update: so I got one, and they look pretty nice. A good and cheap alternative to retrofitting/breaking apart your toilet/cistern. Does make a bit of noise, but i’m sure that can be dampened. It’s a bit like a pushbot/fingerbot i guess.
You have to mount it at the top though, otherwise it keeps going off if you’re too close. Not sure how long it lasts. Need to modify this though so it can receive a signal, these are infrared induction based.
Tempted to get one and take it apart, i wonder how easy it would be to hook up a 433mhz to these.
Ok, i took it apart and replaced it with a SwitchBot. Especially since i had to mount it sideways, i had no use for the Infrared inductor, it was amusing but just would scare everyone away
In the end I just had to disconnect the other wires to the motor from the main board as it was taking to much power and connect the motor wires from the SwitchBot.
I tried to align the SwitchBot LED with the other one, but space was too tight, so you can’t see that one. Oh well. You can still use the recharge usb at the bottom of the toilet flush as well.
I never used a switchbot before, but i love it. I can now use it from the SwitchBot app, and what’s even better is i can set press time, as there’s a difference in just pressing the toilet button quickly or hold it for 3 seconds. You do have to be careful with choose the right rubber extension at the pusher, to much and your toilet might leak.
Also, i had no issues with BT range. I can use it all through the house, at least from my phone. Haven’t had setup the HA integration yet, but let’s see.
Here’s some pics. Unfortunately i couldn’t figure out how to take a movie and press go to the SwitchBot app without the movie stopping so it’s just pics for now
Sidebonus: For a retrofit i think it looks very cool. I mounted it so you can still use the buttons yourself as well. This one is a square model, but there are also round models. But, the round models are heavier, and make much more noise. The square model one was super quiet by comparison, so i chose that one in the end.
Next step is possibly using some ultra sonic distance sensors in the ceiling or in the device itself to detect if the toilet is used or not. I suppose this is how they do it in commercial installations as well.
