ILoveC4 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I would like to put a sensor on the gate going around the East side of my house. The fence is vinyl, and I obviously need a wireless solution. I want to put the sensors INSIDE the fence post and the gate, so they are not visible. The closest the sensor will ever be in this situation (when the gate is closed obviously) is about 2.5 inches. Does anyone know of any wireless sensor solutions that will show they are closed when they are that far apart?The Card Access ones I have on my garage need to be really close to sense they are closed, they wouldn't work in this application, but they are the $2.95 cent ones as well, I went cheap on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 You can buy wide gap sensors, that will show as closed if the magnet is within 2-3" of the sensor.It's what I use on my garage doors, and I've never had a false positive.I don't know if they have any that will go reliably 3", though. You may have to get a bit creative on your mounting.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Ryan, thanks for the reply. What brand switches do you use? Can you refer to some wherever you got them? I have found these switches are difficult to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I don't know, but I suspect they're standard Sentrol wide-gap sensors.It's only been nearly 10 years since I put them in...Yeah, they look like these:http://www.asihome.com/ASIshop/product_info.php?products_id=1215If you Google for Sentrol Wide-gap sensors, you'll see some that are advertised as 6" gap... (Maxi-Gap), but I haven't used those.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mav-Jason Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I prefer mine to have much less than a 6" gap :lol:(couldn't resist... humor time)I once had a C4 client make a joke about walking around the house playing with his big 10.5" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Sounds great, I will pick one up. The last question would be which card access product do I need to purchase to make this wireless?I just want to make sure I have the parts I need and hopefully I can make the physical connections and just have someone remote in to add the gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henniae Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Sounds great, I will pick one up. The last question would be which card access product do I need to purchase to make this wireless?I just want to make sure I have the parts I need and hopefully I can make the physical connections and just have someone remote in to add the gate.You will need a Card Access Wireless Contact Switch. I would get the unit with the external antenna. SKU: WCS10B. If you have 110 volt power at the gate I would also get the transformer to power the switch. SKU: NEP10A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Henniae - thanks for the response. I do not have power to the gate, and don't want to run power to the gate. If I can get a bettery powered unit, even if I have to change the battery every 60 days or so, that would be much better. That way I don't have to run power and I can completely seal the unit and the switch inside the gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 The batteries should last much longer than 60 days (although exposure to the weather I suppose could make it shorter), and it has a battery power sensor, so you could trigger an event on low battery, so you'd know to replace it.You may have to figure out an enclosure for it, as it's not weatherproof.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 I think putting the stuff inside the fence post and putting the cap back on the post will yield enough weather protection. That will at least keep them out of the rain and snow, but will not protect them from the cold and the heat. I live in Utah, so neither of these are TOO extreme.Is this something that I could make the physical connections and have someone remote in to add it into programming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Yeah, that probably would shelter it enough. As long as the vinyl didn't obstruct the Zigbee signal, you should be good.It certainly can be added remotely, if you can find a dealer who is willing to do it for you.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Well, I got the stuff ordered. As a total side note, I wonder if the temperature inside my tan vinyl fence post will be very accurate. My HVAC system already monitors the outside temperature, but that might be handy to have. I could have my wake up take place a few minutes earlier if it is below a certain temperature. When it is cold and icy my commute is always 15 minutes longer.Oh the possibilities.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Forgot to say big thanks to everyone for the recommendations. RyanE, and henniae, I really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 It's unlikely that the temperature reading would be exactly correct inside a vinyl fence post.The sun shining on the post will heat up the post (and the enclosed air space doesn't allow venting), which will skew the reading higher than ambient air.Of course, if you're just wanting to know if it's cold in the morning, it may suffice.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maniac36 Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 It's unlikely that the temperature reading would be exactly correct inside a vinyl fence post.The sun shining on the post will heat up the post (and the enclosed air space doesn't allow venting), which will skew the reading higher than ambient air.Of course, if you're just wanting to know if it's cold in the morning, it may suffice.RyanEYou can get a external thermistor for the wireless contact switch, downside is you'd need to drill a hole in the post somewhere. Just a thought to get a more accurate reading. I have this setup and it works well for my HVAC system. The system first checks the outside temp. prior to kicking on the air conditioner, that way I can leave my thermostat on auto vs. heat/cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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