A $50 camera?? I use a $5 sensor which connect to a camera that has the mailbox in it’s view… When the mailbox door is opened, sensor trips sends notification and records video clip…
The only caveat is the V1 sensors need to ‘see’ into the mailbox from outside if you have a metal mailbox
Like this:
I really want to add a motion sensor but my driveway is about 80ft. I need some way of extending the range from the nearest hub
I’ve been trying to get a sensor in my mailbox for months. In Dec I ordered the new Wyze Sense 2.0 kits. Its still not here, but has been shipped. Hmm, only two more weeks according to tracking before they arrive. But in the meantime, I have discovered the ultimate solution. Which I will briefly for obvious reasons as you will see. Read on.
I bought a $20 Yolink hub and a $21. Yolink motion sensor Yosmart.com & Amazon. Advertised with a range of 1,000 feet. Yep, you read that right -1,000. They also give state a range of 1/4 mile. Amazing. It’s 120 feet from my garage to my common area mailbox. Metal boxes. I put the motion sensor in the bottom and built an Alexa routine that turns lights on and off, announces “You’ve Got Mail” and it works like a charm. I can’t believe it. The Yolink motion sensor is about the same size as Wyze 2.0 sensor. And uses two AAA batteries. They say, they will last 3 years. What an amazing device. Lots of other Yolink stuff too.
This tech doesn’t us IP, or Zigbee or Z-Wave. Its one we probably never heard of before LORA, which means Long Range. Look it up. Amazing stuff.
I needed motion sensor, not contact sensors. My mailperson doesn’t access my box from opening the door, but pulling a tray opening from the top for 10 boxes. So, when they drop something down inside or accidentally wave their hand across the opening, the motion sensor senses.
Way to go! There has been some discussion about this before, always with the door sensors. Good thinking… just don’t forget to change that battery!
Thanks. They say the battery is good for three years. It will last longer than me LOL
Can this sensor work to trigger a Wyze cam through Alexa routine or IFTT? Or have you tried this?
Edit: You also have to have the Yolink hub?
Yes. And yes it requires the Yolink hub. Yolink hub is about $21. And get a couple of sensors with the hub and the hub’s price is a fraction of the $21. But so so many products are requiring hubs for Smart Homes these days. Yolink uses LoRa Long Range. Its not unique to Yolink,
There’s more and more hub requirements. Amazon helps establish protocols in use. They have added Zigbee to the Echo Gen 4. And there’s another new industry protocol coming. Its recently been renamed from Chime to Matter. (Don’t know what it stands for). I mean, can’t deny the HMS uses its own hub, right?
Okay great, thank you for the additional information. I haven’t used or had to use a hub before. I do realize that at some point it may become a standard. I will look into what you shared for sure! Thanks again 
Excellent tip! Adding it to my Neverending List of Projects
Thank you
Here’s my two cents.
I mounted with velcro the latest Wyze motion sensor (2021) inside my metal mailbox, perhaps 30 feet from the house. The Wyze hub, located through two metal garage doors, four walls of sheet rock, detects motion whenever the mailbox door is opened/closed, Alexa is programmed on that trigger (motion detected) and announces on my Echo my announcement which I typed in to the Alexa software, “The mailbox has been opened.”
No drilling, almost no anything. The most difficult part was setting up Alexa, and now it works flawlessly.
Thanks for sharing those pics. I might have missed it, but what exactly did you use there on the outside of the mailbox (the round, black cover/object)? Is that to assist with battery replacement, ease of accessing the motion sensor, and/or to help mount it?
Hi there thank you for the kudos, I have since installed the second version of the sensor and I took that black it was a peanut butter jar lid is what it was and I have since left the hole in the mailbox but I covered it up with some plastic and then painted it so now it looks like a regular mailbox and the reason I did that was because the sensors didn’t like to talk to the bass through the metal
Oh! That’s awesome you upgraded to v2! I haven’t purchased the kit yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time for me.
The metal hindrance makes sense. I drilled out a hole for the motion “dome” to fit through but I think I’m going to open it up a bit more for the full unit to fit inside and then do what you did - except I think I’m going to put a piece of plexiglass over the hole and see if that works.
Thanks again for the swift reply!!
I especially like the new version sensors for the ease of replacing battery and the long battery life of up to a year. I would send you a picture of my latest install but the weather here in Oregon is really nasty right now so the first day that it’s not stormy I will take the pictures and post them
