Philips Hue - Motion Sensor - Wireless

First, in full disclosure, I didnt use this motion detector with HUE app.I use Hubitat hub. You dont need hue bulbs using Hubitat. In Hubitat, I created motion detector device and virtual thermometer. When motion activated, Hubitat rule turn on lights.Took about 10 minutes to set it up. Thermometer shows outside temperature and can be accessed using Alexa or Google Assistant.

Bought this with the intention to run an Alexa routine when motion was detected. I wanted different lights to come on and at different brightnesses at multiple times during the day or night. Only one problem, I couldn’t get it to stay connected to Alexa. I run the setup and reset the sensor several times. I finally got it connected once. It stayed connected and worked great for about 6 hours. Then I never could get it connected again.

I like these motion detectors a lot. They actually have three detectors built into them. They can sense and report the temperature, the amount of light and any motion.Thee motion detection and light sensitivity are adjustable using the Philip Hue App or Apple Home app.Basically, after selection the installation site, you can use the app to install the device and then adjust its sensitivity to light and motion.You adjust the unit such that it senses how much light there is and it will then either react to motion under those light conditions or not depending on the settings you pick.The motion detection is also adjustable.On my units I have found that they can be very sensitive.In fact too sensitive.I have had to dial mine back a bit to avoid detecting flying bugs and ... MoreI like these motion detectors a lot. They actually have three detectors built into them. They can sense and report the temperature, the amount of light and any motion.Thee motion detection and light sensitivity are adjustable using the Philip Hue App or Apple Home app.Basically, after selection the installation site, you can use the app to install the device and then adjust its sensitivity to light and motion.You adjust the unit such that it senses how much light there is and it will then either react to motion under those light conditions or not depending on the settings you pick.The motion detection is also adjustable.On my units I have found that they can be very sensitive.In fact too sensitive.I have had to dial mine back a bit to avoid detecting flying bugs and the like.These do have a battery, but so far I have had mine up and running for over a year and they are still going strong.Either way battery life is one of the items the units report back to the app so you will have advanced notice when they neeed to be replaced.One more great thing.These can bee used to trigger lights anywhere in you Hue installation. You configure what lights to control in the app and it will do it.There are different setting for time of day, Night, Daylight and lots of other controls.

TLDR - Make sure your sensor is enabled in the Hue app before you try to replace the batteries!I am very pleased with these Outdoor Sensors. I do get false motion readings when sun is shining through trees on one of them in the mornings, but they are very reliable overall in controlling Hue indoor and outdoor lights. I especially love that I can use motion from these sensors to trigger HomeKit automation.I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to open the Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor to replace the batteries. The Apple Home app was reporting No Response for the Outdoor Motion Sensor, which is typical when a device is powered off or battery is dead. I assumed the batteries were due for replacement.My Hue system is connected to HomeKit, so I rarely open the Hue ... MoreTLDR - Make sure your sensor is enabled in the Hue app before you try to replace the batteries!I am very pleased with these Outdoor Sensors. I do get false motion readings when sun is shining through trees on one of them in the mornings, but they are very reliable overall in controlling Hue indoor and outdoor lights. I especially love that I can use motion from these sensors to trigger HomeKit automation.I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to open the Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor to replace the batteries. The Apple Home app was reporting No Response for the Outdoor Motion Sensor, which is typical when a device is powered off or battery is dead. I assumed the batteries were due for replacement.My Hue system is connected to HomeKit, so I rarely open the Hue app. I noticed the sensor was still glowing red when I was handling it, so I thought Id open the Hue app and try to confirm the battery level. In the process, I realized that I had disabled the sensor in Hue app.MY SOLUTION - I enabled the sensor in Hue app and the sensor is working correctly again and showing status in Apple Home app again. Ugh! I wish Home app showed Disabled instead of the No Response message typical of powered off or dead devices. I hope checking whether or not your Hue motion sensor is enabled in Hue app saves you some hassle.Battery FYI - Hue app does not show battery level for any of my Outdoor Sensors. The sensor has 4 small phillips batteries in the back. After removing these screws, the back cover seemed glued/sealed shut. I referred to the original instructions and they have very vague battery warnings saying the battery should not be recharged and the sensor should only be opened to replace the batteries BUT the original instructions do not have any info about replacing the batteries.I suspect the batteries are not meant to be replaced. I may update my review with more details and a teardown if/when a sensor does die.

Works great and super easy to set up. I also liked the instructions suggesting to zip tie the motion detector as an option. I plan on moving it and I am not worried about it being stolen as it’s protected on my property. Also works seamlessly with HomeKit once set up in the Hue app. Also has temperature and brightness sensors built in so adds that functionality to your HomeKit which is nice. So far I have yet to get a Hue product I don’t like.

This a great accessory that fits well into the Hue ecosystem. Easy to install and connect to the bridge. I like the ability to configure the behavior separately for day/night times, how long it stays on after motion is detected, sensitivity, etc... and have it trigger a configurable group of lights.Only complaint would be the price/value, seems steep for a motion sensor. Also the app allows you to configure day/night times manually and the sensor also senses daylight so its not immediately clear why you need to set both, should be one or the other.

I have been using these sensors for about a year. I have them mounted outside on fence posts and trees. The are connected to my Homeseer home automation system through a Hubitat home automation. The motion sensors are Zigbee and pair easily to the Hubitat Hub.My wife has a kings ransoms worth of plants in the yard, and we use the motion sensors to detect the deer coming into the yard at night to eat her plants. The Homeseer sends out a verbal announcement over the Google Home on which sensor is detected. The dog is quite keen to hear the announcement and pops up ready to chase.The sensors work very well on sensing the deer, only issue would be when a car passes by as others have mentioned, or when its too windy. We had the ability to turn the sensors away from the ... MoreI have been using these sensors for about a year. I have them mounted outside on fence posts and trees. The are connected to my Homeseer home automation system through a Hubitat home automation. The motion sensors are Zigbee and pair easily to the Hubitat Hub.My wife has a kings ransoms worth of plants in the yard, and we use the motion sensors to detect the deer coming into the yard at night to eat her plants. The Homeseer sends out a verbal announcement over the Google Home on which sensor is detected. The dog is quite keen to hear the announcement and pops up ready to chase.The sensors work very well on sensing the deer, only issue would be when a car passes by as others have mentioned, or when its too windy. We had the ability to turn the sensors away from the road to resolve the car light issue, but when it is too windy and the branch and trees are swaying, we have to disable the automation. Direct sunlight also gives false triggers, but we dont use the motion sensors during the day. The sensors work well of course on detecting of there things people, dogs, and other varmints.The sensor also offers temperature and Lux readings. The temperature seems mostly accurate to a couple of degrees. I dont use the lux measurement and have turned down the reporting to a change of 500 lux. I have used the motion sensitivity adjustments through the Hubitat devices dashboard, and appears to make a difference.All 6 of my sensors have survived about a year with no failures yet. I think its a good product for the outdoors if you can avoid direct sunlight and car headlights.

Long lasting; trustworthy brand; brightness is good; would buy again if offbrand all in all I would say it was a good product but pricey and would recommend to Others looking for a product similar but In offbrand that’s comparable but cheaper

Corrosion makes it pretty much a disposable unit

After more than 3 years, two of my sensors went out of battery but when I tried to change them it was impossible. The unit is supposed to be designed for outdoor use, however intensive corrosion on the main body screw made it swollen and impossible to open. I had to crack it open. Found even more corrosion inside. Impossible to seal it back, have to purchase new units. Ironically, if I had to change the batteries more often, I would have been able to see and stop the corrosion process before it was too late. Next time I will change the screw for a stainless steel one and add some grease. If you can, build some sort of waterproof case for this device as an extra precaution.When it happened to the first unit I really thought it was just bad luck and it could happen, ... MoreAfter more than 3 years, two of my sensors went out of battery but when I tried to change them it was impossible. The unit is supposed to be designed for outdoor use, however intensive corrosion on the main body screw made it swollen and impossible to open. I had to crack it open. Found even more corrosion inside. Impossible to seal it back, have to purchase new units. Ironically, if I had to change the batteries more often, I would have been able to see and stop the corrosion process before it was too late. Next time I will change the screw for a stainless steel one and add some grease. If you can, build some sort of waterproof case for this device as an extra precaution.When it happened to the first unit I really thought it was just bad luck and it could happen, but when I saw the same problem on the second unit I understood it was poorly designed.

Works well, but sensitivity is in the end not adjustable

I was able to easily integrate it into my Hue setup, even with the hue bridge rather far away. All seemed to work well until a neighbor wasn't happy that it turned on every time a cat passed by. So I tried to reduce the sensitivity in the app, which even though it seems to have many levels only have 3 (low, medium, high). And on the low setting, no motion is detected at all, even if I go directly under it and wave my arms.