battery level in motion sensor 2842-222

[wdhille]

I think I've already figured this out... but if anyone can confirm my suspicion I'd appreciate it. Yesterday I upgraded my ISY controller to a "new" one that is running 5.3.0 for firmware and UI. One of my goals in doing this was to be able to view the battery level in my 8 2842-222 motion detectors. Sadly, it doesn't work and as far as I can tell I've never gotten a message saying I had a low battery. 

So I've read the advice about just changing the batteries every six months, but come on... it's pretty much 2021 and the thing ought to be able to send me an alert when the battery is getting ready to call it quits.... I mean my ten year old car tells me when my battery is getting tired....

My goal is to see a display like the one below. But... am I correct in realizing this ain't going to happen because I don't have "Sensor II"...... all mine are just say "Motion Sensor V0.0"

Thanks in advance for any help, and Happy New Year. 

Wayne

[lilyoyo1]

37 minutes ago, wdhille said:

I think I've already figured this out... but if anyone can confirm my suspicion I'd appreciate it. Yesterday I upgraded my ISY controller to a "new" one that is running 5.3.0 for firmware and UI. One of my goals in doing this was to be able to view the battery level in my 8 2842-222 motion detectors. Sadly, it doesn't work and as far as I can tell I've never gotten a message saying I had a low battery. 

So I've read the advice about just changing the batteries every six months, but come on... it's pretty much 2021 and the thing ought to be able to send me an alert when the battery is getting ready to call it quits.... I mean my ten year old car tells me when my battery is getting tired....

My goal is to see a display like the one below. But... am I correct in realizing this ain't going to happen because I don't have "Sensor II"...... all mine are just say "Motion Sensor V0.0"

Thanks in advance for any help, and Happy New Year. 

Wayne

 

Well thats not a fair comparison being that your 10 year old car still probably costs a couple of hundred times more than your motion sensor. I would expect it to be able to do more than an old device.....especially since they've had 100+ years to add to it.

On a more serious note, upgrading your isy would not give new life or features to an old device that doesnt have those features built in. You would need the new insteon motion sensor which has that ability. You dont have to change the battery every 6 months. In fact, when I used to have the original sensors, I got away with once a year. For rarely used locations, I changed about every 18 months or when 1 died (whichever was sooner). 

[larryllix]

2 hours ago, wdhille said:

I think I've already figured this out... but if anyone can confirm my suspicion I'd appreciate it. Yesterday I upgraded my ISY controller to a "new" one that is running 5.3.0 for firmware and UI. One of my goals in doing this was to be able to view the battery level in my 8 2842-222 motion detectors. Sadly, it doesn't work and as far as I can tell I've never gotten a message saying I had a low battery. 

So I've read the advice about just changing the batteries every six months, but come on... it's pretty much 2021 and the thing ought to be able to send me an alert when the battery is getting ready to call it quits.... I mean my ten year old car tells me when my battery is getting tired....

My goal is to see a display like the one below. But... am I correct in realizing this ain't going to happen because I don't have "Sensor II"...... all mine are just say "Motion Sensor V0.0"

Thanks in advance for any help, and Happy New Year. 

Wayne

Yeah, using the MS 1 devices (I have about 16 units now) sent you a low battery signal when the battery was low. This is the one that never worked in most of the MS 1 devices.

MS II is an improvement but then you will sacrifice the ability of ISY to control time durations and have to rely on the MS II solely, for it's internal timeOut timer and then wait for the same timeOut timer until it can be triggered again. **Sigh** but it's just Insteon and their lack of Engineering that we expect. Here's hoping Insteon will announce a breakthrough device like a beeper, iR repeater, IOLink with advanced single band protocol transmitting signals multiple times, or something else really  exciting, in the next decade.

[wdhille]

will the MS II give me the display I pasted at the start of the post? I just looked at two extra MS devices, and they have USB, but they don't indicate version number. 

 

Thanks

Wayne

[larryllix]

20 minutes ago, wdhille said:

will the MS II give me the display I pasted at the start of the post? I just looked at two extra MS devices, and they have USB, but they don't indicate version number. 

 

Thanks

Wayne

I assume that is where you got the screenshot....an MS II.

The v.00 is some version number only. You will have to create a simple program to detect the analogue value of the battery and notify you.

[wdhille]

Larry... sorry, I got the screen shot from the internet... not my ISY or puter... my goal is to get that on my screen without clipping it from another forum!! Thanks

 

Wayne

[gzahar]

2 hours ago, wdhille said:

will the MS II give me the display I pasted at the start of the post?

Yes.  Here is my current MSII display (and options).

[MrBill]

To clarify what's been discussed so far.

2842-222 is a version 1 motion sensor, which is what @wdhille has 8 of.

The screen shot showing battery level is for a motion sensor version 2 (2844-222)

8 hours ago, wdhille said:

Sadly, it doesn't work and as far as I can tell I've never gotten a message saying I had a low battery. 

So I've read the advice about just changing the batteries every six months, but come on... it's pretty much 2021 and the thing ought to be able to send me an alert when the battery is getting ready to call it quits.... I mean my ten year old car tells me when my battery is getting tired....

As @larryllix points to monitor or listen for low battery on Version 1 motion sensors you must have a program.  I don't have any version 1 motion sensors but it would be very similar to the program below written for hidden door sensors.

AllRecessedDoorSW - [ID 0044][Parent 0037]

If
        'Door Switches / Barn Walk-thru Door / Barn Walk-thru Low Batt' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Costco Rm NEW - Door / Costco Rm NEW Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Front Door / Front Door- Low Bat' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Garage to House Door 2 / Garage to House Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Green Rm Closet Door / Green Rm Closet Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Laundry Rm Door / Laundry Rm Door - Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / MBR Closet 2 Door / MBR Closet 2 Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Playroom Door / Playroom Door Low Battery' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Pool Closet - Door Sensor / Pool Closet Door - Low Batter' is switched On
     Or 'Door Switches / Pushbutton Block / Pushbutton Block.3 - Low Batt' is switched On
 
Then
        Send Notification to 'Bill' content 'DoorName'
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
 

Then for the Custom notification email you would create:

using the # replacement for the nodename.  Note this works because the default nodename includes the words "low battery".

 

[jzh]

I make a warning when motion sensors reach low battery voltage. Then i know it's about the time to switch battery.