I have read mix reviews of mmwave, devices they all seem to have some kind of flaw so I have yet to switch from PIR. Also I am still not crazy about dealing with power, so I have really been holding out for battery devices.
Right now I just use multiple PIR sensors, but if you are too still obviously its an issue. The room is fairly large at 24x24ft with a 12ft tray ceiling.
The bed is basically centered in the middle of one wall, so the distance from the two closest corners of the room would be a good 12-15ft to where you would be laying down.
I use an Aqara FP2 in our large bedroom and it has worked well. It sits on top of my TV in the center of the wall across from the bed.
There isn’t a direct HE integration though. You could pair it with SmartThings and bring it over or use Home Assistant. I personally have mine paired to Home Assistant using the local HomeKit service and use HADB to integrate it with HE.
I started using the Limptech ES1, also branded as Moes, Zigbee Tuya presence sensors. There is a Hubitat driver that integrates them to the hub without needing a Tuya hub.
I use two of them in a large room, as each can get about half. I mount them high in the corners of the room, on the top edge of doors and windows, and run the wires down the moldings. They seem to do well looking down at an angle. Half the room is Kitchen/Dining, the other half is Living Room, and the two sensors are set to split the rooms without much crossover, so I know which side of the room is active.
I have not had issues with false triggers, though be careful what is on the other side of some walls, and set the sensitivity so it will not get things in the next room or lower floor. I had to do a lot of testing with position and sensitivity settings by walking around with my phone, but once I got it dialed in it has been solid.
I saw those and noticed they had a ceiling mount one as well. But didn't they have issues with becoming unresponsive after a period of time requiring a power cycle? And were very chatty on the Zigbee network.
I have had them for almost a year now and I never had one go unresponsive. I had three and I just added two more about a month ago, no issues with those either.
Only thing I have seen is that sometimes they do not come back after a hub reboot, but most of the time they do. If not, I unplug them and plug them back in.
I do not see where they are very chatty, looking at my logs they are about as chatty as a PIR motion sensor.
My experience with mmWave sensors is not very existing.
Two FP2 sensors are in the "maybe" box because even with latest firmware they are leaving ghosts well too often and therefore cannot be used in automations.
Initially I was very happy with Linptech sensors but these becomes unresponsive within 6-8 weeks and the only "fix" is to recycle power. This is better than dealing with ghosts but still unacceptable. So, all Linptech sensors joined FP2.
Currently I am using Meross MS600 sensors (they replaced Linptech) and so far so good. No ghosts and still responsive. However initial calibration was s bit painful.
This is what I don't want to deal with. My current Zigbee sensors I don't have to touch, they just work and have been for years at this point with very little issues.
I will check this one out as well, although looks like you cannot order it on Amazon.
So? It is a rare event and it only happens on reboots, and a very easy fix. None have just "gone" unresponsive on their own like you say. Last several reboots doing updates I have actually had no issues with them, so that may have been fixed in a hub update.
Point is, apparently your issues are not universal with these sensors, and I have been very happy with them.
Unfortunately this is very well known problem with Linptech/Moes mmWave sensors.
It is very good if they are working well in your case.
All my automations are hands free and even random single failure is not acceptable.
Oops, actually Kasa. $6 ea vs $30+ has enabled a completely reliable sensor. Where mine are located the small additional smart plug is of no aesthetic consequence.
From the thread here it seems like this was happening more often, likely weekly no?
I wonder if this has been confirmed to be an issue with both the WiFi and ZIgbee versions. The issues could be Zigbee mesh related, even down to the neighbor devices that the sensors are using as a repeater.
Has it been confirmed the issue exists on both the C8 and C7 as well?
I had 4 Zigbee Linptech sensors installed (now all replaced with MS600). In my case the failure frequency was 6-8 weeks. Few other users reported the same thing. But in some cases failure could be more often. At least one user is very happy with this toys. Somebody is OK to install extra smart plug for periodic Linptech power cycling. I am not the one who will do this.
I have no any idea about WiFi version behavior.
I cannot be 100% sure but to my eyes this failure is not related to the Zigbee mesh stability.
I tried this sensors on C7 and C8 Pro hubs. Unfortunately the behavior is the same.
Just a thought, and I know you do not like work-arounds, but the driver has a refresh command available. I've had problem devices in the past that an occasional refresh would keep it connected. I had a piston in Webcore that just refreshed it a few times a day.
Here is what the driver does with refresh, maybe it would keep it responding:
