Aqara FP300 in a Bathroom: Real-World Setup, Presence Detection & Apple Home Automations

[luis_javier]

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on integrating the Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300 into my Apple Home setup, and I wanted to share my experience while also learning how other users are configuring theirs.

My goal is not simply to detect motion. I want the bathroom to react intelligently to actual presence, especially during situations where a traditional PIR motion sensor can easily fail — such as showering, standing relatively still, or remaining in the room without significant movement.

My setup

My smart home is primarily built around Apple Home, with Aqara devices handling several of the sensors and automations.

For the bathroom, I’m experimenting with the FP300 as the main environmental and presence sensor, taking advantage of its combination of:

• mmWave presence detection
• PIR motion detection
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Ambient light detection

The idea is to use these different measurements together instead of treating the FP300 as just another motion sensor.

The automation I’m trying to build

One of my main goals is a smarter shower/bathroom automation.

For example:

Presence detected → bathroom becomes active

Then, depending on conditions:

Presence + increased humidity → shower/bathroom ventilation logic

And when the room is genuinely vacant:

No presence for a defined period → lights and other bathroom accessories can turn off automatically.

This is exactly where I think mmWave becomes much more useful than traditional motion detection.

A PIR sensor may eventually stop detecting someone who is relatively still. The FP300 should theoretically allow the automation to understand the difference between “no movement” and “nobody is actually here.”

Apple Home integration

I’m particularly interested in how far we can take this logic while keeping Apple Home as the primary smart-home interface.

I prefer having the home controlled through Apple Home while using Aqara’s more advanced sensor capabilities behind the scenes.

Ideally, I’d like the bathroom to behave naturally enough that manual switches become the exception rather than the normal way of controlling it.

What I’m currently testing

I’m paying particular attention to:

1. Presence sensitivity
   Finding the balance between detecting very small movements and avoiding unnecessary detections.

2. Detection range
   Making sure the FP300 covers the bathroom correctly without detecting activity outside the intended area.

3. Presence-clear delay
   This may be one of the most important parameters. Lights shouldn’t turn off because someone has remained still, but the room also shouldn’t stay “occupied” long after everyone has left.

4. Humidity behavior
   I’m interested in using humidity changes as another condition for shower-related automations rather than relying exclusively on presence.

5. Apple Home behavior
   I’m testing which FP300 capabilities are exposed directly to Apple Home and which advanced settings still need to be configured through Aqara Home.

What I ultimately want

Instead of:

Motion → Light ON

I’m aiming for something closer to:

Presence + environment + time + room state → appropriate action

That is the kind of automation that, in my opinion, makes a smart home actually feel smart rather than simply remotely controlled.

Questions for FP300 users

I’d be interested to know how others are configuring the FP300:

• What sensitivity and detection range have worked best for you?
• What presence-clear delay are you using?
• Has anyone created a reliable humidity-based shower/exhaust-fan automation?
• Are you using the FP300 primarily through Aqara Home, Apple Home, or both?
• Have you experienced false presence or delayed vacancy detection?

I’ll continue testing my setup and can update this thread with the settings and automation logic that work best in real-world use.

Hopefully this can also become a useful reference for other FP300 users building bathroom automations.

Aqara × Apple Home × Smart Living

[technotron007]

I like that you are treating the FP300 as a combined source of context instead of a motion switch. In my Home Assistant setup, presence decides whether a room’s readings should matter, while temperature and humidity decide what the climate logic should do.

For a shower automation, I would watch the change in humidity over time instead of relying only on one fixed threshold, because the normal baseline can shift with the season. Presence together with a fast humidity rise could start ventilation, while vacancy and a return toward the previous baseline could stop it. That should behave more naturally than a fixed timer.

[brachetta]

Hi!

I have a similar (working) setup.

I placed the FP300 on the ceiling, connected via Zigbee and exposed to Apple Home.
On the wall, I have two switches, one for the lights and the other for the fan/extractor.
I placed an Aqara dual relay T2 behind the switches: it can control both of them (you will need access to the neutral wire for it to work) and then the T2 controls both the fan and the lights.
Then I created the automations: presence triggers the lights, rising humidity above a value triggers the fan to turn on, humidity below some percentage triggers it to turn off.
I managed those two automations within Aqara: although everything gets exposed to Apple Home, in this case there’s no need to bypass the Aqara ecosystem.
It works perfectly, and of course I can additionally control both fan and lights through Apple Home if necessary, but so far the automations take care of all my needs.

Hope this helps!

[cqtiger_wright]

I wouldn’t waste anymore money on the FP300. Had one for a few months and it is not accurate.

Example: I have sat in my lounge room for over 2 hours now and it sensed Presence for 1 hr and 50 minutes, then No Presence for the last 15 minutes.

I have been sitting here all this time.

And yes I have tried different settings and same inaccuracy every time. I suppose it’s not that expensive for a reason

[markus]

Great write-up! I definitely agree with using the rate of humidity rise rather than a fixed threshold for the fan automation. Seasonal baselines make static triggers a headache.

Have you noticed any mmWave reflections causing false presence triggers off glass shower doors or metallic fixtures?