Home automation specialist Meross presents a new presence detector that stands out for its compatibility with Matter.
Motion detector vs presence detector
Presence detectors differ from motion detectors in that they are more sensitive, allowing them to be used where the technical limitations of motion detectors force them to throw in the towel.
So, motion detectors are effective in many situations, for example to automate the switching on of lighting when you enter a room. However, if you have set up such a system in a room where you stay longer without necessarily moving (for example typing on the keyboard in your chair facing the desk), you have certainly noticed that the light turns off after a period of time defined in the settings, the movements not being significant enough to trigger the detector again. Meross (like Aqara before it with the FP2) has worked on this problem and presents an interesting solution with a new product.
Meross Presence Sensor MS600
The Meross MS600 presence detector will therefore have to be wired, which is less practical than battery-powered motion detectors, but will offer much better sensitivity thanks to its millimeter-wave radar coupled with an infrared sensor, with the ability to detect a human’s breathing (a function allows you not to trigger the detection for a pet) at a distance of 6 meters. Motion detection extends to 12 meters and the device is equipped with a brightness sensor ranging from 0 to 8000 lumens. It will therefore be possible to couple the detection of a presence with ambient brightness to trigger different home automation scenarios (for example, turning on the light as soon as it gets dark and not turning it off while you are in the room).
The angle can be adjusted (see photo above) to optimize detection depending on the room, and the device will be powered by wire via a USB-C port. Matter compatibility ensures operation with the main home automation ecosystems on the market, including Apple Home, and the MS600 does without a hub by communicating via Wi-Fi. The
MS600 is available at a price of $31.99 on the official store.
