Hi,
I bought the Pro version of InControl software specifically for sensing/alarming on the Garage Door sensor, as the free version does not support this device. I can set up the scenes just fine, but I am plagued with false alarms. It seems that the "door closed" state is not consistently received by InControl, so the door is stuck in "open" position as far as InControl is concerned. There are many repeating devices within range of the sensor, so that is not the problem. In Googling around for a solution, I found the review reproduced below on Amazon.com website. This seems to reflect my exact issue here. So, my questions are:
Is it possible to increase the polling interval so it does not miss this event? I know there is something called "device association" that can be done, but every time I try it, I get the error "did not respond to the associated device request", even though I keep it awake by tilting it back and forth by hand. Apparently the device is not smart enough to understand the "association" request.
Is it possible to provide a "manual override" using the InControl app (would be particularly handy to do it on the iPhone app), so that if I know the garage door is actually closed, and the sensor is stuck in the "open" position as far as InControl is concerned, I can at least shut off the false alarms, without disabling the device?
If none of this is possible, considering that I bought this software specifically for this purpose and it does not work for many people (as evidenced by the post below), can I return the software for a refund, so I can buy the SmartThings hub as suggested?
Thanks, -Kal.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2VW9AEHGQ6F1C/ref=cmsrchresrtralt1
This device seems to work about half the time I tilt it and I'm not entirely sure why. I use a Aeon Labs Z-Stick Series 2 with the latest firmware (3.07), InControl (3.112.5243.19815), and have three other 2gig CT100 thermostats on the network which seem to be polled fine. I've experimented with some of the properties available in InControl and have still had inconsistent states reported.
If I had to guess why it doesn't work I'd say the device only stays "on" for a short amount of time once it is "tilted" and if it isn't polled shortly near that time then it will no longer report a status of "closed or open".
There are other reviews which seem to allude to the same conclusion with my same configuration.
I'll be getting a SmartThings hub instead of this InControl/Z-stick combo (don't waste your time with this combo) soon so I'll try to remember to report back to see if that hub does any better.
-- UPDATE --
The SmartThings hub and this device have worked flawlessly so far. I opted for this device instead of the SmartThings multi sensor because according to the documentation the battery life on this item is 5-8yrs and I really only needed the tilt sensor for my garage so I saved a few bucks by purchasing this item instead.
I'd highly recommend this thing so far if you are using the SmartThings hub, it works well.