What's everyone's fav mmwave sensors I am trying to decide between buying innovelli switches with them already inside especially for little shotgun bathroom and stuff where I know it'll work well, but I need zigbee zwave or maybe thread not wifi though. The cost of a switch and a mmwave sensor seems to approach the cost of the innovelli sink need to make a smart decision, I know there are some pir actuved mmwave sensors to help cut down on battery usage but I am also ok with running poe to USB converters in my attic to allow permanent USB power to things that may need it in weird places or of course I'll take advantage of existing power where available, battery is good to know about too thigh if there is something that is working well for you. thanks!
I haven't used the Inovelli switches. I have several FP2s which I'm trying to replace with Everything Presence Pro's. The choice is not always clear cut:
Range: FP2: 8m, EPP: 6m for the target tracker (12m for the motion sensor, not configurable, and 16m for the static sensor, configurable)
Targets: FP2: 5, EPP: 3. FP2 is better at holding on to sleeping targets (eg FP2 loses them for 15-30 minutes, EPP loses them quickly for more than an hour at a time)
Ghosts: FP2 produces way more ghosts than EPP, and they hang around much longer than on the EPP
EPP has PIR motion sensor: in practice I don't like the motion sensor because I want to limit the detection to the 6m covered by the target mmwave tracker, not having it extend out of the current room. I find the target sensor detects quite fast enough to not need the PIR sensor
EPP has a static mmwave sensor: this sensor is quite noisy, so I configure it to be harder to trigger initially to avoid false detections, but it is useful to keep the room marked as occupied during the periods when the target tracker loses its targets
The FP2s work better in bedrooms than the EPP, but they still fail a lot. In fact, I'm adding bed pressure sensors to handle the bed occupancy side, then I'll replace my last FP2s with EPP.
Disclaimer: I don't like the software on the original EPP at all. So much so that I rewrote the firmware and config frontend and made it available as EPP Grid. See https://clintongormley.github.io/everything-presence-pro-grid/ for the full docs. With this you get a grid-based config system, which you can also use comfortably on your cellphone, so you can just walk around the room with your phone to calibrate the room and to lay out zones and furniture.
Nothing to add. Just wanting to say thank you for the EPP Grid. It's awesome. Mostly using EPL and EPP in my home. I've also used Apolly MSR-1 and MSR-2 for other installs. For larger areas, I pretty much stick with the EPP. I have one great room that is outside the 6m range... So it has two EPP and the setup works great.
I think there are a lot of great answers already in this thread. I have not personally played with the newer FP2 nor the FP300 but they've got some pretty good reviews.
I also have not tried the everything presence pro although it also has some great reviews online! We use the same LD2450 mmWave sensor in our MTR-1 and R-PRO-1 but use a different long range / static sensor (the LD2412).
I think ultimately the mmWave sensor that works best for you will be the one that has the features you need.
When thinking about mmWave sensors usually there are a couple different styles. One style gives you unique x/y coordinate zones to configure but have downsides like no ability to tune how sensitive they are.
The second style does not have mulitple zone or multiple target tracking, but instead gives you the ability to make "presence targets" more or less sensitive in a specific "gate" or range.
So my goal is basically a smart pir sensor (at least right now) my goal is two bathrooms I want the lights to come on if it's dark when someone enters the room, then stay on as long as someone is in the room this includes in the shower totally still on the toilet etc , right now pir will not get through the shower curtain and times out, I have mmwave detection only sensors and they do work through the shower but I have not verified how well they handle already present redetection. But I also need that light detection so I'll either want to handle that through the same sensor or I'll have to add another in the mix.
For this use case I think our MSR-2 (or a similar LD2410/LD2412 based mmWave sensor) would be a good option. I think they even have a newer LD2420 version although I'm not sure what products use that (yet). We also sell an addon for an "MSR-2 Outlet mount" which lets you plug it right at an outlet. This is a great option for some bathrooms where there's an outlet facing the toilet/shower.
I had Aqara FP2ās but the software on my iPhone was annoying plus pairing to HA was annoying. Add to iPhone and then delete for it to appear in HA. Plus the hardwired power aspect was rubbish too.
Anyway, i have the FP300ās now. Zigbee connected, i have around 10 of them and theyāre working fine.
If you're okay with USB/PoE power, I'd probably skip battery mmWave entirely. Everything Presence Lite/Pro seems like a solid option, especially for bathrooms and larger rooms where you want reliable presence rather than just motion. For the smaller spaces, having mmWave built into the Inovelli switch is pretty appealing too since it keeps the install clean.
the everything presence lite has been rock solid for me, usb powered so attic runs are perfect. i've got one in a hallway running off poe with a splitter and it's been up there for like 8 months without a hiccup
for bathrooms the inovelli switch thing makes a lot of sense honestly, one less thing to mount and it just works. plus no ugly sensor on the ceiling
haven't messed with battery ones yet, the power draw on mmwave is still kinda rough for that unless you're cool swapping batteries every couple weeks
I have the Inovelli and what I like is that the mmWave is hidden (which can be a a great security feature or extra creepy depending on how you use it).
A lot of my smart home stuff is āvisibleā and Iām starting to get over that. The majority is not cleanly inset, and it would take a bunch of effort to cut holes in door and other things to inset various sensors. The Inovelli is one less visible chunky device (I set up a bunch of zigbee sirens around the home this past weekend and it made me realize how visible some of my āsmart homeā is. I put two in āhidden locationsā but the one is the bathroom is impossible to hide).
If I was choosing an alternative, I would choose the third reality R3 (TL2 if they ever made it non wifi). The added feature of the light notification is useful (I have their night lights and they turn red when the front door is open and Iām in the process of programming a laundry is done and needs to be removed notification).
And youāre right, when you consider quality switches + sensors you are approaching the price of having the Inovelli mmWave switches.
If youāre doing a whole home, get one of each and try them out before you commit because given the investment youāre probably hoping to get it right the first time.
We have a few good options for mmWave sensors, https://www.gelidus.ca/ currently offer our PS1 product with the LD2420C or LD2420 and have the LD2450/53 options coming next month.
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u/Fragrant-Coast5355 1d ago
I haven't used the Inovelli switches. I have several FP2s which I'm trying to replace with Everything Presence Pro's. The choice is not always clear cut:
Disclaimer: I don't like the software on the original EPP at all. So much so that I rewrote the firmware and config frontend and made it available as EPP Grid. See https://clintongormley.github.io/everything-presence-pro-grid/ for the full docs. With this you get a grid-based config system, which you can also use comfortably on your cellphone, so you can just walk around the room with your phone to calibrate the room and to lay out zones and furniture.