announcement but haven't had a look at them yet. I was not too impressed with Ni_cad batteries I thought they announced. Sounds like a step back to 1980.
smokegrub Posted March 15, 2019 Author Posted March 15, 2019 10 hours ago, larryllix said: CR2032 is the only battery the Tags will take, and is lithium. My Tags update every 15 minutes for temperature, humidities, Lux, and position. Some Tags update when changes are incurred like motion on my garage door. There is no turning them off. I doubt the devices will ever be integrated into ISY any more than they already are, with PolyGlot and Kumoapps interfaces. Their protocols are not native to ISY and CAO would has already created several methods of stuffing their information into every device they know of. My 7 Tags are starting to get out of sync with each other and it seems like a battery is always dues to be changed every month. I also have five ecobee sensors that function similarly and take the same batteries so it seems like a constant battle. The batteries the first units came with seemed to last for more than a year but I never recorded the dates. Do you know how long your batteries have been lasting?. What brand have you been using? I have my tags update every 30 minutes. By turning them off I mean, for example, not having a tag report motion during a defined timeframe. I also adjust the sensitivity to produce the desired results w/o getting false positives. My experience is that devices in high traffic areas where motion is being monitored have a shorter battery life. The batteries are so inexpensive that cost is not an issue. My last batch was 10/$3.78 and free shipping! They are a bit of a pain to replace because they are somewhat fragile. As you know, the so-called waterproof ones have been discontinued. I apply a small amount of silicone over the seam on the tag on my mailbox. Every time it rains I get an alert about possible damage from moisture which I ignore. The tag has been in place for a bit less than two years and is still working. I consider my application a test and I'm aware that I may be sacrificing the tag. The only tag I have recorded data for battery life is the garage door. It is a high use application that reports movement when opened and when closed. It was last replaced in November. It has 2.91v (57%) left on the battery). That would indicate a battery life there approximating what you are experiencing. Newer models are scheduled for release in July but these, in my opinion, have lost their inconspicuous appearance and will be low on my level of interest. In summary, battery life will not deter my use but fully incorporating them, with ease, into the ISY would make them far more valuable to me.
palayman Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 All my tags update every 10 minutes. Outside I get 6 to 8 months. Inside I get 8 to 10 months. Have used various batteries with no dramatic change. I had one that lasted just 2 months, but I think this was anomalous. I don't have motion detection turned on, so this helps with life. My moisture sensors have been in place for about a years. They still claim to have 99% battery life left. I am considering some of the new powered ones for a vacation property that I can be away from for an extended period of time. Overall, they have been a great purchase. Especially now that polyglot not allows them to be added to the ISY.
GlowingHair Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 1 hour ago, smokegrub said: Every time it rains I get an alert about possible damage from moisture which I ignore. The tag has been in place for a bit less than two years and is still working. I consider my application a test and I'm aware that I may be sacrificing the tag. Regarding the moisture causing damage message, I was getting it almost constantly in a tag in my trash bin. So, I stuck it in a small plastic zipper bag with a dessicant gel pack and haven't gotten that message since. I also don't care about anything but the lid opening & closing, so I don't mind the inaccurate humidity reading.
Bumbershoot Posted March 15, 2019 Posted March 15, 2019 33 minutes ago, GlowingHair said: Regarding the moisture causing damage message, I was getting it almost constantly in a tag in my trash bin. So, I stuck it in a small plastic zipper bag with a dessicant gel pack and haven't gotten that message since. I also don't care about anything but the lid opening & closing, so I don't mind the inaccurate humidity reading. I use a plastic bag and desiccant pack on my soil moisture sensors outside in the garden. They're going on their third year...
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