HomeKit mmWave Presence Sensor Unveiled by LifeSmart

LifeSmart isn’t a company you may be too familiar with. Still, a couple of HomeKit News contributors (including myself) have been using the company’s products going back to late 2017, which shows they’ve been around for longer than you’d imagine. Whilst they’re not a household name in the West, that could be about to change with the unveiling of a new presence sensor that, like the highly sought Aqara FP1, uses mmWave technology to perform true presence detection, and not just motion events.

This new sensor is designed to be recess-mounted in a ceiling much like standard spotlights or downlights and comes in at Φ80 x Φ65 x 45mm. Unlike Aqara’s offering, this device also contains an ambient light sensor, with a measuring range of 0 ~ 65535lux. Because it is constantly measuring the detection area, it’s not effectively possible to use batteries to power the device, so it needs to be hard-wired, but it does support all standard voltages (100~240V).

Like the FP1, LifeSmart’s offering uses Zigbee 3.0 and can work with either their standard HomeKit compatible Smart Station or the company’s standalone DEFED security system. Whilst only the former gateway is HomeKit compatible, the company state that the DEFED gateway will be Matter compliant when the new smart home standard is (finally) released.

The other devices that make up the DEFED security system are also reportedly HomeKit compatible, with impressive battery life across the board; a door/window sensor (CR123A) and keyfob control device (CR2450), both with 10-years between battery changes, a motion sensor that can last seven years on a single (CR123A) battery, and a 105dB siren that can last five years (2 x CR123A). All four of these devices use LifeSmart’s own CoSS protocol, which we’re led to believe is based on the RF433MHz wireless frequency range.

Getting back to the Presence Sensor, we’re told by LifeSmart that although the device is already available, there’s currently no stock. We’re also waiting on confirmation of a price, and will update this article with that information, once we have it.