Indoor Presence Sensing with Aqara FP1, PIR Motion sensors and Home Assistant

[@gerryf7015]

Thanks Alan. Love that you and Lewis are pushing the presence sensor thinking forward. Just need the industry design and availability to catch up. Maybe they are waiting for Matter/Thread release!! Adding an air quality sensor would be the one addition, to adjust ventilation (fans, vents). The challenge with pet and fan movement is still open. There are professional alarm system PIRs that have pet settings. Maybe the just angle and sensitivity, but might want to see if any of them have a unique sensor.

[@StumblingGamer648]

This is the 3rd video of yours I've watched... And I just have to say that... You sir... Are a legend! In those 3 videos... You have covered the highest points of frustration that I've had, and... How to fix them. I am switching from smartthings to home assistant and your videos have got me stoked! (parts in the mail). 🙌🏼

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's an awesome system. Enjoy going down the rabbit hole 😉

[@geekinthegarden3927]

Nice video, I have the Tuya presence sensors set up and paired with motion sensors. Personally at the moment I prefer having seperate sensors rather than one sensor does all - that way the motion sensor is positioned at it's best location to trigger when someone enters and the mmwave sensor is positionel in the best locaion to cover the areas where people will occupy. Having one sensor doing both jobs means that I might have to compromise on the position of the sensor and possibly have a delay in switching on/off or false negatives/positive.

[@suzithewitch]

Thanks for the links for the FP1! They were sold out when I clicked on the links, but I checked back a couple of times and was able to get two of them at the reduced price!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm glad! Let us know how you find them and what you end up using them for. I can't believe how much I paid for mine! 🙈

[@emanbuoy7673]

hi, thank you so much for your help, what smart vacuum will you recommend ..i see you have one in this video. thank you for your help

[@johnw65uk]

Thanks for the helpful video Alan. I have just bought the FP1 sensors but just can't get them to work well in HA. I have a delay setting to turn off lights after 5mins once motion detection stops but the automation doesn't reset if there is movement since the original loss of detection so you end up with the lights going off when your in the room. Any ideas?

[@giovannetarcitano]

You also can use the presence event of the FP1, which one triggers immediately by sending the 'enter' event!

[@stevetb7777]

Perhaps I misunderstood, but are you saying he is needlessly using a motion sensor, just the FP1 is enough?

[@giovannetarcitano]

@@stevetb7777 Yes, you can use only the FP1. The presence sttakesboolean) sometimes take 5 seconds to change from false to true. But the presence_event is immediate(exported by the FP1 too), so you can use the `enter` event to trigger lights on for example (I'm using it like this in HA)

[@DarixCn]

Sorry I am new to home assistant, how do you get home assistant to listen to present_event?

[@giovannetarcitano]

​@@DarixCn I'm using the addon zigbee2mqtt, so the 'sensor.your_sensor_name_presence_event' entity will be exported and you can use the state of this entiy

[@DarixCn]

@@giovannetarcitano excellent thank you

[@olivierleplus]

I ordered two a week ago and al waiting to receive them. My main concern was about HA integration but it seems they integrate quite well :) Thank you for the video and all the screenshots, that will help me configure everything once I receive them!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It works great in my house with HA + Zigbee2MQTT! I'm also told it should work in ZHA now too (But I have not tested it myself)

[@sygad1]

Just received my FP1, works perfectly with ZHA 2022.7, it's scarily accurate, even detecting when I leave the room to go for a glass of water (

[@DementedDog]

@@HomeAutomationGuy Where can I find Zigbee2MQTT? Can't see it on HACS.

[@fontie]

Hey Alan Great video please don't forget to post the steps for this on your blog....Thank you

[@alexandrelara7161]

Thank you for the video, I bought 2 of those but I'm still waiting they arrive :D. I think you can achieve the same, just by using your FP1 sensor, instead of looking for the `presence` state (that only check if it is true or false) you can subscribe, in your Home Assistant, for the `presence_event` that returns: enter, leave, left_enter, right_leave, right_enter, left_leave, approach, away. The presence_event is instantaneous so you can just watch for the value to be "enter" and it's going to work basically as a motion sensor

[@KrispKiwi]

Where from? I can't find them anywhere.

[@jonathanlim5765]

That's fantastic! How do you do that in HA? Can you teach us, please? 🙏

[@EsotericArctos]

I can see using the FP1 in conjunction with a standard PIR motion sensor to do the complete automation. Given I already have PIR motion sensors everywhere so a couple of FP1's added to specific areas could work quite well. I think I would keep my on automation using just the PIR given that just works and have the FP1 just saying the room is occupied. That way the FP1 won't give false positives to turn on the lights if the motion detector is not triggered first.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

That's the best thing about Home Assistant. Everyone can customise their automations to work the best for them. Sounds like a great plan!

[@EdoDijkgraaf]

One step further Lewis’ Frankenstein combined with ESPresense. That would be marvelous.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I've bought all the components to try this exact thing out myself actually!

[@EverythingSmartHome]

You lose out on the ability to change sensitivity and range with ESPresense - I mentioned in my video that's why I opted for ESPHome over ESPresense. Hope that helps

[@EdoDijkgraaf]

@@EverythingSmartHome cheers! I still have to decide. Now I have to watch your video, again.

[@MrLaurieLewis]

Hi Allan. Sorry if i’ve missed you doing a comparison with Lewis’s sensor. I am assuming you have done a comparison between the two by now. So 2 questions. Here in Aust Lewis’s unit costs about $130. Aqara FP1 + Aqara motion sensor $85. So is one almost twice as good as the other? Next question and probably the most important - ceiling fans. Any experience or opinions? My fans usually run 24/7/365 in the 3 rooms i am considering for microwave detection. Keep up the great work.

[@theviper90x13]

Can this accurately track where you are in a room and create automations for it? For example if you put the occupancy sensor in a bedroom, can you create an automation where if you're in bed the sensor will track this and turn on the bed lights. But if you're not in your bed anymore and are for example on your computer desk, the bed lights will turn off and the desk lamps will turn on. For context, the computer desk is in the bedroom itself. Thanks in advance for answering!

[@TengizAdamashvili]

I'm trying to achieve the same results, I bought both of those sensors, the FP1 and the tiny motion sensor. Somehow it takes quite some time for them to clear the motion state

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Yes it does. Check out my latest motion detected lights video for some ways to solve that

[@ScottCulberson]

I only use devices that work with amazon alexa echo dots. If I don't use apple home kit and a home kit hub will I be able to use the FP2?

[@wapphigh5250]

Alan, now you gave added ESP bluetooth home presence, have you simply added that as a third "sensor" in yr "presence group"?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I did not. The original presence group has been rock solid so I didn't bother modifying it

[@zuzuitu]

Can this also detect if I forgot my oven opened? Well, if it's working..? Thanks

[@yochananpeled8157]

Great video I will defently buy one. How did you solve the fan issue? In my bedroom the fan is always on, I am afraid that the sensor will alayes be on

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Point it away from the fan. You can also change the sensitivity of its detection

[@petedeffner7002]

If you leave the group "all entites" switch off, for turning off lights automation wouldn't it trigger if you weren't moving?

[@mrxmry3264]

groups... hmm, i wonder... would that also work with input booleans instead of sensor output? if so, i won't need node red. worth a try...

[@Equipeinfoearth]

At typical 1 floor height, how many m2 area it should cover? It's possible use multiple sensors to cover one bigger room? Example, all 3 sensors need stop detect presence at same time to power off ligh.. Any of 3 sensor detect presence, will turn on light.. Only this way, with those features it could become solid product better than conventional wall switch, turning on and off lights inside house automatically

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

You can add as many FP1s or motion sensors as you want into your room, and then bring them all together in a Group like I show in the video. This will then work as you describe: When any one device detects presence you can turn on the lights, then when ALL of the devices stop detecting presence it turns off the lights.

[@therealsunnyk]

One thing I really struggle with is the power usage of a lot of these sensors. No one mentions them so I can' calculate a break-even. If it's for lights but it consumes like 2 watts 24/7 and the lights are only 5 watts and on for maybe 3 hours a day at night, I might be better off just having the lights on at night, energy wise.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

That's a valid point. You've also got to factor in the convenience of not having to use a switch or having them turn on briefly when you go to the bathroom at night. If you apply the same automations to turning on and off HVAC or Heating systems then the savings could be very significant!

[@therealsunnyk]

@@HomeAutomationGuy That's true, but strategically you'd do it differently, right? You might have 3 HVAC zones in your house but 12 sets of lights. Zigbee sensors with batteries have that benefit where they basically use zero power, so the strategy is usually easier (gateways aside).

[@veryboringname.]

I mentioned it in another comment, the FP1 draws 23-33mA at 5V which is about 0.15W. Just make sure you use an efficient 5V psu. :)

[@therealsunnyk]

@@veryboringname. Good to know. Well with usage like that you could feed it with a modest battery bank which would last a long time.

[@stevebezuidenhout9481]

It was a very interested discussion / chat on indoor presence sensor products and configuring them in Home Assistant. When's the next information sharing discussion? Keep up the good work.

[@ezhe]

Can you configure the detection zones of the fp1 sensor via the Home Assistant in the same way as you can do in the Aqara app?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm not sure. I don't use the FP1 anymore, I switched to Everything Presence Lites

[@wwolfram33]

Any tips you can suggest if you have pets?

[@kristopherdecaigny8211]

Thank you! This video was perfect for understanding how to use my new FP1

[@bradtaylor1910]

Has anyone found the API docs? The chip used is an Infineon BGT60TR13C, which is FMCW is beam forming capable. Which means it should be able to not only detect presence but where someone is in the room, even multiple targets independently, also velocity

[@fizyk1769]

This is so great, but how to pet immune it? How to avoid false positives when you have a dog or cats?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

They will definitely detect pets if they are within the field of view of the sensor. To avoid that you would have to point it upwards away from the height that your pets are. In my living room I have mine under the television, pointing upwards towards head height. Maybe your dogs and cats would appreciate some lighting as they move around each room ;-)

[@michaelyounge5743]

Hi Alan i have followed your great video and recently purchased & received the Aqara FPI. Installed it thru Z2M into HA. however , however the Presence states Unknown therefore not detecting. In Z2M it does no show in the dashboard do you have any idea what my problems is? Any help would be appreciated. Keep up the good work.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Hmmmh.. odd. Do any of the other data update? Perhaps delete it from Z2M and re-add it?

[@artemheneralov]

Thanks for the video! It’s kinda obvious, but do you know for sure if the FP1 reacts to pets?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Depends on the pet. But yes, definitely dogs, cats and goats

[@daphnetilling6034]

Can you use it so that if presence detected then keep current device states then when no presence detected for x amount of time turn off room? I love this device but with pets I need to find smart ways to use it.

[@YorkshireHillbilly]

Great guide... Thanks for the help

[@Rkcuddles]

Does the new FP2 have the same issue?

[@TheSirSpence]

This sensor looks great. Is it mains powered? Any idea on its power consumption?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I do not know the power consumption, but the instruction manual says 5v 1A. It uses a standard USB A connector for power and I've been running mine off an old mobile phone charger.

[@TheSirSpence]

@@HomeAutomationGuy thanks for the quick reply. That's no worse than running an ESP32 for presence. Interesting.

[@veryboringname.]

I just measured mine, it draws about 23mA with peaks at about 33mA every few seconds.

[@woshitomtom]

Hi I saw we can use a home security camera to trigger the lights. Would it act like a motion sensor or like a presence sensor?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Depends on your camera and how it's configured. You should be able to do either

[@woshitomtom]

@@HomeAutomationGuy I'm now wondering if I should buy a security camera or a motion sensor + presence sensor 😅

[@dretwav]

I have not been able to get it to work with z2mqtt and Conbee 2. It shows as unsupported even after updating Conbee firmware. Suggestions? I also have Sonoff Dongle but if I replace Conbee I would have to re-pair 83 devices which I am reluctant to do.

[@KRM_2010]

How does it handle shadows?

[@pkolodz]

So if i install this sensor in my bathroom and my washing washine is on, will it keep the lights on because of its small movements?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Probably. Yes

[@MrB8boy]

I would want many of those devices but it would have to be able to work with any of the big 3 ecosystems.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Home Assistant works with the big 3 ecosystems, so it should be OK.

[@abwino]

Thanks very much for this video, I had been wondering how to combine PIR and Presence! HA has so much depth it's scary! Great video.

[@user-sj1gr6kr3e]

So the Aquara motion sensor has a 90 seconds cool down after detection where it will still report "motion" even if you leave the room. What about this FP1 sensor? Does it have a cool down as well?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

There is a similar concept of a cool down with the FP1, but it seems to know quite quickly that the room is unoccupied. You can also configure the Aqara motion sensor to change the cool down to 60 seconds.

[@bat3332]

Hey alan your unique way of linking the blog to the automation you shown is missing in this video. Please give us the blog with screen shots and steps which is our reference bible to recreate the automation when we get hands on this stuff please 🙏🏻🙏.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Fair! I'll get one written up this weekend and add it to the description

[@bat3332]

@@HomeAutomationGuy thanks Alan it is always our reference bible

[@bat3332]

@@HomeAutomationGuy ⏳🥺🥺🥺

[@efmarosario4953]

Is there a mount to put this on a mount with constant power?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It needs to plug into a USB power supply. It comes with a small stand/mount as seen in the picture

[@faengelm]

I live in the US and was able to get one of these on AliExpress. However, it doesn't show up in the US region as an available device. So when I switched to China Mainland, I could see it as available, but my Aqara Hubs (G3 and M1S) won't connect in the China Mainland region How did you get around this? I also tried the Europe region, but it's not available there as a device

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I don't use the Aqara hubs. I use a Zigbee USB stick with Zigbee2mqtt and Home Assistant

[@kraddoomsters]

I guess this can now replace room-assistant, which always felt way too fiddly to me

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It works very similarly, but this is super easy to set up

[@speedyhb]

Hello ! Which hub do you use ???

[@AnthonyGebbie]

Yeah this

[@dwjp90]

How were you able to use your fitbit for presence detection?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

The model I have happens to have the ability to act as a Tile device! I didn't know that until a viewer mentioned it in the comments!

[@frogjmon]

How well does this handle pets?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It will detect pets moving if you aim it near the floor where it can "see" them

[@Daniel-vd4mk]

Yeah, aqara made this move to keep selling their pir sensor, I’m sure. How hard would have been for them to jam a pir into this presence sensor ? Or maybe will see v2 of this one having a pir as well… not going to start investing in these right now because I’m sure will get a v2 soon

[@eberger02]

Not in the slightest bit interested in Lewis’ kits at anywhere near that price. He’s taking the piss charging that much given how much assembly is needed. Those are only a bit more expensive even if you add a cheap infrared sensor and they come pre-built and have a warranty. I’m f I wanted to build one I’d just buy the stuff myself for much cheaper.

[@Kevin-rf9sx]

The first thing I thought about is how harmful these radar waves may be? I mean we blast our home with wifi and zigbee... But.. It adds up 😅 I'm unsure of it. Maybe there is someone who knows about stuff like that? And I don't mean any tinfoil-head people xD

[@JeffDrennen]

That comment about making you sterile💀

[@hasimaktas9642]

i have feeling like it gives slowly cancerr

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I wouldn't be surprised. Radars are not things I normally would suggest people put in their homes...

[@EveronesInvited]

Who don’t want their 🥜 radiated

[@jpovilela]

Hi Alan, Just noticed that the guy from this video /watch?v=0hEXqoGMhmQ copied your same words here LOL. Does not even make sense some times. Not a big deal, but worth checking just for the laugh.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Haha oh wow! I'm so flattered!