Looking for Best Aqara FP2 Positioning Advice (Bedroom & Living Room)

General
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Hi everyone,

I’m new to the Aqara ecosystem and am slowly setting up a number of FP2 presence sensors. My aim is to get the sensor positions right from the start so that my automations work reliably, rather than spending weeks fault-finding and becoming frustrated.

Bedroom Setup

I’ve currently installed an FP2 in the top corner of the bedroom, angled down towards the doorway. The bed sits slightly below the sensor’s current line of sight.

One of the automations I’d like to create is for the sensor to recognise when somebody sits up in bed or gets out of bed, and then trigger low-level lighting so they can safely see where they’re going during the night.

My questions are:

  • What mounting height have people found works best in a bedroom?
  • Is a high corner position generally recommended, or is it better to mount lower?
  • How well does the FP2 detect someone sitting upright in bed versus lying still?
  • Are there any particular settings or zone configurations that improve bed occupancy detection?

Living Room Setup

I’ve also got another FP2 ready to install in the living room. My initial plan was to place it in a top corner of the room, facing towards the 2 doors opposite. This corner is above the sofa.

My concern is detecting people who are sitting or reclining on the sofa, particularly when they are watching TV and not moving much.

  • Should the sensor be mounted lower so it is more aligned with head and torso height when seated?
  • Is a corner mount sufficient, or have people found they need a second FP2 on the opposite wall for reliable presence on the sofa?
  • What’s the maximum practical distance you’ve found for accurate detection of someone sitting still?

Sofa Question

One final question:
If the FP2 is mounted lower than the height of the sofa back, will the millimetre-wave radar detect a person reclining behind the sofa, or does the furniture create too much of a barrier?

I’m really looking for real-world experiences and recommendations for positioning, mounting height, and room layouts that have worked well for others.

Thanks in advance for any advice, photos, diagrams, or examples of successful setups.

2 Likes
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@SteveG Great questions — getting FP2 placement right from the start definitely saves a lot of tuning later. Here’s what the reference docs and typical setups suggest for your scenarios:

Bedroom

Mounting height & position: Corner mounting is actually well-supported for the FP2. For zone detection, corner mounting with a 45° bracket eliminates FOV dead zones and gives you a 7×7m detection area (14×14 grids) . However, your specific goal — detecting sit-up/get-out transitions — is tricky because the FP2 detects presence via energy state changes, not precise posture .

For bed occupancy specifically, the FP1 docs note that wall-side mounting angled downward toward the bed works better than high corners for detecting stationary/sleeping targets, and mounting at the foot of the bed is not recommended . While these are FP1 notes, the radar principle translates: lower and closer to bed height generally improves detection of subtle movements versus someone lying still.

Settings to tune:

  • Increase presence detection sensitivity for the bed zone — higher sensitivity reduces false “no presence” triggers when someone is stationary
  • Set the bed area as a distinct zone and consider edge/interference annotations if you have curtains, plants, or other moving objects nearby

Living Room & Sofa

Height alignment: Yes — if the sofa is your primary concern, mounting lower (more aligned with seated torso/head height) will generally improve detection of still-sitting occupants. The FP300 docs recommend 1.4–1.8m for side wall installs to cover both standing and seated positions . The FP2’s 120° horizontal FOV and 8m radial range are generous, but detection quality depends on the radar “seeing” the human target, not just theoretical range.

Corner above sofa vs. second sensor: A single corner mount can work, but if the sofa back creates a physical barrier or the angle is too steep, you may miss subtle movements. The FP2 doesn’t “see through” substantial furniture — if the sofa back is between the sensor and a reclining person, detection degrades. For reliable coverage of a large seating area, two sensors on opposing walls is a common community approach, though not officially required.

Maximum practical distance for still-sitting detection: This is where lab specs get fuzzy. The 8m radial distance [“content_id”:3"] is for detection; accurate still-person detection at distance depends on interference, angle, and how much body surface the radar captures. Most users find 4–5m more practical for reliable stationary detection.

Your Specific Sofa Question

If the FP2 mounts lower than the sofa back height, a person reclining behind it will likely be partially or fully blocked. Millimeter-wave radar doesn’t penetrate solid furniture well — it reflects off surfaces. The sofa back will create a shadow zone. For that layout, either mount higher to clear the back, or position to the side where the radar has line-of-sight to the seating area.

This information comes from community discussions and user experience summaries and may vary by environment. Please verify carefully.

Want to share your room dimensions and ceiling height? That would help narrow down whether one corner FP2 can realistically cover your sofa zone, or if you’re in two-sensor territory.

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The Living room is: 3.96m x 3.86m x 2.4m

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@SteveG That’s a really compact space — roughly 15.3 m² with a 2.4 m ceiling, so you’re well within the FP2’s theoretical coverage on paper. At that size, a single corner-mounted FP2 can absolutely work, but your sofa placement relative to the corner will make or break the experience.

Given the ceiling height is on the lower side, mounting high in the corner above the sofa actually puts you closer to the ~2 m range where the radar starts to lose subtle seated movement. With only 2.4 m to work with, I’d lean toward mounting on the side wall at 1.4–1.8 m rather than the top corner — this keeps seated occupants in the sweet spot for torso detection without the steep downward angle from above[“content_id”:7"].

For your 3.96 m × 3.86 m room, the diagonal is about 5.5 m, so even wall-mounted at 1.6 m height, you’d have the full room within the 8 m radial range[“content_id”:1"][“content_id”:3"]. The key question is whether your sofa sits against the wall opposite your planned corner, or along a side wall — that determines if the sensor gets clear line-of-sight to seated positions or if the sofa back becomes a barrier.

If the sofa is against the far wall and you’re mounting in the corner above it, a person reclining would definitely be shadowed. In that case, shifting to the adjacent wall at seated height gives you a better angle across the cushions rather than down onto the top of the backrest.

What’s the sofa placement — against a wall, floating in the room, or under that corner? That’ll help nail down whether one sensor suffices or if you need to plan for a second down the line.

1 Like
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I run five FP2s. Aqara’s manual says wall mount for zone detection, logo level, about 8 m range and 120° wide. Ceiling is only for fall detection. For the bed, manual says use high sensitivity in bedrooms. Your living room is small enough that one wall-mounted unit should cover it. Test it by walking out. If it doesn’t show absence within 30 seconds, something’s interfering.

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I’ve got my FP2 in the corner of the bedroom, but if i angle it more to “see” the bed, then it can’t “see” the door, and visa versa.
So incerasing it’s sensitivity will sort this out?