Anyone using Visonic Disc ET or Duo-240 ceiling mount detectors for occupancy?

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etc6849

Senior Member
Anyone using a Visonic Disc ET or Duo-240 ceiling mount detector for occupancy?

I'm leaning toward the Disc ET for a small bathroom install where a Sentrol PIR6000 isn't working 100% of the time due to the small space and shower curtain. The Disc ET will only be used for occupancy to control lighting, but will be connected to an Elk M1G. The extra sensitivity of the Disc ET over the PIR6000 is just what I need (I think) and mounting it on the ceiling will ensure it works when I'm in the shower (I think).

Please post any thoughts about these detectors. Thanks :)

http://www.visonic.com/Products/Wired-Detectors/Disc-et-energy

http://www.visonic.com/Products/Wired-Detectors/Duo-240%20E
 
I am currently building a house (almost finished) and have wired throughout the house for occupancy sensors. Like you, I wire wired the bathrooms. Also, I looked at several brands, included the Visonic models.

The concern that I have is regarding humidity. Since showers result in a steamy room, I need a sensor that can handle high humidity. I am concerned that the Visonic sensors may not handle that well. SensorSwitch has a model that is designed for high humidity. However, it's much more expensive and very hard to find.

WattStopper also has a model that can handle high humidity. Currently, I plan on trying the WattStopper sensors to see how well the work for me. I'll start with the master suite and see how well the sensors work. I may still try to purchase a couple of SensorSwitch sensors (if I can find them) and try those in another bedroom.

I am about a month away from move-in...so I'll know soon. :)
 
I just installed Visonic disc ( not et) in the bathroom. I mounted it above the shower curtain so it covers the shower and toilet at the same time. So far it can "see" me while im in the bathroom. This device together with a door contact on the door will automate my lighting and fan
 
Thanks. I ordered a Disc ET last night to try out and will buy more if it works as advertised; I'm going to install mine just like yours. I may end up using the Disc other places since it's cheaper than the Disc ET, but I'll see how the Disc ET works first.
 
Once you've had a chance to try it out I would love to hear how well it works. I'm planning the same thing (bathrooms) and I almost convinced myself that I would need to spend big $$$ for a high humidity model from SensorSwitch or WattStopper.
 
I installed the detector (DISC ET) today. It has built in NO and NC contacts rated for 1A, up to 30 volts. There's a timer that adjusts the reset time on the contacts. I set mine on the lowest setting (3 seconds), but it depends on your HA setup.

I think it will be fine in high humidity provided you have a bathroom fan and use some RTV to seal the wire holes and body. I haven't sealed mine yet, but plan to. I'll post an update after a week or so as I'm wondering if I'll get false triggers or not. So far I'm excited, I can finally do my business without the lights going out :)
 
I was also concerned about using a PIR detector (rather than a dual technology one) in the bathroom. Does it detect you while you're in the shower? If so, did you position it so it could "see" into the shower? I had someone recommend a dual technology sensor so that it would "hear" when someone was in the shower.

I'm glad to hear it's working out for your so far. I should be moving into my new house in the next 3 or 4 weeks. I would really prefer to go with the Disc (ET) rather than the much more expensive brands that I looked into.
 
Have you looked at a REX motion? they're designed for a small detection pattern area location and are generally very reliable.
 
Thanks for the note on the request to exit detectors. I haven't used them before... I just ordered a DSC BV-500 to try next week as I have a bunch of smaller rooms (mostly bathrooms and water closets); it's also cheaper and more readily available than the Disc ET.

I positioned the Disc ET near the edge of the shower curtain so that it would pick up the toilet and shower both. The only thing I don't like about the Disc ET is the minimum 3 second relay reset. However, if things were hard wired through a secondary relay to turn the lights on, I'd think differently and could adjust this reset up to 12 minutes.

I prefer to have instant triggers sent to my system whenever motion is detected, even if a trigger was just sent x seconds or minutes ago. This is obviously one big difference between occupancy sensors and security motion sensors though.

With a home automation system, I see no benefit to having an adjustment on the sensor for a relay reset period. I'd like to find the perfect 360 PIR that can perform well for security and occupancy. I think there must be some perfect balance between sensitivity and reliability.
 
I never did get a false detection with the Disc ET, but it was installed in a water closet with no windows.

I'm now trying out the DSC BV500. It's actually pretty nice too and made in Canada.

BV500 versus the Disc ET:
The BV500 is UL listed where the Disc ET was not. While the BV500 is a security PIR, it is plenty sensitive for my installation. The BV500 also has an internal cone that directs IR into the IR sensor where as the Disc ET did not. This may mean the Disc ET is more susceptible to air drafts, but I never had an issue with it. The BV500 is a little bigger, but still looks nicer than any wall mount motion sensor I've seen.

It should be noted that the Disc ET is slightly more sensitive than the BV500 in my tests, but the BV500 is plenty sensitive for me. The Disc ET also has a mechanical relay where as the BV500 does not. However, for my setup, I'd prefer to have motion triggers sent to my HA system and have no need for the built in relay of the Disc ET (that also has a reset timer). This means I'm ordering more of the BV500 (as it's also $10 cheaper than the Disc ET and worthington distribution offers free shipping if you spend $1000)!
 
The Disc-ET is slightly more sensitive and has a NC timed contact. I don't like the timed closed action because if someone turns the light out, leaves then immediately re-enters, the contact is still closed (as it hasn't timed out) even though motion is again sensed. This means if you use any sort of event based HA software, an event will not be triggered!

The BV500 acts like a normal motion sensor. It immediately opens once motion is no longer sensed. This means you can turn off the light, leave, and immediately re-enter and have your event trigger (e.g. lights come on).

I'm very curious about the DUO-240. It may be the best of both worlds as it is small like the Disc ET (and hopefully as sensitive). I don't have one to try, but this is the one I will buy next. Nothing's wrong with the BV500 though, especially for the price. The BV500 works a lot better than the PI6000 detectors.
 
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