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Teardown: NEO PIR vs. Fibaro

ZperXZperX Member
edited December 2016 in Off-Topic
It`s bit off-topic but some might be interested. I had one broken Fibaro PIR (it fell out from the bracket) which needed fixing so I have opened it and because I have waterproofing plans with the NEO Z-wave sensor I have opened that too. See the images below:

Fibaro:


NEO Coolcam:



Fibaro PIR lens:



Neo Coolcam PIR lens:


It is clearly visible that the NEO has longer and much thicker (better conductivity) antenna. That might be one of the reason behind why NEO beats Fibaro in range:


Fibaro with the cateye diffuser and the detachable IR lens:


And when they are all `on board`:


Comments

  • TedTolboomTedTolboom Member
    Cool! Thanx @ZperX ;
    I already had the "opportunity" to look at the Fibaro motion sensor myself (similar incident)... Now I don't have to open the Neo Coolcam motion sensor
  • bvdbosbvdbos Member
    What's the diameter of the antenna-circle?  Should be 8.4 cm long or 2,7 cm diameter for the Neo...
    http://td-er.nl/2014/02/22/verbeteren-antenne-homewizard/
  • MHubertMHubert Member
    Found this on the internet about antenna lengths;
    But calculated (rounded to single decimal):
    433 1/4 wave = 164.7mm
    433 1/2 wave = 329.4mm
    433 full wave = 692.7mm

    868 1/4 wave = 82.2mm
    868 1/2 wave = 164.3mm
    868 full wave = 345.5mm

    915 1/4 wave = 77.9mm
    915 1/2 wave = 155.9mm
    915 full wave = 327.8mm

    So there is a bit of difference to the ones supplied by hope (1/4 wave).


  • MarkSwiftMarkSwift Member
    The thickness of the antenna shouldn't make a difference BTW...
  • honeyhoney Member
    Yes it does make a difference. The lower the resistance the stronger the signal is. That is also one of the reasons why it is made of copper.
  • AlexanderAlexander Member
    Thanks for showing the teardown of both  :)

    I have a question about the battery of the NEO:
    Do you have an idea about the lifetime of the battery? They claim 1 year..
    And is it possible to power the unit externally?

    Thanks,

    Alexander
  • mruitermruiter Member
    They dont even exist for a year yet , so no telling yet
  • ZperXZperX Member
    It comes with some noname Chinese battery. These are Lithium batteries as all CR123 batteries. Fibaro comes with Panasonic battery which is on the high-end. However they lasted 7 months.
    If you are looking for external power option like the one on the Aeotec than there is nothing. If you are about to DIY than it is feasible but it will still act as battery powered device (like in Fibaro, there is no switchover).
  • RuudvBRuudvB Member
    I just googled for battery prices. Looking at these prices, why would you want/need external power..?

    http://batterijenland.nl/duracell-123-lithium-batterij-3v
    1400 mAh for € 2,25 - € 2,99
  • ZperXZperX Member
    Could be security, safety reasons. Non accessible location. Exterior use. Install and forget it (which does not work with Homey).
  • RuudvBRuudvB Member
    ZperX said:
    Could be security, safety reasons. Non accessible location. Exterior use. Install and forget it (which does not work with Homey).
    Valid point, I didn't think of that.

    Set and forget with homey in this stage....?? Maybe on firmware 99.x.x  ;)
  • casedacaseda Member
    @RuudvB ;
    my reason for taking 1 motion sensor on external power is because in the living room there is constant movement when i'm home, this drains the batteries way more quick (4-5 months), but still want to have motion sensing, especially for when i'm Not at home
  • RuudvBRuudvB Member
    caseda said:
    @RuudvB ;
    my reason for taking 1 motion sensor on external power is because in the living room there is constant movement when i'm home, this drains the batteries way more quick (4-5 months), but still want to have motion sensing, especially for when i'm Not at home
    Ok, your situation differs quite a lot from mine.

    But you will need a power socket (close by), cables running and an adapter. Maybe you have good options to hide all of those, but I consider the cable free solution the prime reason to buy the little NEO thing.
  • casedacaseda Member
    RuudvB said:
    But you will need a power socket (close by), cables running and an adapter. Maybe you have good options to hide all of those, but I consider the cable free solution the prime reason to buy the little NEO thing.
    Already have an usb power hub (just power) nearby :D since have a lot of devices powered by usb nearby (netatmo, stuck in place tablet, generic usb cable (whenever need to quick charge a device), milight wifi hub), so for me the location was very easy to choose which one :tongue: 
  • RuudvBRuudvB Member
    caseda said:
    RuudvB said:
    But you will need a power socket (close by), cables running and an adapter. Maybe you have good options to hide all of those, but I consider the cable free solution the prime reason to buy the little NEO thing.
    Already have an usb power hub (just power) nearby :D since have a lot of devices powered by usb nearby (netatmo, stuck in place tablet, generic usb cable (whenever need to quick charge a device), milight wifi hub), so for me the location was very easy to choose which one :tongue: 
    That changes all!  ;)
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