Smart home tech, weighed fairly.

Smart Presence Sensors Compared Across Every Protocol

All 17 presence sensors we rank, from 3 review pages, in one table. Filter by the smart home system you use or by protocol, then open a product to see its full review.

Smart Presence Sensors by protocol

How do these protocols differ? Show the pros and cons
Zigbee 2.4 GHz (IEEE 802.15.4)

Pros

  • Sensors and buttons are among the cheapest on the market
  • Huge catalog from Aqara, IKEA, Philips Hue, Sonoff, Third Reality, and others
  • Mains-powered devices act as routers and strengthen the mesh
  • Coin-cell battery devices run for a year or more
  • Works fully local with Home Assistant (ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT)

Cons

  • Shares the 2.4 GHz band with Wi-Fi, so channel planning matters
  • Some brands bend the spec; Aqara devices can drop off third-party routers
  • Needs a coordinator (hub or USB stick)
  • Brand hubs like Hue only accept their own approved devices
  • Bulbs used as repeaters break the mesh when someone flips the wall switch

Our take: The budget king for sensors and bulbs. Pair it with a good coordinator and plenty of plug-in repeaters and it's rock solid.

Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz (most smart devices), 5 GHz (cameras)

Pros

  • No hub; it joins the network you already have
  • Enough bandwidth for live video and audio
  • Widest choice of brands and the lowest entry prices
  • Setup is usually an app and a few taps

Cons

  • Power hungry; battery Wi-Fi sensors need frequent charging
  • Many devices only support 2.4 GHz, which complicates setup on mixed-band routers
  • Dozens of devices can overload consumer routers
  • Many products depend on the maker's cloud and stop working if it shuts down
  • No mesh between devices; range is whatever your router covers

Our take: Right for cameras, doorbells, and anything plugged in. Wrong for battery sensors, and a few dozen devices can overload a cheap router.

Matter Wi-Fi, Thread, or Ethernet

Pros

  • One device works with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, and Home Assistant
  • Multi-admin lets several ecosystems control the same device at once
  • Local control by design, no cloud needed for day-to-day use
  • Setup is a QR code scan in whichever app you prefer

Cons

  • Only device types in the current spec are supported, so advanced features often stay in the maker's app
  • Each platform exposes a different slice of what a device can do
  • Pairing and multi-admin bugs are still common
  • Matter over Thread devices still need a Thread border router

Our take: Buy Matter devices when you can, because they keep your options open. Check that the features you need are in the spec before you buy.

See the full protocol comparison on the home page →

All presence sensors

Protocol
All protocols

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

ProductProtocolPriceRating ReviewsWorks withScore
Aqara FP300Zigbee Matter$49.993.790282Amazon
GL Technologies LWR02Matter$49.994.44882Amazon
Aqara FP2Wi-Fi$67.993.62,51280Amazon
SONOFF SNZB-06P24Zigbee$24.903.818177Amazon
SONOFF SNZB-06PZigbee$17.904.045476Amazon
SwitchBot mmWave Radar Motion SensorWi-Fi$25.493.642773Amazon
AKAMATIS Presence Sensor v2.2Wi-Fi$20.994.45272Amazon
Akamatis Litos v3Wi-Fi$24.994.43671Amazon
Haozee Zigbee presence sensorZigbee$29.993.94966Amazon
XIITIA LD2410C radar modules (3-pack)Wi-Fi$18.994.65164Amazon
Aqara FP1EZigbee$42.994.049263Amazon
THIRDREALITY Presence Sensor R3Zigbee$39.993.46162Amazon
WenzhiIoT 5.8 GHz Zigbee presence sensorZigbee$15.993.84657Amazon
Blindsmart Battery Zigbee presence sensorZigbee$29.994.31957Amazon
meross MS605Matter$56.993.18856Amazon
THIRDREALITY Presence Sensor R2Zigbee$29.993.21252Amazon
PersianCat Zigbee mmWave presence sensorZigbee$18.993.5748Amazon

Scores come from each product's protocol page, where it was ranked against devices on the same protocol. Red rows are the picks we tell you to avoid. Prices captured from Amazon between 2026-10-04 and 2026-10-04.

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