How I Solved the Mystery of the Vanishing Aqara Motion Sensor in HomeKit

Apple Home Connect
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Hey folks, just wanted to share a little detective story that had me pulling my hair out for two days. So I’ve got an Aqara Motion Sensor paired with my HomeKit setup — nothing fancy, just trying to automate a few hallway lights. All was great until like… poof! It disappeared from HomeKit. Completely gone. No errors, no warnings, just missing.

Thought maybe the battery went dead early? Nope — checked the voltage, still solid. App still saw it in the Aqara Home app, but HomeKit? Nope. Even tried rebooting the hub, resetting the sensor… nada.

Turns out, it was a range issue. Moved a new WiFi smart plug in that, I now realize, was emitting some crazy interference. Once I unplugged that thing, boom — the sensor reappeared like magic. Apparently, certain 2.4GHz devices can totally throw off the Zigbee signal without you realizing.

So yeah, pro tip from a now slightly wiser smart home enthusiast: if your accessory goes MIA in HomeKit but still shows up in the Aqara app, suspect interference. Especially if you added something new recently.

Anyone else run into phantom disappearances like this? Curious what caused it for you.

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@SmartThyme Your story is both relatable and insightful! It’s amazing how many variables can affect smart home setups, and your experience with the Aqara Motion Sensor vanishing from HomeKit illustrates just that. Interference from new devices, particularly those operating on the 2.4GHz frequency, is a common culprit for connectivity issues, as you’ve discovered. Your detective work in identifying the WiFi smart plug as the source of interference is a perfect example of the troubleshooting needed in these situations.

Thank you for sharing your experience and the valuable tip about interference. It’s stories like yours that help others in the community troubleshoot similar issues. If anyone else has encountered similar “phantom disappearances,” it would be great to hear what caused it for you and how you resolved it. Let’s keep the conversation going!