Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 Review: A Small, Capable Z-Wave Sensor With Inconsistent Reliability
A compact Z-Wave Plus contact sensor with a built-in temperature reading that integrates well with Home Assistant, but reliability, battery life and a fiddly factory reset hold it back.
The Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 (FGDW-002) is a compact Z-Wave Plus contact sensor with a built-in temperature reading, and for many owners it's a solid choice for a Z-Wave network, small, low-profile, responsive, and integrating seamlessly with Home Assistant, openHAB, Vera and Z-Wave sticks. Fans praise its size (a genuine low-profile option), the internal temperature sensor (an upgrade over the v1's external probe), S2 security, and useful automations like turning on a pantry light. But its 3.6-star average reflects real inconsistency: a notable share of owners report it sticking in the 'opened' state, failing to detect door movement at all on certain hubs, or 'sleeping' after inactivity so it stops reporting, plus poorer-than-expected battery life and the occasional unit dying or having a faulty tamper switch. The factory reset is also convoluted (holding both tamper buttons while inserting the battery and watching for the right LED flash), pairing can fight with some hubs, and the adhesive is weak. Owners who get a good unit and run it on Home Assistant tend to be very happy and buy more; others find it the least reliable sensor they own. If you want a small Z-Wave sensor with temperature and use a robust Z-Wave hub, it can be great, just know the reliability is a lottery.
- Z-Wave networks needing a small sensor
- Home Assistant or openHAB users
- Contact sensing plus temperature
- Low-profile door/window installs
Pros
- Compact, low-profile design
- Built-in temperature sensor (no external probe like the v1)
- Integrates well with Home Assistant, openHAB and Vera
- S2 security and responsive when working
- Good value from reputable Z-Wave sellers
Cons
- Inconsistent reliability (stuck 'open' state, non-detection on some hubs, sleep gaps)
- Battery life is inconsistent and poor for some
- Occasional hardware failures and faulty tamper switch
- Convoluted factory reset; pairing can fight some hubs
- Weak adhesive; no Alexa, Google, HomeKit or Matter
Who is the Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 for?
This is a compact Z-Wave Plus door and window contact sensor with a built-in temperature reading, and it requires a Z-Wave hub. It's supported by Home Assistant (and works with openHAB, Vera and Z-Wave sticks), but has no Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit or Matter support. It runs on a half-AA (ER14250) battery rated around 2 years and uses S2 security. It best suits Z-Wave households that want a small, low-profile sensor, Home Assistant or openHAB users, and anyone who wants contact sensing plus a temperature reading in one small device. If you want broad platform support or guaranteed reliability, read the caveats first, this is an older (2016-era) product with mixed dependability.
What buyers love
The main appeals are size and Z-Wave integration. It's noticeably small and low-profile, which owners specifically choose when they want a discreet sensor on a visible door, and the built-in temperature sensor is a welcome upgrade over the v1, which needed an external probe. When it works, it's responsive and pairs cleanly, owners report seamless integration with Home Assistant, openHAB (via an Aeon/Aeotec Z-stick) and Vera, plus S2 security support. Satisfied owners use it for automations like turning on a pantry light from a phone, praise the good battery life on their units, and note it's a great value from reputable Z-Wave sellers, several liked it enough to buy more without issues. For a Z-Wave enthusiast who gets a well-behaved unit, it does exactly what a contact-plus-temperature sensor should.
What to know before you buy
Reliability is the recurring problem behind the mixed rating. A notable share of owners report the sensor getting stuck in the 'opened' state, failing to detect door movement at all on certain hubs (for example Nexia/American Standard), or 'going to sleep' after a period of inactivity so it stops reporting, a real concern for security use. Battery life is inconsistent too: while some get good life, others find it drains faster than any other sensor they own, and a few units simply died after about two years. Hardware quirks include a tamper switch that may not depress properly (one owner taped in a shim of cardboard to fix it) and pairing that can fight with some hubs, especially for S2 devices. The factory reset is convoluted, holding both tamper buttons while inserting the battery and watching for a specific LED flash sequence (owners joke you need a third hand). The included adhesive is weak, so use stronger double-sided tape. And there's no Alexa, Google, HomeKit or Matter, this is a Z-Wave-only, hub-dependent sensor from an older generation.
Is the Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 worth it?
For a Z-Wave household that wants a small, low-profile contact sensor with a built-in temperature reading, the Fibaro Door/Window Sensor 2 can be a good buy, it's compact, integrates well with Home Assistant and openHAB, supports S2 security, and satisfied owners run several reliably. The catch is consistency: too many owners report stuck states, non-detection on some hubs, sleep-related reporting gaps, weak battery life, or outright failures, plus a fiddly factory reset and weak adhesive, and there's no support beyond Z-Wave. Buy it if you specifically need its small size and temperature reading on a solid Z-Wave hub and can accept some reliability risk; if you want dependable, set-and-forget sensing or broad platform support, a newer, better-reviewed sensor is the safer choice.
Frequently asked questions
Does it need a hub?
Yes. It's a Z-Wave Plus sensor that requires a Z-Wave hub. It's supported by Home Assistant, and owners also run it on openHAB and Vera with Z-Wave sticks. It does not work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit or Matter.
How reliable is it?
It's inconsistent, which drives its mixed rating. Many owners run it fine, but a notable share report it sticking in the 'opened' state, not detecting door movement on certain hubs, or going to sleep and failing to report after inactivity. If you need dependable, security-grade reliability, this is the main risk to weigh.
Does it measure temperature?
Yes. Unlike the original Fibaro sensor (which needed an external temperature probe), this v2 has a built-in temperature sensor, so you get both contact (open/close) and temperature readings in one compact device, though a couple of owners note the temperature can read a degree or two off.
How's the battery life?
Mixed. It uses a half-AA (ER14250) battery rated around 2 years, and some owners get good life, but others report it draining faster than any other sensor they own, and a few units died around the two-year mark. Battery experience appears to vary by unit.
Is it hard to set up or reset?
Pairing is usually easy but can fight with some hubs, especially for S2 security devices. The bigger annoyance is the factory reset: you hold both tamper buttons while inserting the battery and watch for a specific LED flash sequence, which owners find convoluted. The adhesive is also weak, so plan to use stronger double-sided tape.
