Best Motion Sensors for Home Assistant (WATCH before you BUY!)

In this video I review fourteen different smart motion sensors that work with #HomeAssistant using Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA) and Z-Wave JS. I tested each #motionsensor and compare them, so you can decide which one is right for your #smarthome.

Thanks for watching! I hope this review helps you out when you're looking for a motion sensor! I've left affiliate links below for all the products - if you decide to buy one, using the link will help me financially at no additional cost to you! If there are two links, the non-Amazon link is the cheapest price, not including shipping. Thanks!

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Written Version:

-- Motion Sensors in this video --

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DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Background
00:53 Requirements (important!)
01:49 Zigbee Sensors (Aqara)
03:46 Linkind
05:05 Sonoff
06:02 ThirdReality
07:07 AduroSmart
08:23 Centralite
09:46 AGSHOME
10:54 Philips Hue
13:21 Z-Wave Sensors (reminder)
13:52 Zooz 4-in-1 (ZSE40)
16:08 Ecolink
17:50 Zooz Q Sensor (ZSE11)
21:38 Zooz Motion Vibration Sensor (ZSE18)
24:07 Fibaro
25:58 Testing (Temp, Lux, Range-ish)
28:14 Final Thoughts
28:36 Favorites
30:52 Least Favorite
32:00 Thanks for watching!

The socials:

Intro/Outro Music: MDK - Press Start

[subukai]

FYI - For the Hue motion sensor. I purchased mine new on Jan 2019. I just replaced the battery on it when it got to 9% May 2022. This was used in my garage to automate turning lights on. Great compilation review thanks for producing this.

[Mark-fsok]

Another thing to consider: Amazon Echo Dots and Shows have motion (and temperature) sensors built in, and on sale are the same price or cheaper than dedicated sensors. I just bought an Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23.

[rrassoc]

Great video, as always!
I bought the Zooz Z-Wave Plus Motion Sensor ZSE18 with Magnetic Base for my garage, installed magnetically on, and plugged into the same outlet using the microSD cord, as my garage door opener. Incredible little device for the $.

[KenMarshall]

For what it's worth, I have both Philips Hue Motion Sensors and Aqara Motion Sensors. The Aquara sensors use a fairly non standard (and relatively expensive) battery cell CR2450. I get about 9 months out of a $1.50, quality battery, in a busy area (kitchen). On the other hand, I get 2-3 years out of the batteries in the Philips Hue sensor, in busy areas (plus the AAA batteries are cheap and readily available), using rechargables I get 1-2 years out of the Philips Hue sensors.

[makeitworktech]

IMPORTANT UPDATE: After testing a few of your suggestions with the Linkind sensor, I found that it has an FOV that is angled down, and having it rest on a surface (as I did for all my testing) for some reason makes it stay "detected". The sensor is actually pretty great, so I'd add it to the list of recommended devices. Sorry for the issues - I learned a little something!
Also, over the past month the Sonoff has seemed to have some issues with picking up motion (misses triggers), so I don't think I'd recommend it. Thanks for watching!

[garymccrohan]

I just got a switchbot motion/light sensor. I've used it to replace my sonoff sensor, which was constantly false triggering. It's a little pricey, but so far seems to work quite well.

[MartianMoon]

This is an amazing comparison vid, thanks a lot for putting this together

Still my go-to video for selecting a motion sensor! 👍

[DonParlor]

Best motion sensor video so far! Thanks! Very detailed and great for HA users!

[samueldanda]

I must subscribe, I mean you pretty much cover all my requirements for smart devices. Home assistant compatible which is a must, No companies hub required and no cloud ☁️ services required.

Keep up with the great work and please do more smart devices comparison videos covering more devices categories like light switches, rgb light bulbs, alarm systems, cameras, etc

[HATipsByLarry]

Man i noticed how small the aqara motion sensor was in the video but seeing it in person really brings home how tiny it is. Needed something in my bathroom that could detect motion and light as i have a frosted window box in that bathroom that lets in a lot of light in the day time. After seeing your video i bought one and it works perfectly with HA. Thanks for the info, not many motion sensors that also have a light sensor bulit-in. Love that they put in the manual that this is not a toy lol.

[Paul-wduk]

That was a nice & thorough presentation.
Thank you, for sharing.

[PoisonWaffle]

Great comparison video, Aaron! I'm glad to see that the Aqara was on the top of your list for ZigBee 😁

I haven't used Z-Wave yet, just haven't needed to buy an adapter for it yet, but I may have to now. I didn't know there were so many extra options to tweak on some of those sensors. Good excuse to upgrade a few WiFi switches 👍

[iproDIY]

Aqara motion sensor used in conjunction with zigbee2mqtt also shows temperature.

[greggblankman]

A really good video. As someone with a fairly large home automation system your results are pretty close to what I have observed with the sensors on your list that I have used. I do have a couple thoughts on two of the sensors however:

1. I suspect the issue with the Linkind sensor is that the testing was done without the bracket. In addition to holding the unit in place the bracket also acts to determine if the sensor is being tampered with (and sets the motion as active). Also worth noting is that sensors looks in a downward manner so it would need to be placed high on the wall or corner to get the most coverage.

2. The ecolink sensors are unique in that they can be pet immune. So when you leave the house, rover will not trigger the alarm. I have found this works well with cats and smaller dogs. It is also worth noting that if you set the cool down time to the longest length (about 5 minutes) the battery will last for years!! I purchased 5 of them about 5 years ago and have only replaced two batteries. I should also point out that the sensor can be removed from the bracket without opening it.

I am curious to try out the centralite for its occupancy sensor. That may solve a problem I have been working on for some time.

[pfurrie]

Video idea: how to make a smart home that doesn't look like a smart home (no obvious sensors, no visible robot vacuum, switches that work like ole school switches, etc).

[peterpalupski]

Great video! Thanks for your detailed review!

[jaap]

Great video. It's probably THE most comprehensive and complete video on this topic.
I would love a similar video on build in walk switches. Replacement wall switches are either for US or Europe, but build in is universeel and it is surprisingly difficult to find good overviews on this topic. Switches to control the lights would be a fitting addition to this video.

[Quentame]

I have 3 Aeotec ZW100 MultiSensor6, I think they should be on this test : Z-Wave, 6 sensors, battery or USB and router, a lot of configuration.

I’m not really convinced by the testing part, it is making doubts on the importance of having motion sensors, since only some of them seems to work.
Either something should be fixed on the device, or on the test.

Also I would love the see speed motion detection testing: hide somewhere around 1-2 meters, and appears 🥳

Otherwise, good job and nice video 👏

[lukevanderwaal]

Nice video! Only thing that came to mind: if you want the sensors to detect you from further away, position them so you walk from side to side through their FOV. They’ll detect you a lot quicker (or should).