Frequently Asked Questions
Are cheap AliExpress presence sensors actually good?
Yes, with tuning. Sensors like the Tuya ZY-M100 use the same 24GHz radar technology as units costing three times more. The difference is that budget sensors ship with aggressive default sensitivity and need ten minutes of adjustment in Zigbee2MQTT, while premium sensors like the Aqara FP2 work well out of the box.
What is the difference between mmWave and PIR motion sensors?
PIR sensors detect changes in infrared heat, so they only see movement. Sit still on the couch and the lights go off. mmWave radar detects micro-movements like breathing, so it knows you are still in the room even when you are motionless. That is why mmWave sensors are called presence sensors rather than motion sensors.
Should I buy a Zigbee or WiFi presence sensor?
Zigbee for almost everyone. Zigbee sensors pair with Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA for fully local control, use less power, and do not crowd your WiFi network. The main exception is the Aqara FP2, which uses WiFi because zone tracking needs more bandwidth, and still runs locally through HomeKit.
Do these presence sensors work with Home Assistant?
Every sensor in this comparison works with Home Assistant. The Zigbee models (ZY-M100, SNZB-06P, FP1E, Linptech ES1) pair through Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA. The Aqara FP2 connects through the official Aqara integration or HomeKit. The DIY LD2410B option runs ESPHome, which is a native part of the Home Assistant ecosystem.
The single most common complaint in any smart home is lights that turn off while you are sitting still. PIR motion sensors only see movement, so the moment you settle into the couch with a book, the room decides you left. mmWave presence sensors fix this by detecting micro-movements as small as breathing, and over the last two years they have gone from exotic to cheap.
AliExpress is where this category actually lives. The same OEM hardware that gets rebranded and marked up elsewhere sells there for a fraction of the price, often from the manufacturer’s own store. We compared six options you can order today, from a $4 DIY radar module to the flagship Aqara FP2, and tested what each one is actually good for.
Heads up: this post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How we picked
Every sensor here had to work with Home Assistant without cloud dependency, either through Zigbee2MQTT, ZHA, HomeKit or ESPHome. We weighted stationary detection (does it hold presence while you sit still), false trigger resistance (fans, pets, curtains), range, and the thing review sites usually skip: whether the AliExpress buying experience itself is a minefield of wrong variants.
Our picks at a glance
- Best overall: Aqara FP2. Thirty zones and multi-person tracking in one sensor. Nothing else comes close for open plan rooms.
- Best value: Tuya ZY-M100 (24GHz Zigbee). Around $15 per room makes whole-home presence realistic.
- Best mid-range: Linptech ES1. True 24GHz, native Zigbee2MQTT support, none of the Tuya variant lottery.
- Best for Zigbee purists: Aqara FP1E. Aqara detection quality that pairs straight into Zigbee2MQTT.
- Best for small rooms: Sonoff SNZB-06P. Honest about its limits and dead simple.
- Best for tinkerers: HLK-LD2410B + ESP32. A few dollars per room if you bring the soldering iron.
Before you buy: three things that matter
24GHz beats 5.8GHz
Radar frequency is the spec that separates real presence sensors from glorified motion sensors. 24GHz mmWave resolves the tiny movements of a person at rest. 5.8GHz radar (used in the Sonoff SNZB-06P and many unlabeled Tuya listings) is less precise, sees through thin walls, and gets confused by fans. It still has a place in small rooms, but if a listing does not clearly say 24GHz, assume it is not.
Zigbee unless you have a reason not to
Zigbee sensors run fully local through Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA and stay off your WiFi. The FP2 is the exception that proves the rule: it needs WiFi bandwidth for its zone tracking, and it earns it. Avoid the WiFi variants of the budget Tuya sensors, which are cloud-tied out of the box.
All of these need power
Radar draws too much current for batteries. Every sensor in this list needs USB power, so before you order, think about where the cable goes in each room. A flat adhesive cable channel from the same AliExpress order solves most of it.
The comparison
Full product cards and the side-by-side table are below. Each sensor links to our detailed review. If you want the deeper background on how mmWave radar works and what it can do in Home Assistant, we covered that in our millimeter-wave radar guide, and if one sensor per room is not accurate enough for you, see multi-sensor fusion for room presence.
