Aqara FP300 - a Tech Masochist meta review

This is a Tech Masochist Meta Review - TM does not have the item in hand, but is compiling thoughts based on tech coverage, Reddit vibes, and his own hard earned wisdom in dealing with bleeding edge technology.

Aqara has release the FP300 presence sensor, after a lengthy tease that began January at CES and ended somewhere after the Trump presidency somewhat walked back apocalyptic tariffs against Chinese products. It succeeds but does not entirely subsume the Aqara FP2, which remains in some ways the examplar of Aqara's offerings in this space.

Presence sensors solve the shortcomings of basic PIR motion sensors that are not so great at detecting couch potatoes and other somewhat sedate human beings, promising to detect minute movements with mmWave technology. The first way the FP300 distinguishes itself is its power source - with 2 replaceable CR2450 batteries, the FP300 avoids the hardwiring requirement of the FP2 and can be placed discretely without ungainly cords wrecking your spousal acceptance factor. The FP300 further supports (Matter over) Thread, a boon to smarthome users who are jumping on this modern mesh protocol. For those with an Aqara hub, the FP300 supports the Zigbee standard for reported better battery life and a few extra features such as adjustable detection range and the ability to turn off individual sensors.

The FP300 comes with both PIR and mmWave sensors to supercharge its motion detection capabilities. It also contains temperature, humidity, and light sensors, so it truly does function as a comprehensive ambient room gauge for any number of automation applications. It lacks some of the extended feature set of the FP2, such as zone detection (highly useful) and fall detection (potentially life saving but trickier to prove out).

The Tech Masochist employs an FP2 in his garage office setup to great effect. Zone detection creates some magical automations, such as desk lights illuminating only when in proximity to the gaming chair. Presence detection turns off lights and an air conditioner unit (the latter potentially saving costly electric bills). The FP300 should be ideal for bedroom and living room use cases, as a highly capable presence sensor and other sensors providing an ability to drive other automations (a humidifier on a dry winter day, light adjustment when dim sunlight triggers Seasonal Affective Disorder, or a space heater when the temperature dips. This may have been written during a rare California rain storm).

A random search reveals some users claiming the FP300 can deal with bathroom humidity without issue; the Aqara website claims support for up to 95% relative humidity. Some users have claimed issues when running a ceiling fan. Aqara claims AI-Powered Detection, which remains eternally hand wavey, but boasts the potential to trigger (or not) intelligently even through fan or pet movement. 

The FP300 is either supply constrained or highly popular, unavailable at time of press on Amazon and Aqara's website. When these issues clear, the sensor will be available for $49.99 USD. While its lack of zone support takes away some of the magic of presence detection, its support of battery power operation and Matter over Thread fills an important need in homes where the kids never remain to turn the damn lights off.