# Window contact sensors w/ „heartbeat“ function **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Help\ **Tags:** z-wave, zigbee\ **Created:** [December 11, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320 "2019-12-11T14:59:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mario\_Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mario_me/32/12703_2.png) [@Mario\_Me](https://community.homey.app/u/Mario_Me)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/1 "2019-12-11T14:59:30Z")
Hiya, while deep diving into professional alarm systems I found out the real “good ones” are using a 2-way-communication. Meaning every x hours they wave “hello, I’m alive” to the Homebase. Heimdall offers this option as well (sensors didn’t respond within last 24 hrs). As I am using the Zigbee Xiaomi door / window contact sensors I know that they cannot communicate proactively but respond to action (open: y/n), only. Does anyone know contact sensors that support this 2-way-communication feature?? Cheers, M. Edit: I learned that it’s not a 2way communication but somewhat a heartbeat function. Thx! ---
**Author:** ![JPe4619](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jpe4619/32/9017_2.png) [@JPe4619](https://community.homey.app/u/JPe4619)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/2 "2019-12-11T16:35:56Z")
The Aeotec Recessed Door Sensor Gen5 has a setting for that (wake-up interval) You can use that in combination with the trigger ‘a device did not report’ ( this is stil not Two-way communication 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/3 "2019-12-11T16:38:28Z")
Just for some future reference, _2-way communication_ is **only** send, and receive an acknowledge back from the device that it received that signal. This is for all z-wave and zigbee devices. The your mentioned feature is a _heartbeat_ feature, and has nothing much to do with 2-way communication (1-way communication devices can do this also), and not a lot of devices supported in homey really have this 100%, as the heartbeat needs to happen a lot faster if it is about “professional” security (like every 5 minutes, maximum) ---
**Author:** ![Mario\_Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mario_me/32/12703_2.png) [@Mario\_Me](https://community.homey.app/u/Mario_Me)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/4 "2019-12-11T18:34:10Z")
Thx guys, heartbeat is exactly the function I was talking about. 👌 Will check the Aeotec! Did… way toooo expensive! 😂 When buying 12 of them I‘d get a complete professional (small!) alarm system. Will check if the NEO provides the same function. ---
**Author:** ![cjvs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/cjvs/32/8115_2.png) [@cjvs](https://community.homey.app/u/cjvs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/5 "2019-12-12T12:11:38Z")
> Blockquote Will check if the NEO provides the same function. I have 8 of the Neo’s and 2 fibaro door sensors. Both have the “heartbeat” setting or the wake-up interval. However, the Fibaro’s do not show up when I do the check in Heimdall (great app!), but all my Neo’s do show up as not reporting. I guess it is with the Neo app, but am not sure if that is where the issue is yet. Already reported the issue… and still looking for time to investigate further. ---
**Author:** ![Mario\_Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mario_me/32/12703_2.png) [@Mario\_Me](https://community.homey.app/u/Mario_Me)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/6 "2019-12-12T12:39:00Z")
Thx for the info! Yesterday I ordered 2 of the Neos and will check and report whether the same issue occurs here. Agree, Heimdall is a fantastic and to me crucial App. To make the alarm system better it really requires those sensors with that function. ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/7 "2019-12-12T16:27:37Z")
the wake-up interval isn’t a heartbeat, it can even happen that _no communication_ at all is happening when a device wakes up in its interval, only if the app specifies that it wants some kind of information (like the battery level) will any information exchange happen, the only command homey further will send is “i need/have no information from you/for you, go back to sleep” which can’t be used in homey as “alive” heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![cjvs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/cjvs/32/8115_2.png) [@cjvs](https://community.homey.app/u/cjvs)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/8 "2019-12-13T16:03:39Z")
Thanks @Caseda, This gets me a step further. So where do you think the difference between the Fibarao door sensor (which does seem to report every 24 hours) and the Neo sensors (which in my case do not report every 24 hours) come from. Is this something to be solved in Homey, the Neo app or the Heimdall app? How can I get my Neo sensors to report? ---
**Author:** ![Caseda](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/caseda/32/138695_2.png) [@Caseda](https://community.homey.app/u/Caseda)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/9 "2019-12-13T18:46:06Z")
doesn’t necessarily have to be any app, or homey, have seen multiple mentions that the sensor ignores/not sends the battery level on request of Homey. so if it also doesn’t send the motion alarm to homey, homey doesn’t receive anything from the device. i **think** how Heimdal works is to just check any capability it has, and checks the last report it has received in there and surpassed that threshold, pretty much like the “devices -\> didn’t report in…” card build into homey. ---
**Author:** ![Mario\_Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mario_me/32/12703_2.png) [@Mario\_Me](https://community.homey.app/u/Mario_Me)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/10 "2019-12-19T17:21:52Z")
I just found out that the Homematic window sensors do offer the wake up interval option as well. First I need to set up the raspberryMatic and then I will try to see what it does. ---
**Author:** ![Mario\_Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mario_me/32/12703_2.png) [@Mario\_Me](https://community.homey.app/u/Mario_Me)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/window-contact-sensors-w-heartbeat-function/22320/11 "2019-12-31T00:45:15Z")
Okay, after installing and testing the Neo window contact sensors for a while w/ several scenarios I found out: - The wake-up / heartbeat function doesn’t work as expected due to Homeys lack of a stable Zigbee network; no reliable heartbeat scan possible - The Zigbee-core of Homey will probably be the end of Homey 🤨 Quite poor. Investigating OpenHab w/ zigbee2mqtt on MozillaIoT now which seems to currently be the most stable Zigbee network and will report the differences to Homey here.