Any clever ideas to make solar-powered security lights semi-smart?

Hardware
1

Hi there.

I have four of these:

Outdoor Solar Lights, 238 LED Solar Security Lights and 3 Modes Motion Sensor 270° Wide Angle Solar Powered Lights IP65 Waterproof Solar Wall Light for Front Door, Yard, Garage, Garden (4 Pack) : Amazon.co.uk: Lighting

Dotted around the outside of my house as I am unable to get wired power to them.

Is there a way that I can make them semi-smart?

I.e. is there anyway that I can use them to tell Home Assistant that they have been activated?

At the moment, all I can think of is using a light sensor near them. Do you think that would work or are there any other ideas that might do the trick?

2

What coverage do you have near theses lights?

Wifi, zigbee, zwave?

It would be fairly easy to integrate an off-the-shelf door/window sensor into this to see if the light is on. Assuming you have a multimeter and some soldering skills.

1 Like
3

Sorry Tom - I completely missed your reply until now.

I have a Zigbee network that would definitely cover the area.

I also have a multimeter and a soldering iron.

Really clever idea - how, exactly, would I begin using a reed sensor for the project?

4

I have used these exact same lights to do the exact same project. I’ll post shortly. I used the internals from a switchbot.

Sorry I re-read the post you want to know if the PIR has been activated.

I was making them smart to turn them on and off.