Vacancy sensors with Omni IIe

[rs691919]

Hello! First post here, as I've recently gotten into the home automation kick.  I had an Omni IIe installed in my house, with four thermostats and just a few UPB light switches.  I've played around with it for a few weeks, and I really like the interface so I've decided to add more switches. 
 
One of my major issues is that my son, who has autism, has a tendency to turn lights on and then leave them on.  Invariably, these are on the second floor or the basement and thus I have to go down or up to turn them off.  It would seem that vacancy sensors would be the ticket.  However, I still want to be able to turn the lights off remotely in addition to turning them off automatically if no occupancy is sensed.  In looking at the HAI/Leviton website, I couldn't tell if their vacancy sensors would connect to Omni IIe to allow for central control via PC Access (or iRule, which is what I am using to control from iPad/iPhone).  Do they have a product that can both sense vacancy and be controlled by the Omni IIe?  Thanks in advance!
 
 

 

[ano]

Hello and welcome.
 
I'm not sure what vacancy detectors your looking at, but any 12V model with relay outputs will work. Some are 120V models that replace a switch and they don't work.  An alarm motion detector in your room could work as well, BUT since alarm motion detectors guard against false alarms over being super sensitive, they may not be the best occupancy detector.
 
But assuming you get occupany detectors, make sure this is what you want.  If your timeout time to turning off the lights is not long enough, the lights will be going off all the time. Watching TV and not moving enough, lights go out. Laying in bed reading, lights go out.  This can be annoying. If you make the timeout longer, lights would be on much longer before going out. 
 
There is no ideal solution yet as long as "occupancy" detectors are really motion detectors, they don't detect your presence, only that you have moved.
 
But back to your original question, any sensor with relay contacts can be hooked to the Omni and used in rules.

 

[rs691919]

Thanks for the reply!  I would install and program sensors only in rooms where typically there would be a lot of motion -- or in rooms where my son tends to flip the lights on and then run away.  This would likely be in the finished and unfinished parts of the basement and in his room/playroom/bathroom on the second floor.  I would do a long timeout for certain areas.  But they wouldn't be used in areas where we tend to sit for long periods of time. 
 
I realize that I left out a crucial part of my question, namely that I would need a wireless connection to the Omni IIe.  I know that there is a wireless zone expander that you can get, but I can't tell if that zone expander will work with non-Leviton products in any way.  I had looked specifically at the Leviton wireless ceiling mounted sensors, but there does not seem to be any way to communicate from these to the Omni.  I know there are wireless motion sensors on the Leviton site which will work, but I was looking for something more sensitive.