Hey all! So I’m still pretty new to the whole smart home life (maybe 3 months in?), but I’ve been totally geeking out with my Aqara setup. I’ve got a few motion and contact sensors around the house, and noticed the battery on one of them started dipping faster than I expected. Not dead yet—but enough to send me down the rabbit hole.
Sharing a few things I tried that actually helped stretch the battery life a bit:
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Placement matters way more than I thought. I had one motion sensor pointing directly towards a hallway with tons of movement (aka my hyperactive dog). Guess what, every tail wag was waking it up. I moved it slightly so it monitors movement from a side angle, way fewer triggers now.
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I reduced automation frequency in HomeKit. I had one sensor triggering lights and notifications pretty aggressively (like every tiny door swing). Cut that down by using conditions like idle time or combining with another sensor.
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Temperature swings seem to hit battery faster. I had one in the garage—moved it indoors, and battery drop totally slowed.
I’m sure y’all pros have other hacks—any other battery-saving secrets out there? I’m trying not to replace coin cells every few months lol. Let’s hear what works for you!
Cheers 