Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 review

Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400: Introduction

• Type: mmWave presence and motion sensor
• Power: USB-C (cable included, no adapter)
• Connectivity: Zigbee or Thread, with Matter

Aqara is king of the presence sensors, nailing features and performance. The Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 is its most advanced yet, offering detection for up to 10 people, plus eight individual motion zones.

It’s exceptionally easy to configure and get working, but the high price and requirement for USB-C power make it less flexible than battery-powered alternatives. If you’ve got a big and complicated space, it might be for you, but there are cheaper, battery-operated options available for those with lower demands.

Design and components

• Wall or ceiling mounted
• Requires USB-C power

It was only more recently that mmWave presence sensors started to become more practical, switching from powered to battery-powered models, such as the Aqara Multi-Sensor FP300.

In some ways, the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 feels like a bit of a throwback to earlier models, such as the Wi-Fi enabled Aqara FP2, as this model also requires USB-C for power. Aqara provides a cable (but not adaptor) in the box. Trying to find the ideal place to put the sensor and still be able to run the cable can be tricky. Certainly, battery powered options are easier.

Physical installation is at least made easy by the sensor’s design. It comes on a small stand that can extend, so that the sensor can be angled where you need it to point.

There’s then a magnetic stand in the box, which can be screwed or stuck to the wall or ceiling, depending on which installation method you want. Aqara recommends an installation height of 150cm to 200cm.

There is also an option to install the sensor in a corner, although you’ll want the optional corner mount for this: buy the Kit version of the sensor to get this included.

Features

• Zigbee or Thread
• Matter compatible
• Light and motion sensing

As with previous Aqara presence detectors, the FP400 can be installed using Zigbee or Thread. With Thread, you can hook the sensor up to any compatible hub, ditching the need to use an Aqara one. There’s a button on the rear that puts the device into pairing mode.

However, you get fewer features this way, so it’s best to use Zigbee and connect the FP400 to an Aqara hub; you can then share the device to other systems using Matter to the hub.

Switching protocols requires the FP400 to switch firmware, so changing means resetting the sensor and starting again.

In the Aqara app, it’s quite easy to connect the FP400, with the system then taking me through the installation guide, helping me locate the sensor correctly.

Once done, there’s a quick setup routine to run through, where I had to walk around the boundary of the room. This sets the sensor’s detection area. It’s a simple but sophisticated way of ensuring that detection only takes place inside the room.

Afterwards, there’s an option to run through the AI setup routine that will automatically tune out interference. The room needs to be empty, but the process only takes 30 seconds.

Setup complete, the sensor is ready for operation. It’s a far smoother process than trying to set up the Meross Thread Smart Presence Sensor MS605.

At this point, the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 acts like a traditional motion sensor. Open the app and dive into the details page and you’ll see your room map, plus any people detected shown in their location. Up to 10 people can be tracked. It’s worth toggling the AI Enhanced Person Detection, which will help the sensor avoid picking up pets or people.

The clever part comes from being able to add additional motion zones on the map. Just select blocks, such as those around the sofa, and then hit save. These extra detection zones appear as additional motion sensors in other apps, such as Apple Home or Homey.

The clever part with this is that you can then create routines based on these additional sensors. So, you could, for example, have a reading light turn on when you sit on a chair, or have a fan turn off when you leave the sofa. In effect, one motion sensor becomes many, and Aqara handles this with more precision than the MS605 does. With Meross’ sensor, detection zones are based on range, not position.

Automation varies by platform. With Apple Home, there’s only an option to trigger a routine when occupancy is or isn’t detected.

Use Homey, and you can use the same rules, but also choose how long to wait. For example, you can turn off the heating only after a person is not detected for ten minutes.

Both platforms can use the luminance sensor, too, which is good: I’d rather only turn on lights automatically when it’s dark, for example.

Although the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 can count the number of people in a room, this data is not exposed to other platforms as a trigger option.

Performance

• Works accurately
• Motion zones are flexible

I set the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 up with an Aqara M200 hub, and then bridged this to both Apple Home and Homey.

My first task was to see how accurately the sensor detected presence. Walking into my office, the sensor picked me up accurately each time, placing me correctly in the room.

I then sat very still at my desk not moving. After a few minutes, the FP400 still had me registered; a standard motion sensor would have stopped picking up motion, and would have triggered an alarm.

My test automations worked perfectly, although presence detection takes up to 20 seconds to register in my third-party systems, so it’s not instant, but not too slow, either. A general routine to turn the lights on when there’s motion and it’s dark enough worked perfectly.

I was impressed with the additional zones, too. Setting one up by my reading chair, I could trigger my reading lamp to turn on automatically when I moved into this area.

My office is quite compact, limiting the number of zones I could reasonably fit; in a much larger space, they’d come into their own.

Final thoughts

There’s no denying how powerful the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 is. It’s accurate, and the ability to add up to eight zones makes it extremely powerful, particularly in large rooms. But, for all of its quality, the price is high and the need for constant power makes the FP400 harder to place. Unless you’ve got a very large and complicated area you want to manage, the Aqara FP300 or something else from the guide to the best motion and presence sensors would make more sense.

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Presence sensors usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. And they are designed to offer a range of different detection options. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a presence sensor for a week and deliver a verdict.

Because we’re testing smart home all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular presence sensor compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on how we test to learn more.

FAQs

Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400: Specifications