IKEA’s new PARASOLL and VALLHORN Zigbee sensors are now available in North America. I’ve been waiting for these for months, and grabbed them as soon as possible to replace a variety of flaky Z-Wave sensors and my flakier Sonoff SNZB-04 contact sensors.
Both sensors paired immediately with Zigbee2MQTT, giving me no trouble at all. I can’t speak to the reliability yet since it’s only been a few days, but I’m particularly pleased with the PARASOLLs.
PARASOLL
The design of the PARASOLL is really smart, because there’s a ton of flexibility for mounting them. Both parts are long and slim, but the sensor is thick while the magnet is skinny. Plus, the sensor can be triggered from the front or either side at a distance of about 2-3cm. As a result, you shouldn’t need a riser to make sure that the sensor and magnet can find each other.
I couldn’t mount the Sonoff sensors on my bedroom casement windows, because they were too bulky to fit between the window frame and the screen. Not so with the PARASOLLs! The skinny magnets are mounted on the frame, and the sensor is on the window (which opens outward).
Both parts come with strong mounting tape attached, and you can also use screws for the sensor bases. The sensors unclip from their bases to reveal the pairing button and sealed battery compartment (a nice touch for sensors that might get wet when it rains). The clips are my only complaint…it’s a little harder to detach the sensors than it should be.
VALLHORN
The VALLHORN isn’t as lovable as the PARASOLL. It’s big, kind of ugly, and can only be mounted flat on a wall or in a corner. You can’t angle it up or down, so you’ll need to get creative if you want to point it in a specific direction. However, the detection angle is fairly wide and they’re quick to respond, so that might not be necessary.
Same as the PARASOLL, the VALLHORN sensor clips into a base that can be mounted with tape or screws. And same as the PARASOLL, it’s a little harder to unclip the sensor than it should be. The battery door is also sealed, which is good for use in a bathroom.
Some users have reported a lot of false positives, but I’ve been using two VALLHORNs for about a week without any problems. The Internet seems to think that they work better with the recommended IKEA LADDA rechargeable batteries, which are 1.2V (as opposed to 1.5V alkalines). I can’t say whether this is true or not, but it’s fine by me since LADDAs are excellent batteries for how little they cost.
In addition to motion, the VALLHORN reports illumination in lux. Both of my sensors reported the same values, which is a good start. They can be calibrated with Zigbee2MQTT if necessary.