Aqara Door and Windows Sensor P2 Review

By: Author James Smythe

Posted on 22nd August 2023

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The P2 Door and Window Sensor, retailing at $29.99 / £29.99 / €32.99, was launched at the start of July and is the first sensor from Aqara to have native matter support that can be integrated directly into third-party Matter-enabled smart homes without needing an Aqara hub for its operation.

However, by pairing the sensor with Aqara's soon-to-be-released Hub M3, additional features, such as a programmable button, can be activated.

Just to make sure this is completely clear, this new Aqara P2 sensor does NOT use Zigbee. It uses Thread.

This new sensor will connect directly to any Matter-enabled Thread Border Routers on the market and can be integrated into multiple Matter-enabled ecosystems via the additional Matter controller(s).

This is the bit that caught me off guard. Currently, the Aqara P2 sensor isn't supported on an Aqara hub because Aqara don't have its own Thread Border Router.

The upcoming Hub M3 will be the first of their hubs to have this functionality, and this is due to launch in 2024.

Google supports Thread on multiple devices. Thread border routers are already built into Nest WiFi Pro, the second-gen Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max.

The Smartthings v3 hub, Apple TV 4K, Echo (fourth gen) smart speaker, Eero Pro access point, and the Nanoleaf Lines, Shapes, and Elements are just some examples of existing Thread border routers.

If you use Home Assistant as the main controller for your smart home, they have the SkyConnect USB dongle, which is an affordable way to add both Zigbee/Thread to your Home Assistant.

I realise that many Aqara users use Apple HomeKit, and this works well with Matter and the HomePod/Apple TV 4K are both Thread Border Routers. My partner has an iPad, so I am hoping to buy either a HomePod or Apple TV 4K in the near future so that I test HomeKit properly.

I was a bit slow to write this review as when I received the sample, I only had the Google Nest WiFi Pro, which supports Matter.

I later used this as an excuse to buy the SkyConnect, and I am slowly switching my smart home to use Home Assistant as much as possible, with me using Home Assistant OS running on an RPI4.

I had problems with setting the P2 senor up with both systems. In theory, it should be super simple.

This didn't go quite to plan. For some reason, I installed the sensor on my front door before pairing it. Both the Google Nest WiFi Pro and Home Assistant SkyConnect were in my office upstairs.

Home Assistant would refuse to find it most of the time, I even bought a longer USB extension cable to reduce interference.

Google Nest WiFi Pro would find it but then fail to set it up.

I then relocated both the Nest and RPI running Home Assistant into my TV room downstairs which is the room next to where the front door is.

I had more luck here, but both the Nest and Home Assistant would fail on either the checking network connectivity part or generating matter credentials.

Then, as a last resort, I removed the sensor and brought it into the same room as the two devices. I set it up on my couch about 3 meters from the devices with line of sight.

The Google Nest WiFi Pro worked straight away. But when I tried to set it up with Home Assistant, I'd get to the point where it would say it was adding the matter device, and it may take a minute or two, but then it would fail.

Finally, I retried it again but placed the P2 sensor right next to the SkyConnect, and it eventually successfully added it.

Once it was paired, I was able to mount it back on the front door, and it just worked. There were no issues with the signal. So, I am not sure why it was so awkward with pairing.

With the sensor added to Google Home, you can view the state of the sensor, either open or closed.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Google doesn't seem to support the sensor in routines, so you can't really do much with it.

Personally, I am not keen on Google Home for managing my smart home for anything other than voice control, so this wasn't much of an issue for me.

The sensor is much more useful in Home Assistant. I view the status, battery and view the log book for times when the door has been opened/closed.

I then have the option to set up automations, scenes or scripts.

I don't have much use for a door sensor, but one automation that comes in handy is to turn my Philips Hue lights on in the hallway when someone opens the door between certain times.

It is worth noting that with Home Assistant supporting Matter (in Beta), you can easily integrate any devices you have paired to the Aqara Hub M2 using Matter. This was a game changer for me, as I was struggling to pair Aqara sensors with SkyConnect. I had previously moved over to Homey, but with the SkyConnect and the Home Assistant Matter support, I should be able to move everything into HA without issue.

The Aqara Door and Windows Sensor P2 is priced at £29.99

The older Zibee-based Door and Windows Sensor, which requires an Aqara hub, is priced much lower at £17.

I had quite a few teething issues with the Aqara Door and Windows Sensor P2. I can't be sure who is at fault here. It could be a user error, the sensor, or Home Assistant and Google Nest WiFi Pro.

However, once I got it into Home Assistant, it worked flawlessly.

With this being the first Thread device from Aqara, it is perhaps not surprising that there are some niggles that need working out. In fact, Matter, in general, has a few niggles that needs working out.

I would expect that when Aqara releases their new hub with Thread support, everything will work much better.

Ignoring the set up issues, it is fantastic to experience the potential of Thread and Matter. Being able to use different brands with whatever ecosystem you want has been a dream of many smart home enthusiasts for years. Overall, once this was up and running, it has been an excellent

Summary

I had a few issues getting this sensor set up, and it is considerably more expensive than its Zigbee counterparts, but it works well, and it is great to get a taste of what Matter over Thread will be like for smart home enthusiasts.

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I am a UK tech blogger and have been in the industry for over 10 years now, running Mighty Gadget and its sister sites and contributing to other sites around the web. I am passionate about all tech, including mobile, wearables, and home automation. I am also a fitness fanatic, so I cover as much fitness tech as possible.

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Last update on 2023-08-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Posted on 22nd August 2023

Categories Reviews, Smart Home & Home Automation News & Reviews

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