Simplest occupancy sensor on market - 14.90$ Sonoff SNZB-06P

[@BeardedTinker]

The product is out: itead.cc/product/sonoff-zigbee-human-presence-sensor/ref/132/ and current price is 14.90$ (US). That makes it VERY affordable occupancy sensor.

[@JamesTenniswood]

Amazing, I ordered a bunch of them to augment my motion sensors. They are super useful for home offices (where you can be still for some time) and kitchens (to avoid my lights dimming when it doesnt see people present). For that price its better than the slightly unreliable esp32 builds i was planning on making. And power is ok, sure battery would be best but we arent there with this technology, so im ok with the trade off.

[@BeardedTinker]

Great to hear! Yeah, kitchen should be nice spot to install. I have it at my recording/work area and that one also works nicely. We still are few years of from making them battery powered but that would really be awesome!

Since it's using microwave radar technology internally it's no surprise it needs external power. But for the same reason you can tuck it away inside a wooden cabinet and it will still work. You don't have to leave it in sight, so the cable part is not an issue either. Thanks for the suggestion, I was looking for something like this.

[@BeardedTinker]

Yeah - power issue... I know that, just we don't have cabinets to talk it in/on :) Just white walls with paintings :) Hope you find a nice place to install it!

[@Sierra-Whisky]

@@BeardedTinker I was thinking of hiding one behind the curtains, but you can also hide one under, behind or even inside furniture like a couch. 😉

[@SmithyScotland]

Great product at a good price. Will be interesting to see what other vendors come up with. I'd ideally like temperature, humidity and pressure to be added

[@BeardedTinker]

With constant power at least humidity, lux and pressure should be viable. Temperature, not sure as those presence sensors can have impact on readings.

[@KuruKanagalingam]

Can't wait for your review on the Linptech Presence sensor. Keep up the good work thanks

[@BeardedTinker]

Coming soon! Thank you! I think next week I'll release video on RoomSenseIQ - again presence sensor, and week after that will be time for Limptech one (with EP Lite after that).

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

Great video! I will order a few. For most rooms, I only need a reliable way to detect presence and nothing more so this seems to be the perfect product for me.

[@BeardedTinker]

Sometimes simple things are best. Sure, not in all cases, but in some, it's just enough - and no need to over-complicate it.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

@@BeardedTinker that very true, the "just what is needed, not everything"-philosophy clashes with ones techieness tho, where I mostly think "well, better to get all available functionality - just in case..." 😁

[@DumbMuscle]

These are almost perfect for my use case - I need something that will act as a zigbee router (to get range to other sensors), and which can be used to confirm occupancy in a room (keeping the lights on while people are in there - but I have the lights turned on by other more focussed sensors at the doorways because a whole-room sensor will get activated by the cats). However, the lack of ligfht sensing in homeassistant is a dealbreaker, as I want that to use in other automations - I'm hoping this gets fixed

[@BeardedTinker]

Maybe it will be added in future ZHA/ZB2MQTT updates.

[@jackbolder5734]

Since you have cats, do you have any tips? Am new to HA. How do you use "focused sensors at the doorways"?

[@videomichel]

Thank you for covering the idle timer! Great review, beard man.

[@BeardedTinker]

Glad you liked it!!!

[@SimonGreen85]

talking about wife approval is relatable. thanks for the review!

[@BeardedTinker]

Thanks for watching - keeping everyone happy - main goal here :D

[@adifoto6362]

Not bad for 15$ sensor. Thanks again for sharing.

[@BeardedTinker]

Glad you liked it Adi!!!

[@moonified4561]

I appreciate the simplicity of this, but I still can't see why I wouldn't go for something like the zy-m100, which now has a working ZHA quirk and is super cheap. I think its also really important to be able to tweak detection distance as without this, it can seriously limit your placement options.

[@BeardedTinker]

Nobody is forcing you - I said that this may be enough for some. Of course, looking at the price, zy-m100 is about 1.5-2 times more expensive than SNZB-06P, but if you need bulkier device for mounting and also more options and ability to customise setting, you can go for it, or DIY or EP 1,... There are tone of options.

[@MrDead1975]

I've got about 15 of the ZY-M100 and they are fantastic. Recently switched over to the home assistant ZHA stick and after trying multiple custom quirks finally found one that exposes all the entities.

[@drwhowhogrub3908]

Can you post a link to the custom quirk? Are they good? I have just ordered my first one so hopefully it works well. Thanks

[@theattorney6072]

​@@MrDead1975Hi, Can you please send a link to the ZY-M100 you have as well as quirk for zha ? Does it also work for the ceiling version of the ZY-M100 ? 5.8 or 24 GHz ? Thx

[@ericg8282]

@@MrDead1975 does it still detect you when sitting really still? If I'm reading something they all report me as away. Tried multiple placements.

[@EsotericArctos]

A lot of sensors seem to have both motion and occupancy, but the Occupancy is the active component and the motion is either always on, or does nothing. Hue motion sensors are detected the same, the Occupancy is the one that needs to be used and motion does nothing. It seems to be the way a device assigns clusters in Zigbee rather than ZHA or other hubs being the issue. Some will have "quirks" or specific configs that correct for that.

[@BeardedTinker]

True. ZB2MQTT usually has better custom quirks disabling non functional parts. ZHA is a bit slower with that. BTW - price just got released, and for 14.90 USD, I think it's a very good option!

[@krikkenstein]

Thanks for the great review! Wires would make the use of this sensor at some places difficult. It would be great to integrate it in a lightbulb!

[@BeardedTinker]

That would be cool! There are some Tuya ones that are ceiling mounted and look like ceiling lights.

[@MNpale]

I'm going with Inovelli's presence sensor built into the switch for the bathroom. I want to avoid cables and sensors that could be confused as spy cameras.

[@BeardedTinker]

That can be a problem. I have few motion sensor - purposely located in such a way that people are not sure if it's sensor or camera :D But that's me :)

[@oasismike2]

Thanks for your product review! I wish there was something simple to make sure an old style motorized overhead garage door gets closed (but not re-opened). WiFi does not cover the garage reliably. Amazon Alexa is used for some lights/outlets if I wire an access point through the cement block wall. Sometimes people leave the overhead garage door open and mice get in. I don't know if an occupancy sensor is right, or just a processor (Pi Zero or Arduino) running a timer routine with a door sensor input to check whether it's closed five minutes after anytime it's opened or closed (ha, did I just answer my own question?).

[@BeardedTinker]

You could install door sensor with magnet at lowest point of the door and get some kind of notification if it's not been closed to predefined period of time. But all depends on how far and what is signal there for zwave/zigbee or least preferred wifi.

[@martinchristensen1987]

Good hands on review. But it leaves some questions. 1. Is it IP rated or does it work in steamy areas like bathroom? 2. Can it be flipped upside down, so the cable is attached from above? thank you :)

[@BeardedTinker]

Thank you! You should be OK in bathroom. It's not IP rated, but normal bathroom use should be OK. As far as flipping it, yes, you can do it - just remember to rotate the zones if you are using it.

[@fedelloKirfed]

Hey there! I've just discovered your channel and its amazing contents, I have a lot of homework to do watching them! One question that just come to my mind. Do you think these presence sensors could be used to detect people outside? i.e. detect some intruder on the rear side of your home or something like that?

[@BeardedTinker]

Thank you very much - much appreciated!!! As for outside detection. Some have partial "view" through walls, but not thick ones. But you should be able to use it outside although it's not weather proof.

[@fedelloKirfed]

Thanks for the answer @@BeardedTinker ! I think i'll try with one of these then, It might work under a wall overhang.

[@MiggyManMike]

The power aspect is interesting, a 3v battery might be a stretch but a decent sized lipo cell used in combination with an ir sensor and a deep sleep mode might be viable but it would take some thought.

[@BeardedTinker]

Not sure if battery power can be done here - it needs constant power for presence sensor to scan area.

[@luckycatdad8369]

Does it detect through walls? Like if it's in a hallway, will it only detect in the hall or will it detect the room beside the hall as well?

[@BeardedTinker]

It can, but depends on wall type of course angle and distance

[@berkansezer]

Thanks for the video. I have one little question. Have you encountered any false pozitives while using the device? Or has there ever been a time when the person was not detected, especially when lying down?

[@BeardedTinker]

False positives, yes when I was also pointing towards glass. But in normal room, not so much. As for sleeping - can't really tell - as I have always some movement, because of the dog. Will try it in kids room and report back.

[@richardhlavna]

Hi. Thank you for review. What about Lux sensor? Does it works in HA? If not do you know why?

[@BeardedTinker]

It's not available. Would need to remove support from zigbee2mqtt and try to pull all it provides, but currently both ZHA and ZB2MQTT don't expose it.

[@gedgicat2063]

Maybe i missed it, but looks good, would help if sensitivity could be reduced.

[@BeardedTinker]

No way to do it in Home Assistant.

[@theattorney6072]

Thx. No more settings and No illuminance ?? 😮😮

[@BeardedTinker]

There is illuminace as in bright/dim state but not number. And there are sensitivity settings - low/medium/high - that's it. At least in HA with Zigbee2MQTT.

[@andrewb9774]

I wonder if these would be viable without USB power if they were built to accept larger batteries and sleep the microwave sensor over a set interval to save power?

[@BeardedTinker]

No, there would be no way for them to wake-up except based on internal timer. Unfortunately, they need to be constantly powered as the battery would deplete very fast due to the mmWave sensor. Someone could potentially use one with deep sleep that also has a PIR sensor for wake-up. But not sure what power use of the PIR sensor is. So, this is more theoretical than an actual solution.

[@AmazingOrange87]

Does this spam your zigbee network like a lot of the recent models of the ZY-M100 do? Be interested in seeing your logs of this device to see how chatty it is.

[@BeardedTinker]

No, I've heard people having issues - for me SPN01 (energy monitoring) is one spamming the networks with 2-3 messages every 3 seconds. Linptech presence sensors is next one. Did you update the firmware? If I recall, there was FW updated in last 2 weeks.

[@AmazingOrange87]

@@BeardedTinker Thanks for the reply. I've just received mine today and updated to 1.0.5 via OTA Z2MQTT. Also seen a GitHub post where you can change the distance sensitivity and occupancy timeout via the Dev Consol. Reports 'Clear' status to c. 15 seconds now and quite handy

[@BeardedTinker]

Awesome!! Have fun with it!!!

[@yasirali27]

Can i use it with 4ch pro as it is connected with router and i don’t have any zigbee gateway in My premises

[@BeardedTinker]

It needs a ZigBee coordinator - without it, the device can't connect to the local network.

[@ml1677]

Hi, do you know any other occupancy presence sensor, as we are trying to get sensor for hotel room, so our front desk can see if room is occupied or not by human person in the room? please advice.

[@BeardedTinker]

There are ceiling room sensors - these could be the ones you're looking for. www.zigbee2mqtt.io/devices/MIR-HE200-TY.html I haven't tried them, but seem that some are very happy with how they work.

[@jesuscantoscampayo1151]

I have a question that I don't know if it only happens to me with this sensor, I bought 2 for the bathrooms. I have tried it and from the beginning it gave me problems, it gives me false positives, I have tried it both with the ihost scenes and with node red, but I always have problems, I have changed its sensitivity levels and detection time and the results are always the same.

[@BeardedTinker]

Few things could be going on - thin walls and sensor is picking movement in rooms nearby, vent is bathroom that triggers sensor, radiator and air circulation moving towels nearby... I haven't seen false triggers in my setup (still at same position as it was when doing testing and recording), but it's very subjective to sensor placement. BTW - there is firmware update, try updating it if you are using (latest) Zigbee2MQTT - this could help, maybe.

[@Europhile]

I've just started watching this series of YT videos and I am very impressed. I haven't yet managed to find any of their smart TRVs for sale in the UK. Can anyone point me to a supplier here or mainland Europe?

[@BeardedTinker]

These devices are not yet available outside Sonoff web site. Other devices are available on Amazon, but not this one!!!

[@grahamshaw5531]

It would work for me, As i use the Aqara in the kitchen just to keep a light on when stood gazing into the fridge.

[@BeardedTinker]

Especially with price - it's now available for 14.90 USD - and that is less than Aqara Motion sensors... itead.cc/product/sonoff-zigbee-human-presence-sensor/ref/132/

[@vladimirsynek5228]

@@BeardedTinker That's the question - this one including tax and shipping costs is for me USD 23,35 and you have to solve the powering including the USB cable. Aqara ZB can be bought for approx. USD 15+ / piece with VAT and shipping included, powered by a battery. Having a problem with Aqara motion in my kitchen (to choose between a long dead time period or to be in motion keeping sensor "alive") I added radar Tuya ZY-M100-S_1 and it works for me quite well keeping the light on when standing by the desk. Unfortunately the device has some issue which I have to manage in HA automation. Nevermind it will depend on every single user where and what preferences he has.

[@BeardedTinker]

There is market for each one of them. For me motion detection is enough in 99% cases. Presence sensor is not something I'm actively looking at. But there are definitely areas where it's better than just having motion.

[@drumslapper]

Ordered 6, was waiting for something cost effective.

[@BeardedTinker]

Wasn't expecting that price TBH - I thought that 20$ would me minimum or 25 most likely...

[@drumslapper]

@@BeardedTinker ya awesome. Using ZHA so I hope all the sensor attributes are accessible.

[@BeardedTinker]

@@drumslapper as in video - currently only presence one is visible. And that should be enough for some use cases.

[@drumslapper]

I'm having issues with these on my 5ghz wifi. Since these work in that range, I believe it is swamping my network. Investigating the issue.

[@BeardedTinker]

ZigBee ones? Have you tested your frequency and channels before setting up ZigBee. Try to avoid channels that overlap between WiFi and ZigBee.

[@1Poe]

Ha ha, I too have same problem with my wife…. Especially when I start playing on my desk with esp32….. those wires will take us down someday! :)

[@BeardedTinker]

😂 - I have to keep low here - there are just to many packages arriving and stuff all over the place. If it's just cables, I'm ok with that 😂

[@__-io3fb]

Hey there! Great video. I did wonder something, the biggest issue I've had with something like ZY-M100 is the awful reporting time. These devices are awfully chatty and having more than a couple crashes my whole network. Could you share with us the reporting time of this sonoff sensor? Thank you in advance. (ps: if anyone knows how to fix that issue with zy-m100, I'd gladly try anything at this point)

[@macartanmcquaid22]

Does this sensor not show the light level in HA? On the Sonoff website it says that it has light level sensor but when I pair it in ZHA I only shows motion and occupancy. Without a light level sensor I’ve no way to only turn on a light if it gets dark 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@BeardedTinker]

There is light sensor and it's working ih HA, BUT only with Z2M - ZHA currently doesn't expose it. But that's whole other ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT story - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXfOnYqsg7WFedE

[@macartanmcquaid22]

@@BeardedTinker Thanks for the reply, appreciated 😎 I thought Z2M was just more advanced but you would still get the same access to the sensors with ZHA… So, from looking at your listed video, it’s probably just a matter of waiting until it get included in ZHA… I should have researched better before buying these.. Thanks again 👍🏻

[@macartanmcquaid22]

Hi there, I switched over to Z2M and re-added the devices. The Sonoff presence sensor now shows luminance albeit very limited, only shows bright & dim. However, when trying to access the luminance in an automation it isn’t available to use, I’ve never saw this before, have you? Thanks, Mac

[@BeardedTinker]

@@macartanmcquaid22 you should have sensor with illuminance with state bright or dim. You can use that as condition in automation.

[@BeardedTinker]

@@macartanmcquaid22 - same as with motion sensor, in condition try using entity state and not device state. This should work: condition: state entity_id: sensor.snzb_06p_illumination state: dim

[@ronm6585]

Thanks B.T.

[@BeardedTinker]

Any time Ron! Thank you!

[@stevephipps9305]

I too use aqara motion's this unit would be nice except for the range.4m to me is pretty much useless. I most all of my cases I need a range of 20 to 30 ft.

[@BeardedTinker]

Yeah, that will not do form what I've tested.

[@thewifigirts2224]

Still looking for most suitable and also simple solution to turn off/on an AC unit by an occupancy sensor. Some products are not available for the EU market, some are. Can anyone point out to a working solution, please? Wifi is available and also a Raspberry with HomeAssistant is available to use. Thanks!

[@BeardedTinker]

There are few things you may try, I'll start with what I use, but that's also maybe the most expensive option - tado AC controller. Next, I would recommend something like ZigBee or WiFi IR blaster. I did a video a few weeks ago about ZigBee one. But there are WiFi versions too.

[@thewifigirts2224]

Thank you! Tado dont seem to have the presence sensor integrated, or im not seeing one that has? My initial idea was to use one of modern presence sensor with assistant automation and trigger the power of the AC with a compatible relay. That is a solution I am seeking guidance for. @@BeardedTinker

[@BeardedTinker]

Tado does have presence data - I pull it in HA, but just as suplement to data from HA Companion app on mobile phones. BUT - not sure if AC controller also pushes that to HA, as I've had from earlier tado thermostat and valves. Since app uses tracker to see if AC/heating need to be on or off and when to start or stop heating or cooling, my guess is that it does send it for AC too. Your idea is simples, that for sure - just make sure AC will start if you just power it on and not go in standby.

[@thewifigirts2224]

@@BeardedTinker Thanks! So in your opinion what sensor and relay should I go for?

[@luk318]

Hi. Are You still using Sonoff P version of dongle with Z2M and it works, or switched to E version or different dongle?

[@BeardedTinker]

I don't use E version - I have it on stock firmware but haven't had time to tackle the upgrade to better FW. As for P dongle - I do use it, but mixed with others. For testing I use P dongle, SkyConnect and Yellow with Skyconnect. For my setup, I have old(er) slae.sh stick (similar to P).

[@tedev]

why don't we have the LUX sensor appearing him Home Assistant? what happened

[@BeardedTinker]

Really not sure. Would need to remove support from ZB2MQTT and try to add it by hand to see what is exposed but missing.

[@Merwenus]

how does it compare to FP2?

[@BeardedTinker]

Good question - can't tell you as I avoid Aqara lately for newer products and haven't tested it. I still have older devices and buy those, but nothing newer. I presume that FP2 has higher range, more configuration options + much higher price.

[@fenorify]

What is the reference for the zigbee zone sensor ?

[@BeardedTinker]

As in this one has no zones, while some others has? EP1, EP Lite and some others do.

[@fenorify]

@@BeardedTinker Thanks for the info. Device looks interesting, however it seems not to be Zigbee compatible.

[@BeardedTinker]

Ok, so ZigBee one with zones. Aqara? Did you see that one?

[@fenorify]

@@BeardedTinker Yes I got the FP1 which is great and can manage enter / leave (right / left). You can also intercept those events in combination with Presence state to make a counter which is great but I don't think we can go as far as FP2 do, which is a Wifi product :/

[@barygol]

Miles behind the Aqara sensor

[@BeardedTinker]

That's right, and also 1/3 of a cost 😉

[@RepairGuyDK]

I think you might need a New wife if a cable Will get you a divorce ... Hahah 😝. Nobody Will ever stop My Smarthome rampage...... Lets gooooo 😎

[@BeardedTinker]

😉😇😂 Working on it, but let's keep it quiet for now 😂😂😂

[@justatiger6268]

I prefer constant power to batteries. These are a pain to keep track of and ultimately expensive, not to mention the heavy metal ecological component.

[@BeardedTinker]

I'm divided here - for some things, power is better, for others, I need batteries. Also, most of them are optimised and battery lasts 2+ years (for CR2032) or can be recharged (AA or AAA).

[@philipp1960]

you other half complains about the wire? you can hide those devices in any cupboard hidden away with the cables as they don't need line of sight.

[@BeardedTinker]

True, if you have them - we have open space, white walls and paintings - no cupboards 😂

[@74357175]

There's got to be a way to tune the zones and sensitivity, easily, before we xan deploy these widely and not suffer constant false positives or negatives.

[@BeardedTinker]

New EP Lite from Lewis will be a bit more expensive in price but will have zones and ability to configure sensitivity.

[@rolliseventeen]

price is good, USB connection is a joke. will make some on my own.

[@BeardedTinker]

Battery powered? If you do, drop a link. Would love to see it.

[@rolliseventeen]

@@BeardedTinker no battery, i want to use them with the wled power. have 5V up to 12v there. may need a step down pololu similar board.

[@a1dox]

I think "USB connection is a joke" is a little unkind. For most users it's simple, cheap and convenient. If you have something less common, like a QuinLED baord with convenient DC power, about $6 will get you a DC to USB convertor and save you the hassle of building your own sensor. If you enjoy building your own, that doesn't make the manufacturer's decision a joke, just less suited to your specific needs.

[@CynicAtheist]

These things need to be 18650 powered

[@BeardedTinker]

Yes, but also, it would be so huge due to battery size.

[@CynicAtheist]

​@@BeardedTinkerIt's a good trade-off IMO

[@Olivier.Blanquart]

Hello, do you know if it can be paired with ikea dirigera and exposed to homekit?

[@BeardedTinker]

I don't have new IKEA hub and not using old one anymore. BUT I don't think it can be paired with it, Dirigera needs to have support for it.

[@Olivier.Blanquart]

@@BeardedTinker Thanks anyway. FYI the new dirigera ikea hub supports some third party devices including some sonoff devices, I am hoping it could handle this occupancy sensor, even exposed as a motion sensor would be good enough.

[@PatrickBulteel]

My wife would also kick me out because of all the wires.

[@BeardedTinker]

But she's also right, looks better with no wires

[@PatrickBulteel]

@@BeardedTinker I agree. If I could run the cable behind the wall, etc, that would be great.

[@TengizAdamashvili]

these sensors are complete dogshit. It's always stuck in Detected mode. Completely unusable. Even on the lowest sensitivity. The only time it switches to Undetected is when it's in a box completely static, and even then it goes back and forth between states randomly.

[@BeardedTinker]

Sorry to hear that. I'm still using mine and haven't seen those issues. I't located in very busy place, but it really works nicely - haven't seen any false positive in a long time. What happens when you position it somewhere else? As they are really sensitive it can pick up lot of things (vent, curtains, ...)