New P1 Contact Sensor Launched by Aqara

Smart Home behemoth-in-waiting Aqara, have today revealed the first in their P Series range of sensors, starting off with the new P1 Contact sensor.

This sensor, along with many other products, was first unveiled at Aqara’s annual event that occurred on May 25th this year. Included in the P1 series was also a new motion sensor and the already released TVOC Sensor.

The new contact sensor is a real departure from the iterations that preceded it, and aside from the totally new design, the company boasts that the P1 can last a full five years one on CR123A battery (also referred to as a half AA battery), which would go a large way to explain the new, more tubular design that would accommodate such a battery shape.

The distance at which the sensor is from the magnet, and therefore when the sensor is triggered, can be adjusted in the Aqara app, with three options – 10mm, 20mm, or 30mm. Finally, the sensor also has a form of tamper-proofing, so if someone attempts to remove the sensor from its location, you’ll get a push notification.

As always, the new sensor will work with Apple HomeKit and uses Zigbee 3.0 meaning it will require a hub. In a quick test, when the sensor is selected, it shows that all the current Zigbee 3.0 hubs are compatible with the P1, including the G2H. We don’t have an original (M1) hub in the Aqara app to test out whether it’s compatible with the M1 or not.

The P1 Contact Sensor is currently listed on Aqara’s Chinese site with a list price of RMB169, which roughly converts to US$26 / €22 / UK£19, although when and whether this sensor will appear outside of Chinese markets, we’re not sure just yet.

Thanks to Eric Yao for the tipoff