Qinping Motion and Light Sensor T and what’s interesting

Today, we are reviewing a quite interesting and questionable to an extent device – Qinping Motion and Light Sensor T. The letter “T” in its name means it has Thread support. Also, the device has Apple Home support, as claimed by the manufacturer, which only piqued my interest further.

Aqara compatibility

Although the device works on the Thread protocol, when it first boots, it can be discovered as a Bluetooth device and work that way later.

In reality, there shouldn’t be any problems with adding the device to the Aqara system. Just scan a QR code or enter the pairing code in the factory app. Don’t forget to turn on pairing mode on the device. For that, hold down the blue button for 10 seconds. When the LED inside stops blinking and lights up, stop holding the button.

This device is for the Aqara ecosystem, but I can’t check how the device works with Aqara hubs since I don’t have one at home. I assume that support for Bluetooth or Thread is required for the device to work.

I will once again remind you that both protocols – Thread and Bluetooth – work at the same frequency.

Home Assistant compatibility

Since Home Assistant allows for devices that work with Apple Home, this device should also be A-OK. There is a requirement, though – you must set up the Bluetooth integration. Besides, if you plan on installing the sensor far from the Home Assistant controller, Bluetooth Proxy also becomes a requirement. What that is and why use it is a topic for a different article, so for now, follow the link to learn more.

So now, we put the Qingping Motion & Light Sensor T into pairing mode by holding down the blue button under the casing for 10 seconds. After a while, Home Assistant will discover a new device and request to add it.

The next step is to enter the code which is on the photo.

Now that you’ve added the sensor, you can optionally assign it a room or a zone.

Below is the device page where you can see its status: the motion and light sensor, battery status, etc.

I will again remind you that, at the moment, the Qingping Motion & Light Sensor T works in Bluetooth mode. Of course, this is enough for full functionality, but if you’re building a Thread network and don’t want to inconvenience yourself with Bluetooth Proxy, you can put the device into Thread mode.

Connecting the Qingping Motion & Light Sensor T to Thread

For Thread to work, you must have a border Thread router in your home network. In Home Assistant, the “OpenThread Border Router” addon does the job, which doesn’t work without a Thread adapter.

For the device to connect to the network using Thread, go to the device page and click the “Provision Preferred Thread Credentials” button.

After about a minute, your sensor will connect to the Thread adapter. You may see the device become unavailable for a few seconds, which is when it’s changing modes.

In the “Diagnostic” column, the sensor’s status has changed to an end Thread device (Child).

Something that might be strange is that the “OpenThread” integration is empty. The sensor is still in the “HomeKit Device” category. Perhaps it’s because the device is for HomeKit.

By the way, many people think that if the device works using Thread, it also means that it will work with Matter as well, which isn’t the case. Thread is simply a method of transferring information between devices, like a wired connection in a local or Wi-Fi network. Matter takes care of compatibility between ecosystems on a logical level.

Conclusion

The device I’m reviewing works well. It quickly reacts to motion, and the additional light sensor allows use in many scenarios. The dual CR2450 batteries guarantee good battery life without replacing the power source, but we still need to test that theory. If you own an Aqara hub and have devices you can use as Bluetooth gateways, then the device is definitely for you.

Otherwise, you’ll have to set up a Thread network, and it’s hard to do for now due to the lack of many devices that support the new protocol.