I have a Ring Alarm setup that included three door sensors. I only have two exterior doors so this sensor has not been used. I recently thought it would be nice to make use this sensor for my mailbox so I can get an ‘alert’ when the mail has been delivered. The sensor does reach - with the use of the included range extender - and alerts occur when I test the two parts of the sensor inside the mailbox. It even works if I have the wider side (has the battery) mounted to the mailbox, but the smaller magnetic side is not mounted. As soon as I attach the magnetic side to the mailbox the sensor quits working. I know the two sensors are closer than on my doors as I put a camera inside the mailbox so I could be 100% how things lined up. This is a metal mailbox and am not sure if the magnetic side of the sensor being on the metal mailbox is the issue. I would love to use the sensor for this purpose so any thoughts, hints or solutions would be greatly appreciated.
What a resourceful way to put an extra sensor to use! Please keep in mind that the Alarm components are not intended for outdoor use, so operation may vary by environment.
Mounting the contact sensor and it’s magnet on metal, might cause interference with signal and sensing. A common solution for mounting on metal, is to place a thin piece of non metal material (wood) between the magnet and the mounting surface, and the same for the contact sensor.
Please note, if the contact sensor continues to lose communication with the mailbox door closed, it will simply be due to signal blockage. If you do wish to have this as a feature, be sure to leave a comment in the Alarm Feature Request board!
I Google to see if anyone else had the same crazy idea I did haha. Did u do it? I was curious if there is a way to make sure the alarm didn’t go off when this sensor is tripped
I was looking to do this as well, and came across another product someone did it with and wondered if it could be done with Ring. Seems very possible. We have a old MAilbox chime alert that is flaky these days. Wanted something more reliable.