I am switching back to PIRs. mmWave sensors are very nice but unfortunately they do not provide very stable and consistent results. First of all - at least in my case/experience these very lovely Aqara FP2 sensors are nothing more than nice toys. I know, many users are very happy with these sensors but I was not able to get a reliable output from them for automations. They produced too many ghosts well too often resulting in very unreliable automations. For me this is absolutely "no go". Linptech sensors are far more reliable but also have too many problems. First - they are sensitive to basically everything what is moving even a little bit. This includes spinning fans, air flow from AC/Furnace, ability to sense things through the walls, etc. Yes, they are highly configurable but there is very hard to find a right place for placement and fine tune all parameters in order to achieve a reliable and trusted results (basically never ending story). In addition, periodically these sensors stop reporting motion but still reporting lux (so, they are not 100% dead). The only way to restore motion reporting functionality is to recycle a power.
So. after about 4-5 months playing with mmWave sensors I am switching back to PIRs.
PIRs will be a main Triggers for the Rules but I will keep few mmWave sensors (Linptech only) just for holding lights on in a places where somebody could be present but not enough motion to keep PIRs active (i.e. keep lights on).
I think a lot of us have gone this route. I know in my case, I never removed the PIR sensors, I initially just swapped the Linptech in, but rather quickly decided it's better to use both. I have one in a bathroom, pointing at a shower, but despite adjusting settings endlessly, the Linptech triggers as I walk by in the hall, through the wall. Once I put the PIR back into the equation, both active = active, both inactive = inactive, it's been working wonderfully. The other Linptech I use don't have the same through-the-wall issue, simply because of the way they face. I'm sure they are sensing beyond the wall across the room, but that's outside the house and no one walks 12ft off the ground around my neighborhood.
I do similar but my rule is PIR active, turn on; both inactive, start cancellable turnoff timer. PIR activated again cancels timer and light stays on.
Same... The Linptech mmW sensors augment my PIR sensors in my automations, and do what PIR alone didn't do for me, handling shower presence for both glass enclosure and shower curtain showers, and presence in my wife's office when she's sitting stock still.
Same mmW rear-sensing issues in two of my locations, managed by a bit of metal behind the sensor, no longer an issue.
Pet sensing is not a concern for my uses. I'll see what adjustments are required for the one mmW sensor in the office where my wife will use a ceiling fan come summer.
I'm not going back... Happy.
Me to. Also using PIR,s like described above. I cant complain, they are not perfect but are working pretty good for me.
I did not remove them physically either. I simply disabled them logically in a rules and played with mmWaves just to see if I can rely only on mmWaves. This is not a case. But yes, I am going to keep mmWaves in few places but only as a holding sensors. Yes, at least at this time combination of PIR + mmWave is a way to go.
I use both mmWave and PIR. Using both in any given area has greatly increased motion/presence accuracy while also reducing false motion detections. I'm happy. Each has its own benefits but they compliment each other very nicely.
I agree with all of the above (OP and others). I've been experimenting with some mmW devices and right now I am only using one of them under my office desk. It is under the desk because it is next to an outlet that has a USB output.
For many uses they are too sensitive -- and too chatty in most cases. It works great for the office because there isn't anything else in the area that would trigger it.
For the living room I have made a track mounted version but haven't installed it yet.
This should let me focus the mmW on the couch for movie watching. I expect I can adjust it so that it doesn't register the ceiling fan but still gets people on the couch. The final sensor setup will be in a white housing, but black one was just for testing.
I bought 50 of the Iris 2 motion sensors. A combination of the PIR and mmW sensors is the way to go. In addition to the PIR triggers I have a custom lighting app that keeps the lights on longer as you stay in a zone. It lessons the chances that the lights will turn of on you.
I will likely use my other mmW sensors in my workshop. That's a location I would rather the lights be more sensitive. PIR and mmW are both usefull, you just need to find the right use case.
On a similar note... I'm still sorting out my exterior motion sensors. We have a lot of feral cats in the neighborhood. The trick is finding a sensor that is sensitive but doesn't give off a lot of false positives.
Right now I'm experimenting with some Third Reality sensors. I have one on the house facing the street and on on the fence facing the house. Both need to trip to trigger the zone. So far it has cut my false positives way down.
No sensor is one size fits all.
This topic was automatically closed 24 hours after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.