Exploring the Features and Benefits of the New Third Reality Zigbee Sensors

Hello and welcome to Bud’s Smart Home. Today well be taking a first look at two newly released Third Reality Zigbee sensors; a Garage Door Tilt Sensor and a lite version of the Third Reality’s popular Temperature and Humidity Sensor. Both sensors have been added to my Amazon Store. There will be product links in the description if you’d like to take a closer look.

https://youtu.be/oWJprfodDlo

Like most of Third Reality’s sensors, these sensors are affordable additions to your smart home setup. The tilt sensor is engineered to provide instant alerts when your garage door opens or closes. It offers adjustable sensitivity levels so that you can tweak the sensor’s responsiveness. The Temperature and Humidity Sensor contains a high-quality sensor from an industry-leading manufacturer. It can be used to monitor temperature and humidity in a basement, greenhouse, wine cellar, or a baby’s nursery.  This sensor comes at a lower cost compared to Third Reality’s previous model, that includes a visual display of temperature and humidity data.

Both sensors are powered by two AAA batteries and are rated for operation for up to 2 years.

With Zigbee 3.0 connectivity, these sensors are compatible with several Zigbee-capable smart hubs, including Amazon Echo, SmartThings, Home Assistant, Homey Pro, and Hubitat, among others.

Additionally, with Third Reality’s Smart Bridge MZ1, they will also integrate seamlessly with Apple HomeKit and Google Home.

Mounting the sensors is easy with the included adhesive. When mounting the garage tilt sensor, it’s important to ensure that it’s aligned correctly. Mounting orientation can be confirmed by observing the UP Arrow on the back of the sensor and also by ensure that the sensor’s speaker holes are positioned at the top.

Regarding the sensor’s functions and settings, the garage tilt sensor emits a beep sound when the sensor registers a status change from vertical to horizontal and vice versa. The circuit board inside the tilt sensor is equipped with switches that can be toggled to adjust the sensor’s sensitivity. You also access a switch to disable the audible beep sound, if you prefer.

I was pleased to see that the SmartThings Edge Driver for the Temperature and Humidity Sensor in the SmartThings app settings screen provides for the calibration of temperature and humidity. You can adjust the sensor’s temperature or humidity readout by plus or minus ten data points. These temperature or humidity offsets where not available within the Homey Pro app at the time of this recording. I contacted Third Reality about this issue and was advised that they are working on firmware updates that should resolve any sensor issues.

I attempted to pair both sensors with SmartThings and Homey Pro. The sensors were easily discovered by both smart hubs. However, there is important information to know to help ensure smooth installation of these devices.

Before beginning installation on the Homey Pro hub, you must access and download the Third Realty app from Homey’s official app store. Otherwise, the sensors will be paired as a Zigbee Things and the sensors will not function properly.

To ensure your SmartThings-compatible devices operate seamlessly, it's essential to have the right edge drivers. These drivers unlock all the features and functionalities of your devices. Before installing the smart plug to the SmartThings app, first download the Custom Edge Driver to your SmartThings or Aeotec hub via the following steps:

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