Presence Sensor Integration with Home Assistant, HomeKit, and SmartThings

Why integrate a presence sensor with smart home platforms

A presence sensor is only useful if it can trigger automations. Integrating a presence sensor with Home Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, or Alexa turns raw occupancy data into smart actions: turning on lights when someone enters, setting back HVAC when a room is empty, or notifying housekeeping that a hotel room is vacant. This guide covers how to connect a mmWave presence sensor to each major smart home platform.

Presence sensor + Home Assistant

Home Assistant is the most popular open-source smart home platform, and a presence sensor is one of its most requested integrations. Home Assistant presence sensor setup depends on the protocol:

Zigbee presence sensor + Home Assistant

A Zigbee presence sensor connects to Home Assistant through a Zigbee coordinator (ZBDongle-E, Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB dongle, or SkyConnect). Once paired, the presence sensor appears as an occupancy sensor entity in Home Assistant. The presence sensor reports "on" when a person is detected (including sleeping) and "off" when the room is vacant.

To set up a Zigbee presence sensor in Home Assistant:

1. Plug in a Zigbee coordinator USB dongle
2. Enable the ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT integration in Home Assistant
3. Put the presence sensor into pairing mode
4. The presence sensor auto-discovers as an occupancy entity
5. Create automations: when presence sensor turns on → turn on lights

The advantage of a Zigbee presence sensor in Home Assistant is mesh reliability — the presence sensor repeats the mesh signal, extending range across the building.

WiFi presence sensor + Home Assistant

A WiFi presence sensor connects to Home Assistant through the Tuya integration or local MQTT. The WiFi presence sensor pairs with the Tuya Smart Life app first, then Home Assistant discovers it via the Tuya integration. The presence sensor reports occupancy state and can trigger any Home Assistant automation.

Matter presence sensor + Home Assistant

A Matter presence sensor connects natively to Home Assistant via Matter (no bridge needed). The presence sensor commissions through a QR code, and Home Assistant auto-discovers the presence sensor as a Matter occupancy sensor. This is the simplest presence sensor integration path for Home Assistant.

Presence sensor + Apple HomeKit

Apple HomeKit supports occupancy sensors natively. A Matter presence sensor connects directly to HomeKit via Thread — no bridge or hub required (an Apple TV 4K or HomePod mini acts as the Thread border router). The presence sensor appears as an occupancy sensor in the Home app, and you can create automations like "when presence sensor detects occupancy → turn on the bedroom light."

For Zigbee presence sensors, a HomeKit bridge (like the Aqara Hub or Hubitat) is needed to expose the presence sensor to HomeKit. A WiFi presence sensor with Tuya support can use the Tuya HomeKit integration.

Presence sensor + Samsung SmartThings

SmartThings supports both Zigbee and Matter presence sensors. A Zigbee presence sensor pairs directly with a SmartThings hub (Aeotec Smart Home Hub or Samsung SmartThings Station). A Matter presence sensor connects natively via Thread without a hub. The presence sensor appears as an occupancy sensor in the SmartThings app, and automations can be created using SmartThings Routines.

The presence sensor integration with SmartThings is particularly useful for Samsung ecosystem users who want presence-based automations without Home Assistant.

Presence sensor + Alexa

Alexa does not natively support occupancy sensors, but a presence sensor can trigger Alexa routines through a skill or virtual contact sensor. The most common path: connect the WiFi presence sensor to Tuya, link Tuya to Alexa via the Tuya skill, and create an Alexa routine triggered by the presence sensor state. A Matter presence sensor may also connect to Alexa via Echo devices that support Matter.

Choosing the right presence sensor protocol for your platform

For multi-platform installations, a Matter presence sensor is the best choice — it works with Home Assistant, HomeKit, SmartThings, and Alexa from a single commissioning. For Home Assistant-only installations, a Zigbee presence sensor offers the best mesh reliability at scale.

Presence sensor automation examples

Once your presence sensor is integrated, here are practical automations:

• Hotel room: presence sensor "occupied" → turn on lights and set HVAC to comfort; presence sensor "vacant" → turn off lights and set HVAC to setback
• Meeting room: presence sensor "occupied" → mark room as in-use in booking system; presence sensor "vacant" for 10 min → release the booking
• Bedroom: presence sensor detects occupancy + time is after 10 PM → activate "sleep" scene (dim lights, lock doors, arm security)
• Bathroom: presence sensor "occupied" → turn on exhaust fan; presence sensor "vacant" for 5 min → turn off fan
• Elder care: presence sensor detects occupancy in bedroom for >12 hours → alert caregiver

The presence sensor is the trigger; the smart home platform is the brain. Together, a presence sensor and Home Assistant (or HomeKit/SmartThings) create automations that a motion sensor simply cannot — because the presence sensor knows the room is occupied even when no one moves.

Conclusion

Integrating a presence sensor with your smart home platform is straightforward with the right protocol. For Home Assistant users, a Zigbee presence sensor or Matter presence sensor offers the best experience. For Apple HomeKit, a Matter presence sensor is the simplest path. For Alexa, a WiFi presence sensor via Tuya works well. Whatever platform you choose, a true mmWave presence sensor — one that detects breathing, not just movement — is the foundation of reliable occupancy automation. A presence sensor that falsely reports "vacant" while someone is sleeping will break every automation it touches.