Domoticz has the ability to text me upon an action - so when the mailbox door is opened, I get a text message.
I use this very same sensor for my door alarms. There is one at each door of my home, inside and out. Again, I have Domoticz text me when the garage door is left open for a period of time as a gentle reminder that I left the door open.
This is a battery powered sensor, the first thing you must do is make it battery efficient. See the reference section for a how to guide to make it.
Next, you will need the wiring guide:
- Wiring Guide & Bill of Materials (use a DHT22 if you use this sensor outside)
Now you need to choose your housing. The one I chose is a bit small. It should be at least another 1 inch longer. I crammed everything into the smallest space possible, so your mileage may vary.
Place all of the connected parts into the housing. I use a 2 inch x 3 inch project box. They are a little small but the price makes up the difference. Use plenty of hot glue to make things stay and you are good to go.
Now you need the code:
The code does many things but the most important is that it will reset itself every 24 hours. The reset keeps the processor working without stop. The Atmel processor can and will lock up every so often and this keeps the mystery out of it. Why it does it - no body knows, but when the electrons are not flowing you don't want to be hitting the reset button. I have never found this feature implemented anywhere but it should be! Anyone that uses these processors will tell you they will lock up.
NOTE - DO NOT USE THE DHT DRIVERS INCLUDED IN THE MYSENSORS.ORG DOWNLOAD PACKAGE. The DHT drivers will not work properly with a DHT22 and an 8mhz Atmel processor.
You will not find this tidbit of wisdom anywhere, this is old school of hard knocks. Its not caused by radio interference, power regulator or whatever lights in the sky they see - its downright poor programming and even poorer testing.
So, how do you make your DHT sensor work properly you ask? Simple! The almighty and most revered Lady Ada knows her stuff and saved the day. You need her DHT drivers found here. You will find that I use these drivers in every sensor.
Remember - these are battery powered sensors and they do not report to other sensors. This is one of the drawbacks of a battery sensor. This is not addressed on any site that I have found, but I will address this with another sensor. Where this is going is that you cannot rely on these sensors alone for any security monitoring. When the battery runs out, there is no way to tell you.
Let me know how yours comes together.
Let me know how yours comes together.
