Aqara has announced its first battery-powered presence sensor, which can be installed almost anywhere in your home to automate smart devices when your family comes and goes. Instead of hiding a cord and planning its location around a power source, a pair of CR2450 coin cell batteries power the Presence Multi-Sensor FP300 for up to three years when used with a Zigbee smart home setup, or two years if you’ve upgraded to Thread. It’s available now from Amazon or Aqara’s website for $49.99.
The FP300 uses a combination of passive infrared (PIR) and 60 GHz mmWave radar sensors to detect people walking or stationary up to 20 feet away so you can set up automations that turn on lights when someone enters the room, or turn off various smart home devices after the room is unoccupied for a few minutes. The FP300 also has built-in temperature, humidity, and light sensors so you can automate climate control settings for comfort or energy efficiency.
With both Zigbee and Matter over Thread support, the sensor can be used on smart home platforms including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. If you stick with Zigbee, in addition to longer battery life, you can adjust the FP300’s detection range in the Aqara Home mobile app, and turn off individual sensors to further extend its battery life. The switch to battery power comes with some tradeoffs. The FP300 lacks the multi-person detection, fall detection, and real-time heart and respiratory rate monitoring while you sleep that is available with Aqara’s more expensive FP2 presence sensor.