Aqara Presence Sensor Comparison: FP1E vs FP2 vs FP300

All three use 60 GHz millimetre-wave radar to recognise small movements that a conventional passive-infrared motion sensor may miss. FP300 combines radar with PIR for a fast initial response while conserving battery. FP1E and FP2 remain continuously powered and can therefore sustain radar operation without a battery-life trade-off.

The largest functional divide is mapping. FP2 can divide a room into named zones and report presence by area. FP1E and FP300 report presence for their detection area rather than an occupant's position on a room map.

FP1E is the simplest of the three to specify. It covers a radial area up to about 6 m with a nominal 120-degree field at distance, detects moving and still states and learns common interference through Aqara's spatial algorithm. Detection range and interference areas can be adjusted in Aqara Home, but the output remains one presence area rather than a floor-plan map.

It requires 5 V power and a compatible Aqara Zigbee 3.0 hub. That makes it appropriate when a USB power route can be planned and the home already uses Aqara Zigbee. Supported hub bridging can expose the occupancy result to Matter platforms, while Aqara Home retains model-specific setup and moving-versus-still functions.

Choose it for a bedroom, study, television area or other room where the automation only needs to know whether somebody remains present. It avoids the mapping work of FP2 and is less dependent on battery-management decisions than FP300.

FP2 is the specialist mapping model. A wall-mounted sensor can monitor a room of up to about 40 square metres, divide the plan into as many as 30 zones and track up to five people, although Aqara notes that the best results are achieved with no more than three. Each configured area can act like a separate occupancy sensor.

This is useful in an open living and dining space. Presence near the sofa, dining table and study desk can control different lights without installing a separate sensor for every area. The map must represent the real geometry: walls, entrances, edges and interference zones need to be marked and tested.

FP2 connects directly by 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and needs constant USB-C power. It does not require an Aqara hub for basic operation. It can expose multiple zone sensors to supported household platforms, but Aqara Home remains the place for the detailed map and advanced configuration.

FP300 combines PIR and 60 GHz mmWave radar. PIR provides a quick response to larger movement; radar maintains occupied status when a person is still. It also reports illuminance, temperature and humidity, so one position can supply both occupancy and basic room-condition data.

Two replaceable CR2450 batteries remove the need for a nearby socket or concealed low-voltage cable. Aqara rates battery life at up to three years in Zigbee mode and two years in Thread mode under its test conditions. Reporting intervals, protocol, occupancy and enabled sensors affect real life, so the estimate is not a maintenance-free guarantee.

In Zigbee mode, a compatible Aqara hub and Aqara Home unlock the manufacturer's configuration and Matter bridging. Thread mode commissions it through a compatible Matter controller and Thread border router. Choose the protocol at the system-design stage; changing modes can require a reset and re-commissioning.

Millimetre-wave radar can respond to movement through some light materials and can be affected by fans, moving curtains, reflective surfaces and activity in an adjacent area. The sensor must face the occupied space without aiming through a doorway or thin partition unless that coverage is intended.

FP1E and FP300 cover a directional area and are often placed in a corner, on a wall or on a ceiling. FP2 zone positioning normally uses a vertical wall position; its separate fall-detection mode requires ceiling placement and disables most zone and presence-mapping functions. One installation cannot provide full zone positioning and fall detection at the same time.

Power routing can decide the model. A planned USB point high on a wall suits FP1E or FP2. A finished room without accessible power may favour FP300 even when continuous power would otherwise be preferable.

Presence automations are usually more sensitive to the absence delay than the initial detection. A bathroom light can turn off shortly after confirmed absence; a study or bedroom should tolerate small movements and brief signal changes without plunging the room into darkness.

Begin with a conservative delay, then reduce it after observing normal use. Do not use one value for every room. Also define what happens when the sensor becomes unavailable: physical wall control should continue to work, and a temporary sensor fault should not trap a light or air-conditioner in an unsafe state.

Use illuminance only if the reading represents the light level that matters. A sensor facing a window or the lamp it controls may see a very different value from the work surface. Test the threshold at several times of day before using it as a hard condition.

For whole-room occupied or empty control, FP1E and FP300 are the direct choices. FP1E suits fixed powered positions and an Aqara Zigbee system; FP300 suits positions where battery operation and environmental readings are more valuable.

For zone-specific lighting, desk-versus-sofa logic or several people in an open room, FP2 supplies information that the other two models do not. That extra data also creates more configuration and testing work. Name zones by function, not geometry, and document the automation that consumes each one.

Presence sensing should make manual control less necessary, not remove it. Keep a wall switch, scene control or app path available for exceptions and guests.