Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300 Review

Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300: Introduction

If you follow Aqara’s lineup of presence sensors, the FP300 is very important. This is the brand’s first truly wireless mmWave sensor, eliminating the need to hang a power cord on the wall.

Despite its compact frame, it features the same hybrid detection technology as the wired FP1E ​​and FP2 models, but now you have the freedom to place it wherever you want, with a few caveats.

It’s built as an all-rounder, combining PIR and mmWave sensing with light, temperature, and humidity monitoring, plus smart home compatibility for comfort in any ecosystem.

Thread and Zigbee are both included, and Matter support bridges the gap between platforms.

Read our full review of the Aqara Presence Multi-Sensor FP300.

design and components

The FP300 ditches the FP2’s round “pack” design found on the FP1E ​​and PF2 in favor of something more traditional. It has a small motion sensor style housing that fits seamlessly into any room. Delicate, neat and completely wire-free.

Two CR2450 batteries can provide power for up to 2 years (assuming you are not operating all sensors at maximum sensitivity). There’s also a small LED on the front that blinks when it’s operating. If you prefer it darker, you can turn it off in the Aqara app settings so it won’t blink at all.

There are 3M adhesive pads, magnetic mounts, and screws inside the box, so you can stick it on a shelf, stick it to metal, or fix it to a wall.

Its flexibility makes it ideal for spaces you wouldn’t normally want to power, such as hallways, bathrooms, and awkward corners.

Features

FP300 is a 5-in-1 sensor that can handle presence, PIR motion, light, temperature, and humidity.

If you want the simplest setup, you can link directly to your Matter-enabled system through Thread without using the Aqara hub or app. It appears on your preferred platform and starts reporting your presence and surrounding data instantly.

However, if you want to delve into advanced options: Sensitivity adjustments, motion modes, AI learning, and more require connecting to an Aqara hub using Matter-over-Thread.

To take advantage of the full suite of features, it must be paired with an Aqara hub using Zigbee. The good news is that most of Aqara’s hubs also act as Matter bridges, so you don’t miss out on Matter’s cross-platform compatibility, so you can unlock deeper configurations while remaining fully interoperable.

If you can’t decide which option is best for your setup, it doesn’t hurt to experiment first before deciding which connection path to choose. I initially set up Matter-over-Thread, but it was easy to flash the firmware to go the Zigbee route later with the Aqara app.

No matter which mode you use, the Aqara app will display data points from the various sensors as four different cards.

When it comes to motion and presence detection, PIR and mmWave can be run separately or together. This “Infrared Radar Dual Presence” combo mode provides superior accuracy while balancing battery usage, while mmWave-only mode provides the best accuracy with heavier battery usage.

The FP300 also includes AI spatial learning that can scan a room’s layout and detect walls and boundaries in about 20 seconds. This is a smart move, but in testing it didn’t necessarily improve response times. In fact, presence detection now feels slightly faster when I turn it off.

Each environmental sensor can independently adjust both light and humidity in five levels. What you don’t get here is the super detailed zone mapping that FP2 provides. You can define furniture locations and detection zones, but this is still a wired-only feature.

performance

In terms of performance, this is rock solid. Detection is almost instantaneous even for the slightest movement and cannot be triggered accidentally.

Running in dual-sensor mode with medium sensitivity, it covered my 6×5 meter kitchen perfectly, sensing my presence while I was standing or sitting in the room, and reacting the moment I walked away (absence delay can be adjusted in the app).

The timing of the automation was also accurate, with the lights turning on as soon as someone walked in and turning them off gracefully after the set delay time. This kind of reliability makes the FP300 feel like a nice upgrade over traditional motion sensors.

The light readings were consistent with Aqara’s motion sensor P2, and the temperature was within 0.2°C of other Aqara sensors installed nearby, which is impressive considering the different locations. There was no decrease in responsiveness even when running on battery. The FP300 feels just as fast as its wired sibling.

It supports Matter, so you can use it with Apple Home, Google Home, or SmartThings. However, while Home Assistant gives you a ton of data points, you lose some of Aqara’s granular sensitivity control if you stick to purely external automation.

final thoughts

The FP300 is compact, reliable, and eliminates the need for cables, making it instantly useful in the real home. It doesn’t have the advanced zone mapping of its wired sibling, but for most people, that’s a fair trade-off for the flexibility of going wireless.

With accurate detection, excellent battery performance, and cross-platform compatibility, this sensor is one of the most versatile presence sensors on the market. The fact that you don’t need an outlet just seals the deal.

If you’ve been waiting for a portable mmWave sensor that doesn’t compromise on speed or accuracy, the FP300 is it. It’s simple, smart, and ready to integrate into any setup.

Test method

When we publish a review, you can rest assured that it is the result of long-term testing.

Smart home sensors exist within an ecosystem, a set of products that all work together in harmony. And it is designed to provide various indicators. Therefore, it is impossible to use the sensor for a week and make a judgment.

We test smart home kits all day every day, so we know what’s important and how a particular smart device compares to the alternatives you’re considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and unbiased, and of course we don’t receive direct compensation to review devices.