Tips/Tricks for placing sensors above doors?

[kiesel]

Hi,

How do you attach/place your sensor boxes close to the door in a way that is visually appealing but also doesn't make it too hard to get to the sensor for code and battery changes?

I thought about Tesa Power Strips but maybe there are better solutions out there?

[nagelc]

I've been using something that looks similar called Command Strips.

https://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/products/~/Command-Medium-Refill-Strips/?N=5924736+3294529207+3294773681&preselect=5584742+3293786499&rt=rud

They work pretty well, but there are a few downsides.

• You have to leave the end of the tab exposed so you can grab it and pull it down to remove the strip.
• They seem to have about a 2 year life span. After that, they seem to lose their holding power and the strips don't remove as cleanly as they are supposed to. My sensors are very light weight, so not an issue for those. But I have had mixed success with heavier items.
• There are velcro versions if you think you may have to remove them often.

That said, I have had better luck with these than sticky-both-sides tape or other kinds of velcro.

[NeverDie]

In a previous house I had a wireless sensor that was cylindrical. I drilled a roughly 3/4" - 7/8" diameter hole in the doorframe and slide it in, so it wasn't at all visible when the door was closed. Because of the packaging and form factor, some exotic things, like that, are far easier to buy than build, though I suppose it would be within the grasp of someone with skills who was determined to make their own.

Less exotic: if you made your sensor flat enough, you could hollow out the door molding and hide it inside of that. A properly designed door sensor could run off of a CR2032 coincell battery for 10+ years, so it's not such a wild idea.