I know Aqara is readying the new battery-powered presence sensor, which might or might not replace the mains-powered FP2, the beast, or the FP1E for a single room without all the bells and whistles of the FP2 but still highly capable. But to me, the most important question is- can a battery-powered mmWave presence sensor ever replace a mains-powered one? I highly doubt. If the Aqara FP300 ends up being like the ThirdReality R1- nothing but a simple motion sensor, I’d not be surprised.
My guess would be something more stripped down than the FP2 and closer to the FP1E. I would hope for a bit more than what ThirdReality did though. But, a well executed yet simple presence sensor could be highly useful.
The challenge with mmWave presence sensors is power consumption, because they continuously emit radar waves to detect even micro-movements.
Aqara had a smart idea: combine a motion (PIR) sensor with a presence (mmWave) sensor. In this design, the PIR is always active, and only when it detects motion does it “wake up” the mmWave sensor. The mmWave then continuously monitors the room until no one is present anymore, after which it turns off again and the PIR goes back to being the only active part.
From the design alone, I would expect this new device to function similarly to the FP1E, without the zone detection features of the FP2. We’ll have to see how long the battery will last – especially if the sensor is installed in a room where people spend long periods of time, like a bedroom.
In such cases, I would still recommend a mains-powered presence sensor, because it can run full-time without worrying about battery drain.
Always remember: “If your car is smarter than your home… you’re driving into the future while living in the past” ![]()
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