Reddit reviews Z-Wave Plus Gold Plated Reliability Garage Door Tilt Sensor, White (TILT-ZWAVE2.5-ECO)

If you don't need to control the door, and just want to check open/close status, then all you really need is a tilt sensor and something to read its status.

In my case, I already had the SmartThings system for controlling lights and sensors, so I added a Z-Wave tilt sensor that SmartThings can read. Natively in the app, SmartThings can tell open/closed status in the dashboard. I have the "classic" app which does not support a timed notification, so I used an app called SmartRules to set up a rule that sends me a text notice if the garage door has been in "open" status for more than 10 minutes. The newer SmartThings app might support this as well.

What hub do you have? You can get a door censor or a 'tilt sensor' like this one https://www.amazon.com/Ecolink-Intelligent-Technology-Z-Wave-TILT-ZWAVE2-ECO/dp/B01MRZB0NT?th=1 if you just want to see if it's open or closed. You wont be able to open or close it from the app, but at least see the status.

Yep, that one works. I have one of those on my fireplace and can use Google Home via Emulated Hue to turn it on/off.

Really any Z-wave relay would work. On my garage door I use this one:

https://www.amazon.com/GoControl-Z-Wave-Isolated-Contact-Fixture/dp/B00ER6MH22.

Then you also need a garage door tilt sensor like one of these (I've used both with no problems, one for a mailbox and the other for the garage door):

https://www.amazon.com/Z-wave-Plated-Reliability-Garage-TILT-ZWAVE2-5-ECO/dp/B01MRZB0NT
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=11987

I haven't looked to see if there's a better workaround, but since a garage door needs just a momentary pulse from the relay to run, you have to turn the relay back off, which I did with a Home Assistant script:

https://github.com/hunterstee/Home-Assistant/blob/master/script.yaml

This means that to open or close the garage door via Alexa/Google Home though, you have to say "Alexa, turn on the garage door". Telling it to turn off won't actually close the garage door because the relay has to be turned on to cycle the door.

EDIT: This is what my setup looks like in Home Assistant: https://i.imgur.com/G5FATEi.png

Go get one of these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRZB0NT

Pop the cover and attach wires from doorbell to provided screw terminals inside. Add to Z-Wave hub. Configure sensor in HA to trigger some doorbell action. e.g.

• service: tts.google_say
  entity_id: media_player.google_home
  data: message: 'Ding Dong. Someone is at the front door.'
  
  Caveat: doorbell switch cannot be the lighted variety. Gotta disconnect that bulb if it is.
  
  edit: formatting

What about simply installing a tilt sensor on the garage door and using that (with a hub) to turn on lights in the garage? Ecolink makes a very reliable Z-Wave tilt sensor and there are many Z-Wave wall switches to choose from (including this very snazzy one).

This is the exact one I have. Z-Wave Plus Gold Plated Reliability Garage Door Tilt Sensor, White (TILT-ZWAVE2.5-ECO) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRZB0NT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_T.R7CbJTDWEXP

Currently unavailable. Look for z wave tilt sensor.

This is what I used. And according to CamelCamelCamel, ~$30 is close to the lowest price it has been in several months. I went with Z-wave plus because it is supposed to get longer range (good for the garage) and longer battery life (good for the wallet). For ~$30/door, it is probably more expensive than some other sensors, but they were easy to pair and I haven't had a single issue with them since I got them 1 month ago. They still say 100% battery too, which gives me hope for long battery life.

I use one of these and recommend it if you're in a Z-Wave environment (Smartthings, etc).

Those are called ‘tilt sensors ’

Another option is to use a simple contact but you’ll need a GPIO and that till drive up your costs

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I don't know about benefits of one over the other, but ZWave tilt sensors certainly exist. The one I bought from Amazon is no longer available but there's this one for the same price: https://smile.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Plated-Reliability-Garage-TILT-ZWAVE2-5-ECO/dp/B01MRZB0NT/ref=sr_1_3?crid=25P535CRX31DE&keywords=zwave+garage+door+sensor&qid=1550239563&s=electronics&sprefix=zwave+gara%2Celectronics%2C121&sr=1-3

Mine is solid and works well.

I did it with a relay switch and wired it to the garage opener. I also needed to wire a power cord to it so that I can plug it into a Z-wave Plug-in switch. Then I set a rule on my hub to switch it on and off immediately. This action replicates the shorting of the wire that a normal garage button does. This method is easiest compatibility since you can use whatever Plug-in switch that works with your hub, and it also acts as another repeater for your other z-wave devices.

This site goes into more details on how to wire everything: http://24-7-home-security.com/how-to-make-a-smart-garage-door-opener-that-works-with-any-protocol/

I also bought the Z-wave tilt sensor and mount on the garage door, which lets me know when the garage is opened or closed.

Ecolink TLT-ZWAVE2. In the 3 years I've had it, I've seen once or twice that I missed a status change, but I don't know what was actually at fault. I know one other person with one (who I heard about it from), and haven't heard any complaints from him.

Why not get a garage door sensor or a smart plug that the humidifier is plugged into?

Z-wave Plus Gold Plated Reliability Garage Door Tilt Sensor, White (TILT-ZWAVE2.5-ECO) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRZB0NT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IjkGAb652W3A7

Which garage door sensor?

I recently bought the EcoLink sensor (which many vendors rebrand) and it’s worked fairly well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRZB0NT/