ZWave Exterior Gate Sensor

There do not seem to be good options for an exterior zwave sensor for gates. I use the Smartthings controller and wanted to turn on my porch lights whenever my front gate is opened if it was dark outside. Here is how I built the sensor for a gate.

Materials:

• Polycase Waterprof enclosure: https://www.polycase.com/wa-22f
• Aeotec Dry Contact Sensor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0155HSUUY
• Dap Dynaflex Outdoor Sealant: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058I2MD2
• Bar Switch Sensor Wide Gap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bar-Switch-Sensor-Wide-Gap...
• 1-1/4" Exterior Screws (Purchased at Home Depot)

Tools:

• Drill
• Small Drill Bit
• Philips Screw Bit

NOTE: The Dry Contact sensor reports backwards (Open when the gate is closed and vice versa) with the standard ZWave door sensor device in smartthings. To fix this follow the instructions in this thread: https://community.smartthings.com/t/aeotec-aeon-d...

Take the back off the dry contact sensor and connect it with your Smartthings controller according to the included instructions. Plug in the door sensor and confirm that it works. Note that with smartthings it will report as backward as stated above. Use the instructions in the provided link in the intro to fix this.

To install into the enclosure drill a small hole for the sensor wire and use the mounting tape to mount the dry contact sensor in the box.

Make sure to test the location first by taping the sensor to the gate. Then mount them with the included hardware.

Mount the enclosure to the fence with exterior screws and tidy up the wire inside the box. After that use the sealant on the spot where the cord goes into the box. Lastly configure your smart controller to do something useful. I have mine using the smart lights SmartApp to turn on my porch lights if it is dark when the gate is opened.