How to use Govee lighting with an Aqara FP300 presence sensor
To automate the lighting in a hallway, the goal was straightforward: a light that turns on automatically as soon as presence is detected, with no manual action required. I therefore installed an Aqara FP300 presence sensor, which is particularly well suited to transit areas, and took advantage of a promotion to add a small rectangular ceiling light from Govee. The one from Aqara was too big ;-).
The FP300 was a natural choice. Unlike a simple motion sensor, it detects actual presence, even when someone remains still for a short period of time. In a hallway or entryway, this avoids unwanted shut-offs and significantly improves day-to-day comfort. The integration is handled within the Aqara ecosystem…
Govee and Matter: what you need to know
Govee is a player in connected lighting. Its product range is extensive, with many formats and lighting effects. One important point must be made clear, however: not all Govee lights are Matter-compatible. Many models, often heavily discounted, can only be controlled via the Govee app only.
That does not make them unusable in a smart-home setup, but it may require intermediary solutions, which will be covered later. For this project, I deliberately chose a Matter-compatible Govee model to keep the integration with Aqara Home as simple as possible.
Adding a Matter-compatible Govee light to Aqara Home
Matter-compatible Govee devices do include a Matter QR code, but there is an important constraint. This QR code can only be used for a few minutes after the light has been powered off and then turned back on. During this short window, the device automatically enters Matter pairing mode.
The pairing process must therefore be performed at power-on. At that moment, you need to add a new Matter device in the Aqara Home app and scan the QR code provided on the product or its documentation. In my case, the process worked immediately, without failures or repeated attempts.
Once the device was added, I simply customized the default configuration:
- renaming the ceiling light with a more descriptive label than the automatically generated name,
- changing the icon so it better matches the type of installed fixture.
Automations using the Aqara FP300
From there, the automation logic remains intentionally simple. Two rules are enough to cover everyday use.
The first automation turns on the Govee ceiling light when the FP300 detects presence. I also defined an execution time window, with a start and end time: there is no need to turn on the light during the day when natural light is sufficient.
The second automation automatically turns the light off when the FP300 no longer detects anyone in the area. Thanks to the FP300’s continuous presence detection, the behavior is smooth and consistent, with no unexpected shut-offs.
Overall, the integration is very solid. One limitation remains: the lighting themes and advanced effects available in the Govee app are not exposed via Matter. From Aqara Home, the light can be controlled in a standard way (on/off, brightness, color depending on the model), but without access to Govee-specific scenes. This limitation is due to the current state of the Matter specification.
Using the Govee ceiling light in other platforms
One of Matter’s key strengths is the ability to use the same device across multiple platforms at the same time: Home Assistant, Google Home, Homey, or Apple HomeKit.
The original Matter QR code can only be used once, for the initial pairing. To add the device to another platform, you must generate a new Matter pairing code. This is easily done in Aqara Home: open the Matter device settings, go to the Matter section, and select “Matter pairing code”. The newly generated code can then be copied or scanned from another platform.
(In French, Code d’appairement du Matter)
By the way, there’s a typo here. It should be « Code d’appairement de Matter. »
In my setup, I was able to add the ceiling light to HomeKit without any issues, while keeping it fully active in Aqara Home. Multi-platform coexistence works exactly as expected.
How to use a non-Matter Govee device
For non-Matter Govee devices, direct integration into Aqara Home is not possible. You must rely on a third-party platform capable of acting as a bridge, such as Homey or Home Assistant. Personally, I chose Homey, which I found simpler and more reliable for Govee lighting.
The first step is to obtain a Govee API key. This is done from the Govee app, in the user profile: open settings (the gear icon), then select “Request an API key”. The key is sent by email and should be kept safe.
(Govee App, Profile options)
Once the API key is available, non-Matter Govee devices can be added to Homey, either locally (when supported by the model) or via the Govee cloud API. The devices then appear as standard accessories within the platform.
They can then be exposed to Matter using a bridge:
- via the Matter Bridge app in Homey,
- or via an equivalent module in Home Assistant, such as MatterBridge module.
Once shared over Matter, these devices can be added to Aqara Home like any other Matter accessory. The process is more involved than with a natively compatible product, but it makes it possible to integrate non-Matter Govee lights—and more generally other non-Matter devices—without replacing hardware that is still perfectly functional.
In the end, whether using Matter-compatible or non-Matter Govee products, there are now practical ways to integrate them cleanly into an Aqara ecosystem and build reliable automations around the Aqara FP300 presence sensor.
Hope this helps.