October 15, 2020
by Ezlo Admin

Sensors are now an integral part of our everyday lives. They’re in our phones, in our cars, and they make up the backbone of our smart homes and security systems. We all know that sensors can detect motion and then turn on a light, or that they can detect leaks, but what else can you do with them? Sensors have all kinds of practical applications that you might not consider at first, so read on and discover eight new ways to put your sensors to use.

Keep an eye on your kids (or their friends)

Are your teenagers feeling cooped up? Worried they might try sneaking out at night, or that their friends might sneak into your liquor cabinet? Use door/window sensors to get an alert if any are tripped during the night, and then put another one on the liquor cabinet to alert you if it gets opened. Pro tip: add a camera in key locations to help you catch the culprit in the act.

Keep your beer cold, and people away from your food

Whether you have careless kids who leave the fridge open or roommates who aren’t particular about whose food they’re eating for a midnight snack, you can receive a notification on your phone when the fridge gets opened—or when it isn’t closed after a set period of time—and then offer a friendly reminder to the culprit.

Make a smart doorbell yourself

If you’re not ready to spend the money for a smart doorbell, here’s a great way to make your existing doorbell smarter—or make yourself a doorbell if you don’t have one in your home. Most door/window sensors have two wire leads that be used to trigger a notification or action. You can utilize this feature by tying it to your existing doorbell button, so when the button is pushed, it will touch together the probes of this sensor, and trigger a notification or an indoor chime. Even if you don’t have a doorbell at your home, you can just get any off-the-shelf dumb doorbell button, tie it to the probes of this sensor, and enjoy a doorbell notification system without any wiring or drilling.

Monitor Your Doggie Door

Even if you give your pet the freedom to go out whenever she pleases, you’ll still want to keep an eye on her. Add a door/window sensor on the doggie door to make sure she comes back in, and as a bonus, you can also use it as an added security measure to know if your door ever gets tampered with.

Get a snail mail notification

Waiting for something important? Your smart home controller can even let you know when the old snail mail arrives. Just place a door sensor on the lid or door of your mailbox, and whenever your mailman has something for you, you’ll get a notification on your smartphone.

Add security to your garage door

Just like with your doorbell, you can make your garage door smarter, even if you’re still using the old-fashioned push-button remote to open and close it. Just add one of those little door/window sensors on the frame of the door so you don’t have to wait to confirm that the door is fully closed. Don’t worry, you’ll get a notification on your smartphone that your garage door is closed and secured; or know to call your neighbor to close it for you if something goes wrong.

Help Care For Your Fish

Put this one in the column of “let your smart home do the work for you.” If you have fish in an aquarium, it’s crucial that your filtration pump is running regularly and that the temperature of the water is within a proper range. To put your smart home to work, get a multi-function device like the Qubino ZMNHAD3 which has Z-Wave relay and a built-in temperature probe. With a device like this, you can create notifications to let you know if your filtration system isn’t running or if the temperature of the water goes outside of the parameters you set.

Prevent basement flooding

Beyond a standard leak sensor, if you have a sump pump pit in the basement, you can insert a water sensor with a probe into the pit. If the pump gets stuck or stops working for any reason, the water will start to rise—but if you get a notification on your phone before the water level breaches the pit, you’ll have time to take action and prevent any damage.

These are just a few of the ways that tiny sensors can improve your life, but we bet you can come up with at least a dozen other awesome applications for these inexpensive sensors. If you’re looking for sensors or need help deciding which one you need, don’t hesitate to check our store or talk to our Customer Care team.