A highly-sensitive motion sensor for a bed matress

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I’m looking for a sensor device that will detect when I begin to stir in the morning. The idea is that if motion is detected then I’m either waking up or in a light phase or sleep so it’s a good time for setting off alarm clock/lights. i am trying to avoid ripping myself out of REM sleep and waking up groggy.

I’ve tried the Aqara vibration sensor but even on high sensitivity it was nowhere near sensitive enough.

Anyone know of a device that will meet me requirements?

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I understand that the Apple Watch or its paired iPhone can do this… I wonder if there might be a way to link this functionality with Homekit somehow…?

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I think that the just released Aqara FP2 Presence Sensor should be able to perform that functionality for both sides of a bed (from a single sensor) with the right configuration. I personally currently have a pair of FSR (Force Sensitive Resistors) under the mattress that interface to Hubitat via a pair of Shelly Uni’s that give me both In Bed Detection status and a Quality Of Sleep (QOS) Metric I calculate using Rule Machine. The QOS metric is really quite interesting and insightful but I haven’t thought of using it for your ‘alarm pre activation’ use case. I might try that out to see how consistent it is.

The reason I mention the FP2 is because I am going to try it out as an alternative In Bed Detection device to my FSR’s. A single FP2 would be cheaper solution to the pair of FSR/Shelly’s I currently use but would require someone to write a new driver or update the current FP1 driver (new device is WiFi not ZigBee). Or you could bring it into Hubitat via Home Assistant which is what I will probably so in the short term.

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I have two devices that track my sleep...a Sleep Number bed and an older Fitbit. Both appear to track some combination overall movement, heart rate, and breathing rate to evaluate if you are sleeping and how well. Both of them also appear to offload this data analysis to the "cloud" for processing, and then report it back after the fact in their app. The difference between my resting and sleeping heart rate is only 6 beats per minute, for example. It seems like a stretch to get this level of precision from a normal motion or vibration sensor.

[EDIT: Fitbit looks to have a feature called Smart Wake that does exactly what you are describing. It requires a newer watch than mine, so i can't offer any opinion on how it works. Probably similar to the Apple Watch app noted above. ]

The FP2 could be an option, though. I've just seen a couple marketing promotions for it, but it does seem capable of pretty precise movement tracking. I'm curious how all the movement data can be handled in an automation platform like HE or HA. It seems to me that you would need some fairly robust software/processing to really make use of it's full capabilities.

In the meantime, I'm working on a more gentle wake up routine myself. This morning was my first day using a full color bulb and a rule to simulate a sunrise effect.

If I need to add more "stimuli" I will likely look at adding some gentle soundscapes with increasing volume and intensity. Something like this... but lower cost.

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Have you tried this yet? My FP2 is on its way and my bedroom seems like the first place I'll give it a go.

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i would suggest putting this one right next to you on the nightstand. https://www.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Motion-ZSE18-Magnetic-SmartThings/dp/B07FHL7J11/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1NOR3JISXEJ&keywords=zwave+motion&qid=1683974923&sprefix=zwavw+motion%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-4 it runs on battery but i love that it can run on USB too. It is easy to pair, reliable and crank the sensitivity up and it will see you moving in bed. Great product. i have tons of them. 30 bucks, try it. j

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That’s what I have done and it has been flawless when paired with a Withings bed sensor.

I have a notification that tells me when I’m in/out of bed, and have the same for my wife to gauge how well it works. I find that:

  • With only the Withings bed sensor, it will often detect both our presence when only one of us is in bed but too close to the middle of the mattress.
  • With notifications when both the sensors detect one of us in bed, it will send constant notification, so I assume that the FP2 will detect our presence, lose it, get it again, etc. I setup the rule to avoid repetitive notification as it can be a bit of an issue when trying to fall asleep… :joy:
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For the OP's use, I'm assuming he'd want to try to differentiate between simply "rolling over" and starting to wake up / get restless. With the Zooz PIR, I'm guessing you'd need to be confident that it can "see" your infrared signature even when you're under the covers, use a very short reset time (active back to inactive), and some type of "scoring" system (5 triggers in one minute, for example). Seems like a challenge to get working reliably.

I'm curious if the FP2 has any built in configuration/sensitivity options that might make this automation a bit simpler. With its on board processing power and the ability to detect presence withot motion this seems possible. And for my potential use, I'll also need to wait for the FP2s promised firmware update to add the "pet filtering" capability.

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Zooz ZSE18 - like for many reasons, the base is magnetic and you can aim the IR trigger area very well. If it were me i would have it on the nightstand and point it up rather than horizontal. Shoot it over the bed enough to where it doesn't trip unless you sit up and break the plane.

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