Adding smart home gadgets to your home may always seem like a good idea. But there are instances where the juice might not be worth the squeeze. You may oversaturate your Wi-Fi network with smart gadgets, slowing them all down. You can also buy an inefficient smart home device that ends up not providing you with the value that you’d hoped for.
That’s why you need to carefully consider the smart home installations you’re making. Sure, there are ones that won’t affect your home much if you don’t like them, like a singular smart bulb or a small smart speaker. But if you’re going to make the investment to go more towards automation and higher security, it pays to think through your choices. If you’re looking into smart home sensors, going for a presence sensor makes the most sense.
What’s a presence sensor?
It’s a leveled-up motion sensor
If you’ve ever used or thought of using a motion sensor, you understand that its main purpose is to alert people when motion is detected. This can be for security purposes or for automation purposes, as motion being detected can trigger an alert being sent to someone’s phone. I love the motion sensor technology on my Ring cameras, as the Ring notifications let me know when someone is at my front door or moving around in my backyard.
However, motion sensors can also detect movement and use that to start a chain reaction of smart home devices. For example, if there is motion in one room, you can set up an automation where, once the motion is sensed, a light turns on. There are a number of automations that can be set up with different devices, but this usually means setting up smart home hubs and other devices that can be affected by triggers, and it can cost money.
I once tried to use a motion sensor to sense when the sun was coming up, which then triggered my smart curtains to pull back to wake me up. The motion sensor was less consistent than I liked, causing me to stop using it entirely.
A presence sensor is a step above a motion sensor. They are more complex and more sensitive. They can detect a presence, rather than just movement. This means they can recognize when there is something in the room, even if it’s still.
The sensor is triggered by a heartbeat, breathing, or even a change in temperature. These high-level sensors use something called mmWave radar, which uses short-wavelength electromagnetic waves to detect minuscule movements. They usually can work with Home Assistant, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi, depending on the connection options you have available in your smart home.
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Motion sensors are a great addition to your smart home setup and can be used in so many different ways, from detecting intruders to opening doors.
How can people use presence sensors?
They can be involved in more complex automations
Presence sensors can be used with smart homes, not just to trigger when a light turns on. They can still do that, but you can take your smart home automation even further. If you have a smart HVAC system set up, you can use a presence sensor to regulate when the air conditioning or heat turns on based on whether there are a lot of people in a room.
If the presence sensor detects a lot of people in a room in the summer, it can signal to the HVAC system to turn on the air conditioning. This can also be incredibly helpful if you have a lot of people over for a party in the winter, and you don’t want the heat blasting, making the rooms even hotter. The sensor can tell the heater to regulate or turn down the temperature.
If you’ve ever been in an office or hospital that had motion-triggered lighting, you know it can be awkward if you’re sitting still for a while and, all of a sudden, you’re in complete darkness because the lighting doesn’t think you’re there anymore.
Presence sensors are ideal for homes with elderly or disabled people, as they can detect if someone has fallen. If they aren’t moving, but are on the ground, the sensor can pick them up.
One of the toughest parts of using motion sensor lighting is that it shuts off if it doesn’t detect movement. This is frustrating for me when my outdoor floodlight shuts off if I’m just sitting on my deck at night in the summer. It also drives me crazy if I’m trying to read in my living room and the smart lights shut off. Presence sensors can detect when someone is just relaxing, but not moving, and keep the lights on.
Where you should consider presence sensors
These places make a ton of sense
Presence sensors can be placed wherever you want them. But it’s smart to place them in areas where people may be sitting still for larger periods of time.
This includes bedrooms, offices, and bathrooms. If you’ve ever been in an office or hospital that had motion-triggered lighting, you know it can be awkward if you’re sitting still for a while and, all of a sudden, you’re in complete darkness because the lighting doesn’t think you’re there anymore.
You can also use motion sensors with presence sensors by having the presence sensors do the heavy lifting of larger automations and then relying on motion sensors for purposes of triggering notifications or lights turning on. These quicker automations can be handled by either, but you may want to use presence sensors for more complete automations. Motion sensors tend to cost less than presence sensors, so using more motion sensors when you can will help your wallet.
Presence sensors take detection up a notch
If you’re trying to decide between using a presence sensor and a motion sensor, it’s important to think about the needs. Presence sensors can handle larger automations, such as smart HVAC and efficiency adjustments. They use mmWave radar technology to detect subtleties like heartbeats and breathing. If you’re constantly annoyed by your lights turning off while you’re working or reading, it might be a better idea to go with a presence sensor over a motion sensor.
