Glenn in PA asks:
“I would like to add a sensor to my z-wave (Vera) system to indicate when my
garage door is opened. Do you have a recommendation?”

Hi Glenn,

There are several door contact sensors available. You can see some of them here at the Smarthome web site.

http://www.smarthome-products.com/s-21-sensors.aspx

Another good place to look would be the Z-Wave Alliance product web site:

http://www.z-wavealliance.org/modules/Products/

Craftsman also offers a garage door opener which can be monitored remotely from a smartphone app:

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/craftsman_assurelink_app_opens_your_door/

and another one from Liftmaster

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/app_alert_liftmaster_home_control/

gc

I also use the setup described by macromark but it is not foolproof for me. I have an event that will close my garage door if it has been left open for an hour. I have come home on several occasions to find my garage door open, knowing that it was closed when I left. After some investigation I discovered that HS doesn’t always receive the signal indicating the door has closed so after an hour the event fires and since the door is down it opens.