Mumubiz MS1: Zigbee rain sensor compatible with Ewelink and Zigbee2mqtt

Rain is a factor that we can integrate into our smart home project thanks to devices that are very easy to install and use, as we are going to see today with this Zigbee rain sensor from the company Mumubiz.

Why is the Mumubiz Zigbee rain sensor have this price?

The Mumubiz MS1 rain detector integrates Zigbee technology, has a sun and rain resistant material with an IP65 protection rating and comes with 2 AAA batteries included.

Advantages and disadvantages of the MS1 Smart Rain Sensor

Mumubiz MS1 Zigbee rain sensor usage tutorial

Let’s discover the details of this Zigbee MS1 rain sensor.

Mumubiz Zigbee Rain Sensor General Features

Let’s open the packaging.

We have an instruction manual.

A sticker.

2 plugs and screws.

And of course, the Mumubiz rain sensor called MS1.

This sensor has dimensions of 86x56x36 mm and is black with gold lines that are conductive tracks, i.e. it is the entire rain detection area.

Every time there are the first drops of water falling in this area, this sensor will communicate wirelessly thanks to Zigbee technology that there is rain detected.

So it is not a Zigbee rain gauge that measures the amount of rain, it only reports a binary state: rain or no rain.

For this, you need a compatible Zigbee home automation hub such as one from Ewelink.

It is also compatible with the Jeedom hub.

And with Home Assistant with the Zigbee2mqtt platform.

As you can see, this sensor has an inclination that helps the water to drain easily and not remain accumulated on the surface.

This allows the sensor to return to its normal state quickly when the rain stops.

On the back, we can see the cover with two holes if we want to fix the sensor with the 2 screws.

And we have the area delimited if we want to fix it with the adhesive.

Around the sensor, we can see a gasket that serves to protect the electronic part of the sensor from water and to ensure that it is resistant to rain.

In addition, the manufacturer indicates that this sensor has a UV protection layer with enhanced UV treatment, protecting it from the sun.

To open the back cover, you can use a flat-blade screwdriver as a lever.

Inside, we can see a physical button to link this sensor to a Zigbee home automation hub.

An LED indicator informs us when the device is in association mode or when it detects rain or no rain.

And we can see that it is powered by 2 AAA batteries which are included.

How to link the Mumubiz Zigbee Rain Detector

To link the Mumubiz Zigbee rain sensor, you must put your home automation hub in association mode.

In my example, I use the Home Assistant Green home automation hub and a Smlight Zigbee dongle with the famous Zigbee2mqtt platform and we have seen in other contents the details of this Home Assistant home automation hub, the Smlight Zigbee dongle and how to install Zigbee2mqtt.

When you have your home automation hub in association mode, at this point, you must press the physical button on the sensor for 5 to 8 seconds until the blue LED starts flashing indicating that it is in association mode.

Ready, after a few seconds, your sensor should appear on the interface of your home automation hub.

How to install the Mumubiz rain sensor

To install this Zigbee rain sensor, as we have seen previously, you have 2 fixing methods, either with the adhesive or with the included plugs and screws.

You can fix it on a strategic surface in your garden where this sensor will be exposed to direct rain horizontally.

Or vertically without obstacles, for the highest detection accuracy.

So now, you will be able to know when rain starts falling in your garden, from your phone, anywhere in the world.

Detailed features of the Mumubiz Zigbee Rain Detector

In Zigbee2mqtt, we have access to different information about this sensor. “Battery” is the battery level in percentage of the sensor, from 0 to 100%.

“Water Leak” is the main function of the device and the status “Free” means that no rain is detected and “Leak” means that rain is detected.

We can simulate rain to test the reactivity of the sensor by simply putting drops of water on the front of the sensor.

We can also place our fingers over this detection area to test the change in sensor status.

As you can see, this rain sensor is very reactive, allowing you to be alerted quickly in case of detection of the first drops of water.

But it should be noted that when the rain is over, the water will need to have drained or evaporated for the sensor to indicate that there is no more rain detected.

“Battery Low” is a binary status that indicates when the sensor has a low battery.

And “Link Quality” is the quality of the sensor’s Zigbee link, and if you want to know how to interpret and improve it, don’t hesitate to see my content on the subject.

But to summarise, thanks to this Zigbee technology, if you see a bad communication signal from the sensor because of the distance to the Zigbee home automation hub, you can simply add Zigbee devices connected to the power supply such as light bulbs, sockets, modules or any other device and thus, a spider web can be formed automatically and improve these communications.

And of course, the whole point of a smart home is to be able to create different automations according to different events.

Unlike the Fujin Irrigation Zigbee rain sensor, which detects a certain minimum amount of rain that you have set.

This Mumubiz sensor reports the rain status when the first drops fall.

Therefore, the Fujin Irrigation rain sensor could be better suited for automatic irrigation systems in your garden, as it only changes its status when a defined amount of rainfall is reached.

And this Mumubiz sensor could be of great use for other automations such as an alert on your phone when it starts raining to put your clothes and rain-sensitive objects indoors.

Automatically close a velux and any other action you see necessary when the first drops of water fall.

Of course, your imagination is your limit. And this Zigbee rain sensor that you can find for 17.99 euros in online shops is surely a device that may interest many of you for your smart home project.

Generally purchased together

Buy now your Mumubiz MS1 Zigbee Rain Detector