Hi everyone, I recently came across some affordable Tuya motion sensors from AliExpress and decided to give them a try. At just $3 each, they seemed like a great deal compared to the more expensive options I usually see. The sensors are incredibly small, much tinier than the SmartThings or Aqara models I’ve used before, which made me curious about their performance.
I paired them with my Home Assistant setup, and while the sensors registered motion events, I noticed something odd. The motion sensor status in Home Assistant didn’t update, and any automations I set up based on these sensors didn’t trigger. This was puzzling because the sensors clearly detected motion—the red light flashed whenever I waved my hand in front of it. I even checked the logs and saw that events were being recorded, but the motion state remained unchanged.
I reached out to the community for advice, and some members suggested checking the sensor’s configuration within Home Assistant. I realized that the default settings might not be compatible with these specific Tuya sensors. After some research, I found that adjusting the sensor’s detection sensitivity and ensuring it was in the correct mode made a difference. I also tried resetting the sensor to factory settings and re-pairing it, which seemed to help stabilize the connection.
While I’m still working on getting the automations to trigger consistently, the experience has been a valuable learning opportunity. It’s amazing how even the smallest devices can offer big potential for smart home automation, especially when you’re willing to experiment a bit. I’d love to hear from others who’ve worked with budget-friendly sensors—what tips or tricks have you found useful?