Great, but I don’t understand why they don’t sell this product in a simple box, ready to use …
they make those.
but you also want to connect it to normal power, so you need a power connector built into that.
and then you want that to be a safe one and small too.
and a case around it.
and then you get in a more expensive pricerange.
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you have a link?
google for light sensor.
I did and haven;t find anything, otherwise I would not ask. But thank you for your great effort.
i dont know how you google, but if i google for light sensor this is 1 of the first oof many possibilities.
like i said before it wont be cheap. (and you have to look a bit more if you want ONLY a light sensor)
Like Rene and others said - a DIY wifi chip with a photocell and PIR is easily < $10. There are plenty of examples on this board and others on how to build one. If you aren’t familiar with micro controllers, this would be an excellent beginner project to learn with. Very few pieces, not much soldering, and easy to code. (Well within the ability of most people that can figure out how to set up a DIY home automation system).
But, if you want someone to build it for you, code it for you, make a pretty interface for you, put it in a nice home-friendly case for you… you are going to pay extra for each of those. Add to that marketing, distribution, business overhead… $40 isn’t REALLY that expensive.
They do exist (in a simple box, ready to use, even), but if you don’t want to pay what they cost, you have to build it yourself. If you don’t know how to do that (and aren’t willing to learn), it will be more expensive to have someone do that for you. - Hope that helps.
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Another solution to the rain problem is using a weather sensor (I use dark sky for this). Set up your lighting automations to check if it is raining, as well as the time of day. If rain is forecast, (or is currently raining) have the lighting come on as appropriate.
The code itself will depend on the rest of your installation, but there are a few examples in the cookbook that use this sort of logic to draw from.
Sure. But they do (xiaomi) already lot of sensors in a nice home-friendly case, pretty interface, and so on. at a cost below 10 USD. An industrialized product should cost that much, not more IMO. The real cost is maybe 10/20 CENT. If you add distribution and marketing, regular profit, you don’t arrive to 40$, no way.
I will need around 15 sensors, I am not spending 600 USD (40*15) for it. 100-150 is the budget.
Unfortunately I am not good (also because I don’t like it much, at least now) to buy boards, start soldering, and trying cases (which most probably will not look nice to put in a living space).
SO, I guess I will have to wait until a smart company realizes that there is a market for it.
p.s. that’s me, I envy who is able to do a almost full DIY sensor
@anon35356645, if you can manage to manufacture a board with PIR, Photocell, and wireless interface in a nice box for less than 10 cents each, and sell them for $10 each, I think you could be doing pretty good business. Realistically speaking, if it were that easy, a commercial package like you describe would be more readily available.
I promise it isn’t that hard to build, though. If you are willing to take the time to learn, you could definitely build 15 of these on your budget. You only need four components.
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Microcontroller (Approx $5) - Use a NodeMCU dev board. They are made for beginners with almost no experience. (example: https://smile.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Version-NodeMCU-Internet-Development/dp/B010O1G1ES/ - You can buy these for ~ $5 on aliexpress or banggood). These have a power regulator built in, usb programmer built in, pin headers already soldered on, etc. All you have to do is connect a sensor and upload code. Wifi isn’t really the best option, but it IS the easiest for a beginner.
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Sensors (Approx $1 each) - Get a PIR on a chip with pin headers ready to go (example: https://smile.amazon.com/EMY-HC-SR501-Pyroelectric-Infrared-Detector/dp/B00FDPO9B8 - again, don’t buy these on amazon if you are price sensitive, this is just an example.) Same thing with the Light Sensor (example: https://smile.amazon.com/Detection-Digital-Switch-Photosensitive-Module/dp/B00NLA4D4U - buy it someplace else, you get the idea)
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Power Supply (Approx $4) - Any cheap 5v usb power supply will work. You really don’t need to be that selective here. If you’re a gadget sort of person (like most of us on this forum are) you probably have a drawer full of these somewhere. Make sure it’s 5v. (example: https://smile.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply-Graphite-Paperwhite/dp/B01CGGW4NG )
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Case (Cost varies, free to $$$) - This is really up to you. Lots of people re-purpose altoids tins, gut old gadgets for the case, use legos, whatever. If looks are very important to you, you could hit 3dhubs and have someone print basically whatever you like. I’ve printed a few highly visible mounts and cases, but usually I just put the sensors in inconspicuous places. (under counters, below window trim, inside unused receptacles, etc).
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(optional) If you are REALLY dead set against soldering, buy pin header jumper wire (example: https://smile.amazon.com/uxcell-10PCS-Female-Jumper-Multicolor/dp/B00HG8RLDI - again, this is a stupid expensive price for these).
Assembly is simple. Use your jumper wire to connect the 3.3v power pins on your NodeMCU board to the power in on your two sensors. Do the same with the ground wires. Pick two digital IO pins that make you happy, and connect the PIR to one and the Light Sensor to the other. Stick the whole thing in your case. Admire your ingenuity and creative genius.
(The only caveat here is some sensors will want you to use a pullup resistor. it will probably work without one, but it will work better and longer with one. You can find sensors with these integrated, they cost a little bit more. Some controllers, like the Rapsberry Pi, have pullup resistors built in on certain pins.)
For software, use something simple like EspEasy or MySensors. Just flash the firmware as directed, and connect to the web interface. Tell it what pins are connected to what sensors. Set up MQTT or Rest or whatever you like to use to talk to Home Assistant, then test it out!
This setup is going to cost you roughly $9-$12 each, which should fit in with your budget, depending on what you use for an enclosure.
Congrats, you just built a micro-controller circuit. It really is that easy. Don’t get intimidated by it just because you can see bare circuit board. You wouldn’t be messing around with Home Assistant if you didn’t enjoy tinkering - so go forth and tinker!
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ANyone using cameras, like xiaomi, they cost around 30$ and (should) have a light sensor e motion sensor built in?
many thanks for your explanation. My biggest worry (beside the time and effort to build a DIY system), is this last one. As the object most probably will be visible in (some of the) living spaces
These are about $1.50 and would be fine for the parts I mentioned: http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Power-Bank-Case-Box-2X-18650-Battery-Charger-Kit-For-iPhone-Samsung-Nokia-/291644622072?var=&hash=item43e75fc4f8
Might take a small amount of dremeling or cutting to fit everything, but that wont show on the outside.
Found that in < 1 minute of googling. Search term: nodemcu enclosure - third or fourth link was a forum post titled “enclosure for your portable projects” that linked to these. You can always paint them if you don’t like the color. If these don’t fit the requirement, I’m not really sure what you’re looking for.
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for the sensor you mean? but not for the complete product.
like i said, the cheap sensors are also out there, almost all of them in china, and for most of them you have to look a bit more, because in google you wont see them in the first row.
i recently saw some 433mhz pir sensors coming by for around 6 bucks. i hadnt found something like that in my search, probably because i didnt search right. and it made me think about if i shouldnt use those instead of the DIY sensors i am using now.(which are even more expensive all together)
I decided against that because then all i have is a PIR for 6 bucks, and its 433mhz, and not programmable.
i am quite sure there are also PIR and lightsensor in 1 (they are also cheap there to connect to outside lighting) which have 433 mhz. you just need to search for it.
you can start with “433mhz PIR sensor”, “433 mhz light sensor”
then you come up with smething like this:
https://www.amazon.de/Smartwares-BYRSH5TSOA-SmartHome-Funk-Bewegungsmelder-SH5-TSO-A/dp/B00WI2GKYS/ref=pd_sbs_23_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VA3VQ1G4RE3Y572R5F1H
which is part off a total system. and then you need to seek out or that system also has lightsensors.
the problem is that if it is not DIY, that the radiosignal has to have a function.
noone will sell (or buy) a 433 mhz doorbell if there isnt also something that gives the tone you can hear.
making a lightsensor and not selling a device that can work with the signal wouldnt make any sense.
so if you find something like that it will probably Always be connected to a PIR. and if nit then it is connected to a complete programmable homesystem device.
so how is the range?
what you think is the industrial cost for this. It works perfectly, very functional. 6$, on offer less. PIR little more. What I miss is a light sensor, is in the gateway, you could get for 30$ (and has a radio, light sensor, light, alarm function), but a bit crazy to put one in each room …
still is near the pi3, trying to make it work … if it works, I found the below 10$ light sensor 
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production in china, you buy it in china, low overhead.
i think you speak off productioncosts from around 1 to 1,5 bucks.
buy the same thing in europe or the USA and it will probable be 10 or 12 bucks.
I think 99,999% of the product mentioned in this thread, and in others in this forum, are made in China
Sorry. How is it? Any success? Is the range far?