Aluminium Window Frame Security

[andyp 6]

Has anyone got any experience of using window sensors on Aluminium Window Frames. I've looked at the Aerotec Sensor, Fibaro & Sensitive Strips and they all say do not mount on metal frames so I've sent them all back. I'm looking to secure my large sliding and bi-fold doors and link to the heating but not having much luck finding a device.

 

Andy

[AutoFrank 372]

1 minute ago, andyp said:

Has anyone got any experience of using window sensors on Aluminium Window Frames. I've looked at the Aerotec Sensor, Fibaro & Sensitive Strips and they all say do not mount on metal frames so I've sent them all back. I'm looking to secure my large sliding and bi-fold doors and link to the heating but not having much luck finding a device.

 

Andy

 

Hi @andyp

You could a standard alarm contact sensor (magnetic) and a UBS if you have power in the area that you could use

 

 

[andyp 6]

Hi @AutoFrank

 

Pardon the ignorance what's a UBS ?

[AutoFrank 372]

1 minute ago, andyp said:

Hi @AutoFrank

 

Pardon the ignorance what's a UBS ?

 

@andyp

Sorry.. its the fibaro universal binary sensor which has a number of inputs and outputs

I use one with a normal alarm magnetic contact sensor to monitor the status of my front gates  

 

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[andyp 6]

@AutoFrank

 

Thanks for that. Again pardon my ignorance but why is that any different to the wave sensors, aren't they magnetic sensors too ?

[Guest spazpeker]

31 minutes ago, andyp said:

Has anyone got any experience of using window sensors on Aluminium Window Frames. I've looked at the Aerotec Sensor, Fibaro & Sensitive Strips and they all say do not mount on metal frames so I've sent them all back. I'm looking to secure my large sliding and bi-fold doors and link to the heating but not having much luck finding a device.

 

Andy

Andy

I have 8 bifold aluminium doors, and one normal aluminium door, all with Fibaro Door sensors been fitted over 3 years with no problems

so Fibaro are fine for Aluminium 

[petergebruers 1,265]

The idea is to keep the antenna of the module away from the metal. If the antenna is close to metal, range is reduced... Range depends on many things, it is difficult to predict the overall effect...

Edited July 5, 2017 by petergebruers

[andyp 6]

@spazpeker

 

Thanks for that info,  obviously they are been over cautious with the warnings. I'll re-order them and give them a try

[AutoFrank 372]

2 minutes ago, andyp said:

@AutoFrank

 

Thanks for that. Again pardon my ignorance but why is that any different to the wave sensors, aren't they magnetic sensors too ?

 

@andyp

Yes, they are ...

....but I'm not sure why they recommend not using zwave sensors on aluminium frames to be honest.

I have a standard alarm that uses contact sensors on a door with an aluminium frame and it works fine... so I thought if you combined that with a UBS it may be an option...

 

 

[andyp 6]

@Autofrank

 

Thanks for clearing that up, I couldn't get my head around the difference, but it would appear there isn't one. I'm going to use the UBS approach on my gate now so thanks for that.

 

@petergebruers

 

Makes sense - thanks for the input

[petergebruers 1,265]

I see we all have been typing our replies at the same time, so the answers are in the last five posts or so. Or even more now...

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by petergebruers

[AutoFrank 372]

3 minutes ago, andyp said:

I'm going to use the UBS approach on my gate now so thanks for that.

 

@andyp, I have the UBS in the gate control housing that is plastic and I use one of these as the contact sensor as it handles the weather better  

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[Guest spazpeker]

Andy

i have a sliding gate with a came control I have put a UBS module in the control and use the internal gate micro switch to detect open close via a relay as the gate is 24v ac

 

[chaicka 195]

1 hour ago, andyp said:

Has anyone got any experience of using window sensors on Aluminium Window Frames. I've looked at the Aerotec Sensor, Fibaro & Sensitive Strips and they all say do not mount on metal frames so I've sent them all back. I'm looking to secure my large sliding and bi-fold doors and link to the heating but not having much luck finding a device.

 

Andy

 

I have been using Fibaro's (non-Zwave Plus) Door/Window Sensors (FGK10x) for the last 2 years on aluminum-framed doors and (swing out) windows. Some of them has the temperature diode added to measure temperature. They works relatively well for its purposes.

 

There are few minor setbacks though.

• One being the double-sided tape it comes with weakens the hold over time and starts getting random 'tamper' alerts (which is not notified if there is no scene to detect it) which indirectly drains the battery faster.
• Another being the range is pretty weak so the two furthest sensors I have away from Home Center 2 do get 'dead node' alert once in a blue moon (few months). This can be overcome by either using the newer Zwave Plus FGK10x or latest Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 (FGDW002) but limited in color available at the moment.

Edited July 5, 2017 by chaicka
Correct the Fibaro Model Code FGK

[andyp 6]

Thanks @chaicka

[lennypenny 4]

3 hours ago, AutoFrank said:

have a standard alarm that uses contact sensors on a door with an aluminium frame and it works fine

I have 2 garden sheds that needed to be included into my HC2.  I had Ubiquiti kit in there before which meant it was wired magnetic switches.  @morpheus75 actually suggested that I got myself a UBS and just wired the original contacts into the UBS and it works a treat and MUCH MUCH cheaper.  IN the big shed I would have needed 4  Fibaro Door/Window contacts so say roughly £160 as against £34 for the UBS.  More importantly the little UBS is powered by 12V and not batteries which gives a more stable z-wave signal way down in the garden.

[petergebruers 1,265]

To avoid possible confusion for new users: the UBS cannot control its outputs. If you have a look at the schematics, you might think this module has *controllable* outputs, but it does not. The outputs always follow the inputs. You cannot turn them on or off.