I am looking for a simple button like the Hue Smart Button or a Flic button, which is suited for outdoors use. I have not been able to find any, does anybody know if a button like that exists?
What kind of remote is it you need?
There are outdoor wall switches that could be wired to something wifi or rf inside the wall.
Or do you mean something handheld?
I need a single push-button, Wireless with long battery life.
As I said, something equivalent to the Hue Smart button or the Flic-buttons, but suited for outdoor use.
NFC tag is not an option? This is what I have for my garage. Needs a phone as well, but is outdoor save, and you have inbuilt access management. Not everyone having physical access to the button can create the action.
No, I was planning to use it as an alternative doorbell, so it has to be a simple button and everybody has to be able to use it.
How about a “normal” cheap wired doorbell button, but wire the contacts to something like a Xiaomi door contact sensor so that when the doorbell is pressed it sends the signal to HA via the door sensor?
I had that setup before I switch to a camera doorbell, worked flawlessly and cost about £4 
That might be the way to go, if an outdoor button doesn’t exist. But I have nowhere to hide the wires, so will have to build it all into some sort of weatherproof box, so it might be hard to avoid making it look a bit chunky.
Then get a wireless version that is waterproof and intercept the signal on the board in the receiver
Yeah wires are a pain if you don’t have a wired bell in place already.
Depending on the doorbell you could probably fit the xiaomi sensor inside the casing (especially if you used a wireless doorbell pusher, as they are generally a bit roomier).
Lots of ways to work around the problem. I was just hoping, something was readily available, so I don’t have to build it myself.
Seems strange, that there isn’t a commercially available button available, that’s why I started this thread - no need to suggest more work arounds. If that’s necessary, I’ll find a solution. I just hoped to not have to…
Why not just use a wireless doorbell button? They are outdoor rated for that exact reason
Because I cannot find a wrireless doorbell button, that will work with Home Assistant, that is what I am trying to find. Do you know of any?
Honeywell RPWL401B2000/U
There are 2 ways to make it work
One is to intercept the wireless signal using a software defined radio, it runs on 916.8 Mhz
Two is to use the complete wireless doorbell kit RDWL311A2000/U and intercept the signal to the speaker in the receiver, detecting voltage to the speaker using something like an ESP or Arduino
But that’s still not a compatible button - as already mentioned I can find plenty of ways to do work-arounds, I was just hoping that a simple button, which could connect directly via ZigBee or WiFi existed. So far, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Compatible is relative. There are generally 2 types of outdoor rated buttons, high frequency and low frequency. Low frequency would be in the 300ish to 433MHz range, high would be in the 8 to 900 range like the Honeywell button. Any higher than that and the range and reliability suffers too much.
None of these are “smart” and will link directly to a network protocol, they need an intermediate layer. Either you have that layer or you need to make it. Same thing with a zigbee device, if you do not have a zigbee hub you need to do/buy/build more stuff. You can use the SDR method which would just be programming, or you can do the soldering and hack the receiver board.
There is another reason you do not see a lot of these types of buttons, and by “these types” I mean static location permanent exterior attachment. The batteries they use tend to stop working at low temperatures, and below -20C they do not produce enough voltage or current to run the button. It will be -30C where I live in a few hours, and has been below -20C the entire day and all last night.
I am in the same boat, I would like a wifi outdoor button with good battery life also. Let me know if you find anything. And yes, there are many workarounds but it is always a pain to implement.
What’s with the people trying to ram wireless doorbells up ctjs42? No means No.
I realise it’s been a couple of years but this thread comes pretty high on Google so I thought it worth mentioning that there are now a couple of products out there. The Tuya YSB22 and Moes ZT-SY-SR-MS both claim some level of waterproofness. They each claim to have three interactions (single, double and long press) and they’re cheap enough to risk IMO.
Both these companies (assuming they’re not one) put out a lot of different rubbish so check reviews where possible. And as others say, you can get soft-fronted IP6x boxes that would allow you to interact with an unrated button. Just a bit ugly.
You got my hopes up for a moment! But sadly neither of those are really suited for outdoor use. At least, the sort of ‘outdoor’ I need one for. Undoubtedly most people wanting to use a smart button, or even doorbell button, probably intend to use it next to their front door, which is almost always sheltered.
I need a button on my gate so that people can push it rather than coming through the gate to the front door, mostly because nobody’s going to try to do that when there’s a polar bear-sized dog on the other side of the fence (Great Pyrenees, giant but completely non-agressive).
The gate is exposed to the elements. Wind, snow, rain.
I’ve tried a few of those $20 “outdoor” or “waterproof” or even “IP66” buttons with a battery in them, that connects to a plug-in module in the house that can play one of 97 insanely annoying chimes (like the one linked by Hellis81 above). But every one of them, and all the ones I see on Amazon, AND the two models you mentioned (Tuya YSB22, Moes ZT-SY-SR-MS), are totally open to the elements. The unit is 2 pieces, with the front piece being the pushable bit, and the back piece being where the circuit and battery are. And there’s an air gap between them. There’s not even a thin rubber/latex layer keeping the insides inside.
And a quick look inside shows that the battery terminals and entire circuit board are not protected. Some have a coating sprayed on the circuit but that of course doesn’t apply to the battery contacts or the battery, which rusts within a week as soon as a single rain drop lands anywhere on the unit, because raindrops are designed to penetrate gaps. I know, I read the raindrop manual. Personally I think it’s a design flaw but try winning that argument.
And from what I’ve researched, even the expensive webcam doorbells can’t be used truly outdoors. They can only be used in sheltered environments like next to the front door under a (thingie that is built over front doors so guests don’t drown while ringing the bell).
I’ve considered some of those DIY mini-shelters that can house a doorbell, but they again assume that the only water is going to come from directly above in a gentle summer shower. Not from howling winds or sleet or horizontal downpours.
So the quest continues!
If you’re basically just adding a doorbell, I’d be looking at the outdoor switches that are already available. Momentary switches with high IP ratings exist, plenty of space for an ESP32/raspi/etc behind. Link the switch terminals to GPIO pins and listen for a short. Depending on the distance, you might be able to run a small pair of wires to it and handle the electronics indoors.
Failing that, there are a few outdoor switches that have membrane covers. Many have interchangeable switch mechanisms. Remove the switch, leave your smart switch in its place.
IP rating often isn’t as high as a “proper” switch but IP55 is likely enough if you’re careful with it.
Frient claim to produce a waterproof Zigbee button. I have no idea how good they are but I am interested.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/frient-20203200-Controller-Automations-SmartThings/dp/B096MBVQT4