YoLink LoRa Smart Outdoor Motion Detector Sensor, Driveway Alert, Property Invasion/Tresspassing Detector, 1/4 Mile Open Air Range, Email/SMS/Push Alerts, Alexa, IFTTT, Home Assistant (Hub Required)

Over all, I really like this motion sensor. I have been waiting a while for a company to make an outside motion sensor that works with Alexa. At the beginning of 2021, I did suggest this to Yolinks in their feedback section. Yolink seems to be very open to feedback.What I like/PROS ​about this motion sensior.1) How small it is compared to other outside motion sensors on the market. Much easier to place in location where it is not as noticeable.2) Like all Yolink devices, this device is extremely easy to setup. In the app, tap the scan icon, scan the QR, tap bind, your done.3) The Yolink app is extremely user-friendly. The designers and programmers must actually be using the app and Yolink devices. In the app, it is very easy to rename the Yolink device to what is convenient and/or useful to you. Device settings are easily changed, tap the device icon, then select setting. No hunting and digging around in four or five deep menus, trying to find something that is hidden under some obscure label/name.4) Another very nice thing that the Yolink app and Alexa skill does is, any new Yolink device scanned is automaticall added to Alexa’s device list. No need to have Alexa scan for new devices before you can start setting up routines in Alexa.5) Another great feature is that when a sensor sends a notice to your phone, it also includes the battery status. No more guessing if batteries are low. You can also see this within the app by selecting the device, then settings where you can see the battery level.6) This is more about the Yolink hub that the sensors connect to. If the sensors are controlling other Yolink devices such as wall switches, electrical plugs/outlets or even setting off the Yolink alarm siren, It does NOT need internet connectivity. Yolink devices communicate to each other via the Yolink hub. This interaction is almost instant. Internet access is needed to communicate with Alexa and other none Yolink devices an to be able to sent notifications to your phone.At this time, I cannot rate the battery life. Only been using the outside motion sensors for four days (as of 05/31/21). If they are like the other Yolink devices, the battery life should be very good.Currently I have one of these sensor for my driveway. If it detects motion, I get notified on my phone and I have a routine in Alexa setup to make an announcement on all echo speakers. Love this feature. I also setup one for my side door, doing similar things. If you have kids playing in the yard, you might want to set times when different sensors are active and when they are not.At night, I am testing how good these sensor and the Alexa Yolink skill is at turning on different exterior lights, when motion is detected.The only concerned I have, it is not really a CON at this time.1) The small mounting bracket, will it hold up to Florida weather? Only time will tell. At this time, I cannot reduce the rating because I do not know how strong the mounting bracket is.This maybe a CON for some, not for me.1) The mounting bracket only has vertical movement/adjustment, no horizontal adjustment at all. Not an issue for me, but might be for some.These motion sensors are replacing existing sensor around my home. The driveway sensor, a weather/rain hood is already installed and pointing in the correct direction. The other one, like other outdoor sensors I have, are mounted under the house/roof eaves for some protection, on mounts I have already designed and pointed in the desired direction.So far, these new Yolink outdoor motion sensors are working out much better than I expected. I have two more on order (05/30/21) for my front and back doors. Only time will tell if they will holdup to normal Florida weather.I will update if my option changes.

Update August 23, 21 – Based on feedback from myself and others, the company has updated their specs to reflect the real world range of the sensor to 20-30′. How often does that happen!! KUDOS TO YOLINK!! I like the sensor and have ordered additional units since my first purchase. As it has been mentioned elsewhere, these sensors work better when motion is across the sensor and not in line with it.Update June 17, 21 – Dropping a star off this review. The unit isn’t picking up motion that it should be, such as a golf cart going by.Read R. Smith’s review, he is spot on. I will 1-up him though and say I suggested driveway sensor to YoLink back in Aug. of 2020. 🙂 I’ll give this a 4.5 out of 5.0 stars… but since I can’t, they’ll get 5 stars for now.PRO: Small, long range, works with Alexa, priced right.Detection Range: I really wish marketing people would not stretch the truth and just state it like it is. The documentation says “Optimum range is 1-40ft” That means to me it should work EVERY time if an object is within that range.. and might work if it is outside. With a human subject, I found the range to be about 35′. Definitely not 40′. Also, the 80deg FOV isn’t correct, it is much narrower. The FOV actually works in my favor as I’m using it as a driveway sensor. It isn’t as good as the Dakota Alert I have been using and I may switch back since I’ve integrated my Dakota Alert into YoLink anyway. I have had one instance where an electric vehicle came into and out of our driveway and it did not pick it up in either direction, so that was a FAIL. Maybe because it didn’t have a hot engine??This is a great product as long as you know you aren’t going to get 40′ detection or 80deg FOV. Perfect for your front door, around your house, etc. I’ll be buying more of them to place around the property!

I’ve have a bunch of smart home products. Some can’t be clunky and require regular attention to keep them working right or giving you bogus data. The yolink stuff has been pretty rock solid. You have to experiment a little when you chose a spot for these so you are sure you arent getting a lot of false detections from cars or other things that may move. But once I had them setup in good spots they work pretty reliably.

The media could not be loaded.  It’s really to bad that this sensor doesn’t work very well. The other Yolink items I’ve purchased work very well. At first, my complaint was that it does not update from an Alarm strategy change quickly. I have the alarm strategy change notifications when I arm or disarm. My door and window sensors change strategy immediately, the out door sensor works intermittently and is getting worse with time. It’s been up for almost 2 weeks, it started out with only an occasional non detect but now there’s no sense in using it because you can not trust and rely on it. As you can see it’s protected from the elements, I’ve ran through the troubleshooting procedures with no luck. It’s about 100 feet from the hub. I can walk or drive right passed it and the red light won’t come on, so it’s not an issue with communicating to the hub. It should flash the red light if it detects motion regardless of the program or hub communication (I have the red LED enabled). To be fair, I only have one outdoor sensor, I’ll buy another one and test. If this is just a bad unit, I’ll update this review.Update 1, The company responded very quickly and expressed interest it making it right. I truly believe this company believes in their products and continuous improvement. When I get the new sensor and evaluate, I’ll update this review.Update 2, The original outdoor detector problem was a one off issue. The company responded swiftly, the item was replaced and works as advertised. I now have about 15 Yolink devices that work perfectly within it’s own app as well as Alexa routines. The products are excellent, the Yolink company’s customer support is the most responsive and genuine company I may have ever dealt with. Don’t hesitate to purchase. To fully benefit from these products, take the time to read the documents and video tutorials on their website. Reach out to them for clarification on any specific programming response you may be looking for.

I’ve had a YoLink hub for my leak detectors. I stuck this motion detector inside our mailbox with adhesives… now I don’t have to wonder IF I should check the mailbox, just WHEN.A small deal, but it has really made a difference for us and was well worth the cost.