Aqara Just Released a New Motion and Light Sensor
Aqara makes a lot of smart products, but they have established themselves as a smart sensor brand. Their FP2 presence sensor has become a favorite at consumer technology shows in 2023. Aqara is still the leader in the library of sensors for measuring absolutely everything, and they offer sensors that no one else offers. Today they are launching a new motion and light sensor, P2 , which uses the Thread and Matter protocol.
According to the release, the P2 uses an ultra-wide PIR and ambient light sensor and provides light detection up to 23 feet and 170 degrees horizontally. The P2 can measure light intensity independently of motion detection, a new feature for these sensors, and each device has a two-year battery life. The sensitivity of the sensor can be fine-tuned, but this requires the Aqara app and the Matter hub for Aqara. Here, Aqara laid out the roadmap for Matter’s products: Use a multi-system hub like Google Home for common functions like “on” and “off,” but for any customization, you’ll need the Aqara app and hub. Now comes the weird part: for now, you can connect it to any Matter or Thread hub, but you can’t (yet) link it to the Aqara app itself. This will require an M3 hub, which won’t be available until the end of May. At this point you’ll be able to pair it with the Aqara app and do some fine-tuning, which means the P2 version feels a little undercooked to me.
Motion and light sensors provide logic triggers to automate turning lights on and off, but can also control window coverings, smart doors and windows , and act as a basic security alarm. For example, you can program a trigger to turn on the coffee machine the moment someone is detected in the office, or send an alert if someone is in the file room.
P2 connects to any Matter controller with Thread edge router functionality and will work with virtually any smart home platform, including Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings. Aqara has announced or released a number of Thread-based products in recent months, including the Smart Lock U100 and an upcoming hub called the M3. P2 is available starting today for $33.99. I’ll be testing and reviewing both the M3 and P2 in the coming weeks.