FP300 Direct Connect Not Working with SmartThings/Aeotec + Home Assistant (No Aqara Hub)

Everything Matter
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I’m trying to use the Aqara FP300 with SmartThings/Aeotec Hub and Home Assistant without an Aqara hub.

The FP300 is currently connected over Matter/Thread and works in SmartThings, but when I try to use the “Direct Connect” feature in the Aqara app, I get the error:

“This device wasn’t found or it isn’t currently compatible.”

I already:

  • Removed and re-added the device
  • Factory reset the FP300
  • Confirmed it works in SmartThings
  • Tried pairing through the Aqara app again

My goal is to access advanced settings like:

  • occupancy timeout
  • sensitivity
  • update/report frequency

without buying an Aqara hub.

Is Direct Connect supposed to work with SmartThings/Aeotec Matter controllers, or does the FP300 require an Aqara controller/hub for those settings?

Also, is there any way to expose the advanced settings through Home Assistant or Matter currently?

Thanks.

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Hi.

Every ecosystem (SmartThings, Home Assistant, Aqara) needs its own Matter Controller (hardware or software) to manage its connection to a Matter device. Your Aeotec Hub acts as both a Matter Controller for SmartThings and a Thread Border Router for the Thread network, but it cannot act as the Matter Controller for Aqara Home or Home Assistant.

The Aqara Home app cannot act as a standalone software controller for Matter-over-Thread devices. For the Aqara app to communicate with the FP300, it strictly requires an Aqara Matter Controller (like the Hub M3).

If you want to use the FP300 in Home Assistant, you must install the Matter Server Add-on as a software Matter Controller.

The Aeotec Smart Home Hub functions as the Matter Controller for SmartThings.

Regarding the advanced settings through Home Assistant: According to the official specifications (as shown in the technical sheet), you can adjust the “Absence period” and “Radar sensitivity” via Matter, but only if you use the FP300 in Home Assistant (with the Matter Server Add-on) or Aqara Home (with an Aqara Hub). The other advanced settings (such as detection mode, range adjustment, or update/report frequency) are not supported over Thread at all and are only possible via the Zigbee protocol.

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image1204×998 72.2 KB

Image Source: Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300: 5-in-1 Detection

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For those who want to have the device fully integrated into SmartThings: you can use my SmartThings Edge Driver for the Aqara FP300 (Zigbee).

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Hello @zamadian12
To connect the FP300 to Aqara Home, you need an Aqara hub with Thread support.

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@andreas_roedl Hi , Thank you for sharing the driver, I have added it to my collection.
:omzdu6fxikcn5wgqqcyj9q_62:

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You can also add my other SmartThings Zigbee Edge Drivers:

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Thanks for sharing. I’m not using SmartThings myself but this might be helpful to others!

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