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Aqara Launches Matter-Supported FP300 Presence Sensor
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While this sentence is strictly true, it is at best misleading since you need a Thread Border Router, which is essentially a hub.
I have Aqara products, and they don't always connect to HomeKit via Matter successfully. If that connection fails, the only way to connect to HomeKit is through their unconventional software.
I’m al in. Not very happy. The app is horrible. And I frequently lose connections with the sensors, requiring to repair them, and reconfiguring everything in Homekit.
All things considered, these are toys, not robust things to build a smart home.
Apple is not selling this. It is sold by Aqara. Also, this is not just made for Apple; it uses Matter, which will work with any home automation system.
Finally, this is kind of a big deal; it solves a huge, annoying problem and does it very well. How to know if a human is in a room, even if the person is not moving, and how to do this on a battery-powered device where the battery can last 2 or 3 years.
This is a big deal for home automation.
I think you need to re-read the specs. This is a "human presence" sensor. It contains multiple sensors and has some logic inside. Yes, there is an IR motion sensor, but also a millimeter wave (60GHz) radar and a light sensor inside.
The Hue Motion Sensor will detect motion. But if you stop moving, say you are sitting on a sofa and watching TV, then the Hue sensor will turn the lights off. THIS sensor will first see the motion and then check if you are still present in the room by detecting motions as small as your breathing and heartbeat.
But the big deal is the internal logic that allows it to run on a couple of coin cells for 2+ years. THAT is astonishing for a mmWave radar.
This radar can detect the motion of a heartbeat or breathing from 20 feet away using coin-cell power.
What we don't know yet is how well this works and how reliable it is. It is too new to know that yet.
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This is. 60 GHz RADAR that runs on a few coin cell batteries, and the battery lasts for 2+ years. There is no competition, period. The competition uses a USB cable to a phone charger for power and all the others do not have logic to combine the data from multiple sensors that are in the unit. $50 is cheap for a good radar sensor. The $30 $20 units are not so reliable and need to be plugged into power
I have numerous Aqara products and in my opinion they just work. Far more reliable than hue. Slightly better than Meross.
I have 139 Aqara Devices installed and have them integrated to Homekit via several hubs. I am extremely satisfied with their products and have practically moved all automations and scenes to the Aqara App, which is on a magnitude 100 better and is allowing for far more useful automations than the dreadful Apple Home App.
Wow, 139 !! @Burger Thing what’s the approx distribution of device type?
I have 5 screens of Hue devices (~60 bulbs, LED light strips under-cabinet and in toe kick area in kitchen, behind television and above built-in). It started with a Black Friday sale on the Hue bulbs, then became an addiction.
This sensor is interesting because it could replace what I use 2 sensors for now - SensorPush for temperature, and Hue motion sensor.
Graphing temp data from that SensorPush sensor helped me negotiate an in-warranty replacement of my HVAC condenser. On the bad, replacing its CR 2477 battery is SUCH a pain. I need to use an eyeglass repair kit screwdriver. But it seems to be a very accurate temp sensor.
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The majority of my devices are light switches (Aqara Z1s), various remote wireless rotary knobs (H1s) and of course light bulbs. Then a couple do motion sensors and the several FP2 occupancy and FP1 presence sensors. Humidity and Temperatur sensors and additional light sensors T1. They are more sensitive and quicker in sensing changing lux levels. My favourite devices are the window blinds rollers and curtain drivers. Make old stuff smart and convenient. Door Bell and Smart Lock are convenient as well.
