The best presence detectors, compared.
Top pick: SwitchBot presence sensor Best value: Meross MS600 – Highest value score among the other rows, 15, at about £29.99 for Matter over Wi-Fi with an adapter and a 1.5 m cable. Updated 22 October 2026.
A presence detector is a small indoor sensor that reports whether someone is in a room, and that is meant to stay occupied while you sit, read or sleep. Most sensors sold for this job use millimetre-wave radar, sometimes beside a passive infrared element and a light sensor. A passive infrared sensor sees a change in heat when someone walks, and it often clears the room once you sit still. Radar is sold as able to read micro-movement, including breathing. Zigbee needs a coordinator that is not in the box. Thread needs a border router. A Wi-Fi sensor still needs a 2.4 GHz network. USB power needs a spare socket. A battery removes the cable. A stated ingress rating is the bathroom check. Read the metre figure on the listing, and do not merge a bullet and a table that disagree. How this differs from a hall sensor is in the [presence detector versus PIR](/hub/electronic-surveillance/presence-detector/sub/presence-detector-vs-pir) guide.
A presence detector is a small indoor sensor that reports whether someone is in a room, and that is meant to stay occupied while you sit, read or sleep.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How will you power it?
The SwitchBot presence sensor, B0GS18VS8T, is £54.99 with 4.3 from 465 reviews, the largest sample in the set, and 47 UK review notes. Reviewers use the battery unit to keep lights on while sitting, watching television or showering, and they like the aimable magnetic base and the SwitchBot app. The table says 60 GHz, two AAA cells and a 3-year average, while the bullets say 8 metres moving, 5 metres still and up to 2 years, and the table also prints 393 feet. Busy rooms in the reviews are nowhere near those life claims: one report is three weeks, another is 8 percent left after a month and a half. Apple Home needs a SwitchBot Matter hub sold separately; two automations with SwitchBot devices are described as possible without that hub. The title says a 2-pack, the pack count is 2, and the included-components line says one sensor. Bathrooms are named with no IP rating, and some units drop off the app. The review count is real, and the listing still disagrees with itself on range, pack size and battery life.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already use SwitchBot, you need a battery sensor, and you will judge range from the metre bullets rather than 393 feet.
Less suitable: You want Apple Home without another hub, a stated IP rating, or a battery life close to the 2-year line in a busy room.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this one sensor or two?
The title says a 2-pack and the pack count is 2. The included-components line says one presence sensor, and the number of items is 1.
What range does the listing give?
The bullets say 8 metres for a moving person and 5 metres for a stationary person, at 120 degrees. The table says 393 feet.
Does Apple Home need extra hardware?
The bullets say Apple Home works via a SwitchBot Matter hub, sold separately. Two automations with SwitchBot devices are described as possible without a hub.
The SONOFF SNZB-06P24, B0GZVPQQRX, is the top pick in this set: 24 GHz Zigbee, USB-C, a light sensor, up to seven zones within 4 metres, £21.85, and 4.3 from 195 reviews. Thirty-four UK review notes describe it as a clear step up from a PIR for someone sitting, reading or working, and pairing with Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA is a repeated compliment. A Zigbee coordinator is required and is not in the box, so the £21.85 figure is not the whole cost if you do not already have one. Stillness is not guaranteed: reviewers report the room clearing while someone is still there, including under 2 metres, and zoning can disappear if you use Zigbee2MQTT alone. The USB-C lead is about 2 metres, which reviewers find awkward on a ceiling, and the bullets name bathrooms with no IP rating. SONOFF’s own page says sleep detection is not reliable, which matches the reviews that say a frozen person drops off. It is the row to buy when you already run Zigbee and you can put a USB socket near the chair.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have a Zigbee coordinator and a USB socket beside a chair, desk or sofa.
Less suitable: You have no Zigbee hub, you need a battery sensor, or you want reliable sleep detection.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the SNZB-06P24 need a hub?
Yes. The title says hub required, and the protocol is Zigbee.
What range and zones does the listing state?
4 metres, 110 degrees, and up to 7 configurable zones within 4 metres.
Is a bathroom rating stated?
The bullets name bathrooms. No IP rating is stated.
The Meross MS605, B0HD735PTQ, is a Matter over Thread sensor at £33.98, 4.3 from 100 reviews, with 24 GHz radar, PIR, a light sensor, three zones in the Meross app, and one CR123A the listing claims for up to 36 months. The title and bullets say IP67 and name bathrooms, basements, lofts and stairways, which no other row in this set states as clearly. A Thread border router is required even though a Meross hub is not, and the bullets say to update firmware in the Meross app before Alexa. Only eight UK review notes are stored. Those reviews include a toilet, a porch and a bathroom, and they also say the room clears if you sit too still, which one reviewer puts down to a battery scan interval. Home Assistant history is described as worse than an Aqara FP300 the same person already owned, and that Aqara is not in this comparison. It is the battery row to consider for a splash-prone room if you already have Thread, and a weaker choice if you need the denser UK review file of a USB SONOFF.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have a Thread border router and you want a battery sensor for a bathroom or a loft.
Less suitable: You have no Thread router, or you need a large UK review sample before you trust stillness.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the MS605 work without any hub?
The bullets say you do not need a Meross hub. They also say a compatible Thread border router is required. The controller list is in the product images, not in the text.
What battery life is claimed?
One CR123A is included. The bullets and the average-life line say up to 36 months.
Is an ingress rating stated?
The title and bullets say IP67. They also name bathrooms, basements, hallways, lofts, and stairways.
The Lafaer LWR02, B0H6JFC9RQ, is a Matter over Thread sensor at £44.99, 4.3 from 67 reviews, combining PIR and 24 GHz radar with temperature, humidity and light. Twenty-three UK review notes praise fewer curtain and cat triggers than an old PIR, desk stillness, and pairing to an existing border router such as a HomePod, an Echo or Home Assistant. You do not buy a new hub if that router is already on the network the listing names. The price is the complaint reviewers write down, and Matter pairing is described as harder than Zigbee. The bullets say two AAA cells and up to two years, and several reviews found AAA cells in the box, while the specification table says two AA. The bullets claim IPX3, which is splash, not a soak rating, and the case needs a screwdriver or a hard pry to change the cells. One unit disappeared from Alexa after a few days. It suits a Thread house that wants a battery sensor and extra climate readings, if you can live with the cell-type clash.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have a Thread border router and you want battery presence plus temperature and humidity.
Less suitable: You have no border router, you need IP67, or you want one battery type printed the same way in every field.
Specifications
Common questions
Which batteries does the listing specify?
The bullets say two AAA cells, included, up to 2 years, and that rechargeable cells are supported. The specification table says two AA batteries are required and included.
Do you need to buy a new hub?
The bullets say no new hub if you already have a Thread border router. Named examples include Apple TV 4K, HomePod, Echo 4th generation, Nest Hub, SmartThings Hub, Homey Pro, and Home Assistant Yellow.
What ingress rating is stated?
The bullets say IPX3 and name bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. That is a splash claim, not a higher waterproof rating.
The Meross MS600, B0CRYRJBRN, is the best value among the rows that are not the top pick: Matter over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, 24 GHz radar plus PIR and a light sensor, an adapter and a 1.5 m cable in the box, £29.99, and 4.1 from 72 reviews. Thirty-six UK review notes describe lights and plugs staying on while someone sits, works under a bonnet, or stands in a garage, without buying a Meross hub. It is not Matter over Thread, so a Thread border router does nothing for it, and there is no battery option. Reviewers say it has no zones and no people count, and more than one unit failed to pair until a replacement arrived. A green detection LED annoys some people in a bedroom. The bullets include a pet-proof shield and claim it ignores cats, small dogs and robot vacuums; one UK review says it ignored dogs, which is one report rather than a test. Choose it when you have 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and a socket, and skip it if the room has no mains lead.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and a socket, and you do not want to buy a Zigbee coordinator or a Thread border router.
Less suitable: You need a battery, Thread, room zones, or a bedroom with no status LED.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the MS600 Matter over Thread?
The bullets say hub-free operation over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. A UK review states it is Matter over Wi-Fi and does not use a Thread border router.
What does the listing say about pets?
It includes a pet-proof shield and says it is meant to ignore cats, small dogs, and robot vacuums. One UK review says it ignored dogs.
Does Alexa use the light sensor?
The bullets say Alexa does not support the light sensor, and that the sensor has no image function.
The SONOFF SNZB-06P, B0CNGKFG9Y, is a 5.8 GHz Zigbee 3.0 sensor at £24.96 with the largest mid-price sample here, 3.9 from 460 reviews and 33 UK review notes. Reviewers praise sitting and breathing detection in bedrooms and kitchens, and they pair it with ZHA or a SONOFF stick, where it can act as a Zigbee router. The same reviews also say the state sticks on Detected and ignores the clear interval, including on the lowest sensitivity, and that plants beyond a wooden summer-house wall can hold it occupied. The specification table says one 9 V cell is required; UK reviews say the unit is USB-C only, the cable is supplied, and the battery line is misleading. The listing says it is not waterproof and not for a bathroom. The light entity is bright, medium or dark rather than a lux number, and reviewers say dark is too dark for a kitchen. It is a well-documented USB Zigbee sensor if you already have a coordinator, and a poor match if you believed the 9 V line or need a bathroom.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already have Zigbee, you can run USB-C, and you want the larger review file rather than zones.
Less suitable: You needed the 9 V battery the table mentions, or a bathroom, or a sensor that clears on a short timeout.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the SNZB-06P take a 9 V battery?
The table says one 9 V alkaline cell is required. UK reviews say there is no battery option and that the sensor is USB-C only, with a cable supplied.
Can it go in a bathroom?
The listing says the product is not waterproof and is not recommended for a bathroom.
Which hubs does the listing name?
It needs a Zigbee 3.0 hub. Named examples are SONOFF NSPanel Pro, iHost, ZB Bridge Pro, ZBDongle-E, and Echo Plus 2nd generation.
The Pinafresa B0CMTPNPQ7 is a USB 5 V Tuya Wi-Fi sensor at £15.03, with 3.9 from 33 amazon.co.uk reviews and 17 UK review notes. Reviewers who already use Smart Life describe a short setup and a light reading they use in scenes, and some say it holds presence while a person sits. Several of those reviews say the sensor never appears in Alexa, or appears and then cannot trigger an action, so a household that lives in Alexa should not treat the title as a promise. Stillness is not unlimited: reviewers say a person who stays stock still long enough drops off. One unit stopped after four to five months, and another arrived looking used. The listing table gives 5, 6 and 7 metres while the bullets say 0 to 9.5 metres, and there is no gigahertz figure and no IP rating. It is a cheap Smart Life experiment if you can spare a USB socket, and a weak choice if Alexa routines are the point of the purchase.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already use Smart Life, you can spare a USB socket, and Alexa is not the automation you need.
Less suitable: You want Alexa routines, a named frequency, a bathroom rating, or a review count in the hundreds.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this sensor need a Zigbee hub?
The listing is a Tuya Wi-Fi sensor on USB 5 V. It does not say a Zigbee hub is required.
What detection range does the listing state?
The specification table lists 5, 6 and 7 metres. The bullets say 0.00 to 9.5 metres. Both figures are on the page.
Does the listing say it works with Alexa?
The bullets do not confirm Alexa. UK reviews in the stored notes disagree: some say it never appears in Alexa, and one says it does.
The LinknLink eMotion Pro, B0DZXDX3LM, is a corded 24 GHz Wi-Fi sensor at £24.99, with a light sensor and an IR blaster the bullets rate to 15 metres. It scores 3.8 from 171 reviews, and 33 UK review notes are stored. Some Home Assistant users prefer its stillness detection to an Aqara FP2 or a SONOFF, and the IR blaster has learned a fan remote at about 15 feet in one review. Setup is the recurring complaint: the LinknLink app asks for a GPS location, pairing fails repeatedly, and MQTT via Motion2MQTT comes only after that account exists. One review says the sensor made the Wi-Fi network unusable, and another describes a 5 to 10 second first trigger or random flashes. The supplied stand is called flimsy, and hallway traffic has triggered it through an L-shaped bathroom wall. The table says 7 metres and the bullets say 6 metres at the front. Buy it for the IR blaster and MQTT once you accept a fiddly app, not as a five-minute Smart Life sensor.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want Wi-Fi, an IR blaster for a fan or a TV, and you will finish the LinknLink account before MQTT.
Less suitable: You want Zigbee or Thread, a battery, or a setup that does not depend on that app.
Specifications
Common questions
How does it connect to Home Assistant?
The bullets name Motion2MQTT as the bridge. Reviews say the LinknLink app and an account are used before MQTT.
What range is stated?
The table says 7 metres. The bullets say a maximum front-side range of 6 metres.
Does the listing answer whether it detects pets?
The page asks the question. The bullets do not answer it.
The Smallterm B0CST2MQ43 is a USB 5 V Tuya Zigbee sensor at £16.99, and the bullets say a Tuya Zigbee gateway is required and is not in the box. The star line is 3.6 from 7 reviews, with only three UK review texts, so the sample is thin. One of those reviews calls it more accurate than a basic motion sensor and says it works in Zigbee2MQTT. The same notes describe Zigbee traffic that flooded the network, and more than one unit stopping the network until a single sensor was left in place. The table lists 5, 6 and 7 metres while the bullets say 0 to 9.5 metres, and the title says ceiling while the mounting type says wall. There is no frequency and no ingress rating. Buy it only if you already own a Tuya Zigbee gateway and you can accept a three-review sample.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already run a Tuya Zigbee gateway and you want a cheap USB sensor to try on one lamp.
Less suitable: You have no Zigbee hub, you want several sensors on one network, or you need a larger UK review file.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a hub included?
No. The bullets say a Tuya Zigbee gateway is required and is not included.
Can the listing be used outdoors?
The page asks the question and does not answer it. No ingress rating is stated.
Which range figure should you read?
The table says 5, 6 and 7 metres. The bullets say 0.00 to 9.5 metres. The listing does not reconcile them.
The Miangerrn Y-128, B0HF7MSG94, is £17.90 with no star line and no review text in the stored notes. The bullets claim sitting, reading, sleeping and breathing, an 8 to 10 metre reach and a 120 degree angle, while the table says 8 metres. They also name bathrooms, with no IP rating. The battery description says the unit is USB or wired and needs no cell, and the table says one nonstandard battery is required. Smart Life is the setup path, and the specification table lists a hub, a speaker, a router and a Zigbee gateway without naming which radio this sensor uses. No frequency is stated. Until reviews exist, this row is a listing, not evidence that a person on a sofa stays detected.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are only comparing listing text and you do not need a review sample before you buy.
Less suitable: You want UK reviews, a named radio, or a single power story you can plan a socket around.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing state a radar frequency?
No. The title says mmWave and the specification table does not give a gigahertz figure.
Does it use a battery?
The battery description says no battery and that the device is USB or wired. The table also says one nonstandard battery is required.
Can it see through a wall, according to the listing?
The bullets say the radar can penetrate non-metallic materials such as plastic housings and drywall. No measured figure is given.
Shelf date 21 October 2026. Scores use the ten amazon.co.uk listings in this set and the UK review notes already read from those files. This is not a lab test. A gigahertz figure, a range and a battery life are what the listing prints. A bullet and a table that disagree are not averaged. Silence, with no UK review text, is not treated as a working sensor. The highest score is the top pick. The highest value score among the other rows is best value.
Stars
25%Amazon rating divided by 5, times 25, then half rounds up. 4.3 becomes 22. 4.1 becomes 21. 3.9 becomes 20. 3.8 becomes 19. 3.6 becomes 18. No star line scores 0.
Sample
20%300 or more ratings score 20. 150 to 299 score 16. 80 to 149 score 12. 30 to 79 score 8. 1 to 29 score 4. None scores 0.
Use
35%Up to 35, then one penalty, with a floor of 0. Points cover UK review notes that mention sitting or stillness, a stated gigahertz figure, a light sensor, a named radio, one power story, and an explicit ingress line. The largest fitting penalty is applied once. A stillness limit that the reviews also praise is not, by itself, that penalty.
Value
20%Shelf price band, then a bonus for a solid rating count, then a deduction for a listing clash on range, cells, pack count or power, and for a repeated fault when the rating is under 4.0. No reviews score 0. Floor 0, cap 20. The highest value score among the rows that are not the top pick is best value.
You are choosing a presence detector so a light stays on while you sit, rather than a sensor that only sees someone walk through. Prices on 21 October 2026 run from about £15.03 to about £54.99. The score uses the amazon.co.uk star line, the size of that sample, what the listing and the UK review notes support, and the shelf price. It is not a lab test. A gigahertz figure is what the listing prints. A bullet and a table that disagree are not averaged.
A presence detector here is a small indoor sensor that reports whether someone is in a room, and that aims to stay occupied while you sit, read or sleep. Most rows sold for this job use millimetre-wave radar, sometimes with a passive infrared element and a light sensor. They connect on Zigbee, on Tuya or Smart Life, on Matter over Wi-Fi, on Matter over Thread, or through a brand hub. They are not cameras. A GDPR-compliant line on a listing is not a legal finding.
A passive infrared sensor sees walking and often clears once you sit. Radar is sold for a desk or a sofa. Putting either the wrong way round leaves the light off while you read, or holds it for the next room.
A Zigbee coordinator is not in the box. A Thread row needs a border router you already own. Matter over Wi-Fi still needs 2.4 GHz. Matter does not mean the sensor needs nothing else.
A bullet and a table that disagree are both on the page. Do not merge 5 to 7 metres with 0 to 9.5 metres, or 8 and 5 metres with 393 feet, into one reach. The same rule covers AAA against AA, and a 9 V line against USB-C in the reviews.
Score the job before the gigahertz printed on the title. Radar is the row to read when a lamp must stay on while you sit, read or work. A passive infrared sensor is the row for a hall where people only walk through. On a Texas Instruments board, not these ASINs, passive infrared missed typing and breathing. Their millimetre-wave board caught them, and deep breathing was weak at about 5.1 metres. That is their board. It is not a result for the ten listings here.
Platform decides whether the shelf price is the whole cost. Zigbee needs a coordinator that is not in the box, which is why the SNZB-06P24 at about £21.85 and the SNZB-06P at about £24.96 assume a hub you already run. Thread needs a border router. The MS605 at about £33.98 and the Lafaer LWR02 at about £44.99 name that path. Matter over Wi-Fi, the MS600 at about £29.99, needs 2.4 GHz and does not use a Thread border router. The adapter and 1.5 metre cable are in that box.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You already have a Zigbee coordinator and a USB socket beside a chair, desk or sofa. The SONOFF SNZB-06P24 is about £21.85, 24 GHz, with up to seven zones within 4 metres, rated 4.3 from 195 reviews. The coordinator is not in the box.
You have 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and a socket, and you do not want a Zigbee coordinator or a Thread border router. The Meross MS600 is about £29.99, Matter over Wi-Fi, with an adapter and a 1.5 m cable, rated 4.1 from 72 reviews.
You already have a Thread border router and you want a battery sensor for a bathroom or a loft. The Meross MS605 is about £33.98, claims IP67, and includes one CR123A, rated 4.3 from 100 reviews. Only eight UK review notes are stored.
The top pick is the SONOFF SNZB-06P24 at about £21.85. It has the highest score in this set, 81, for 24 GHz Zigbee on USB-C, a light sensor and up to seven zones within 4 metres, if you already have a coordinator. It is rated 4.3 from 195 reviews. Best value is the Meross MS600 at about £29.99. Its value score is 15, the highest value score among the other rows, for Matter over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with an adapter in the box, rated 4.1 from 72 reviews. A higher overall score does not take that value award. A row with no UK review text is not treated as a working sensor. None of this is a lab test.
Meross MS600
Highest value score among the other rows, 15, at about £29.99 for Matter over Wi-Fi with an adapter and a 1.5 m cable.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the digest first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices and stars were taken on 21 October 2026.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Charlie White (Charlie DIYte) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for this set. This is not a laboratory test.
