Every Smart Sensor Compared: What Each One Needs Before It Works (2026)
Sensors are the first category in our library where the device on the shelf is only half the purchase. Ten of the eleven products below are inert or crippled without a specific second box, and which box differs by brand. So this directory leads with the column most sensor pages bury: what each one needs before it works. Every cell renders live from the same sourced records behind our compatibility checker.
| Product | ~Price* | Amazon Alexa | Google Home | Apple Home | SmartThings | Home Assistant | Connection | Hub needed | Cloud-dependent | Subscription | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA MYGGBETT Door/Window Sensor✓ fully verified | $9.99 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter | Yes | No | — | |
IKEA MYGGBETT Door/Window Sensor — the catch, per ecosystem ~$9.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Hub for full use: Yes (Matter controller plus a Thread border router before phone or app control works — IKEA's page states you need a Thread Border Router such as its DIRIGERA hub. Per IKEA's compatibility statement, smart systems from Amazon, Apple, Google, Homey and Samsung apply, using that platform's own Thread border router.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| IKEA MYGGSPRAY Wireless Motion Sensor✓ fully verified | $9.99 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter | Yes | No | — | |
IKEA MYGGSPRAY Wireless Motion Sensor — the catch, per ecosystem ~$9.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Hub for full use: Yes (Matter controller plus a Thread border router before phone or app control works — IKEA's page states you need a Thread Border Router, its DIRIGERA hub the stated example. Per IKEA's compatibility statement, smart systems from Amazon, Apple, Google, Homey and Samsung apply, using that platform's own Thread border router. Can also pair directly with up to 10 IKEA light sources.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud Full sourced profile for IKEA MYGGSPRAY Wireless Motion Sensor → | |||||||||||
| IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE Temperature/Humidity Sensor✓ fully verified | $9.99 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter | Yes | No | — | |
IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE Temperature/Humidity Sensor — the catch, per ecosystem ~$9.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Hub for full use: Yes (For anything beyond the on-device display: a Matter controller plus a Thread border router — IKEA's page says you need a Thread Border Router to control it through your phone, its DIRIGERA hub the stated example. The press-to-read display itself works with no hub at all; CSA's product description confirms it functions as a standalone device or in a Matter network.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud Full sourced profile for IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE Temperature/Humidity Sensor → | |||||||||||
| SwitchBot Contact Sensor | $17 | partialAmazon Alexa: partial support — see the catch | partialGoogle Home: partial support — see the catch | partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch | checked — unresolvedSmartThings: researched, but the evidence does not settle it — the profile has details | worksHome Assistant: works | Bluetooth | Yes | No | — | |
SwitchBot Contact Sensor — the catch, per ecosystem ~$17 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Works standalone over Bluetooth LE with the SwitchBot app (local open/close alerts; SwitchBot states Android users need a hub even for push alerts). A SwitchBot hub is required for remote notifications, Alexa/Google Assistant/IFTTT, and SwitchBot-ecosystem automations; Matter exposure specifically requires Hub 2, Hub 3, or Hub Mini Matter Enabled.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| SwitchBot Presence Sensor✓ fully verified | $29.99 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | partialGoogle Home: partial support — see the catch | partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch | partialSmartThings: partial support — see the catch | worksHome Assistant: works | Matter · Bluetooth | No | No | — | |
SwitchBot Presence Sensor — the catch, per ecosystem ~$29.99 us.switch-bot.com storefront price at time of research (2026-07-19) — never treated as a live price. This is the standalone SKU; the other 'Presence Sensor' listings are bundles of the same unit (Hub Mini Matter combo $59.99, Bot 2-in-1 $52.99, 2-pack $54.99).
Connection: Matter · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2✓ fully verified | $30 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter · Bluetooth | Yes | No | — | |
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$30 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Matter controller + Thread border router (Aqara states a 'Matter Controller & Thread Border Router 2-in-1 is required' — e.g., HomePod mini/Apple TV 4K, Nest Hub 2nd gen, newer Echo devices, or Aqara Hub M3). No Zigbee or hub-free path exists.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| SwitchBot Meter Pro✓ fully verified | $30 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Bluetooth | Yes | No | Optional* | |
SwitchBot Meter Pro — the catch, per ecosystem ~$30 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Works standalone over Bluetooth LE: on-device display, app readings, alerts, and 68 days of local data need no hub. A SwitchBot hub is required for remote access, Alexa/Google Home/SmartThings/IFTTT, the on-screen weather forecast, and Matter; Matter specifically requires Hub 2, Hub 3, or Hub Mini Matter Enabled.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| Aqara Motion and Light Sensor P2✓ fully verified | $34 | partialAmazon Alexa: partial support — see the catch | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter · Bluetooth | Yes | No | — | |
Aqara Motion and Light Sensor P2 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$34 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Thread border router (HomePod mini/Apple TV 4K, Nest Hub 2nd gen, newer Echo devices, SmartThings hubs with Thread, or an Aqara Hub M3) plus a Matter controller in your ecosystem. No Aqara hub required — but adding an Aqara Hub M3 unlocks custom detection timeout, sensitivity tuning, and local alerts via Aqara Home.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| Eve Door & Window (3rd generation, Matter)✓ fully verified | $44 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter · Bluetooth | Yes | No | — | |
Eve Door & Window (3rd generation, Matter) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$44 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Thread border router + Matter controller — Eve's own wording: 'this Matter-enabled device requires a hub that supports both Thread and Matter.' For Apple Home: HomePod (2nd gen), HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K; for other ecosystems, that platform's Matter controller with Thread border router.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud Full sourced profile for Eve Door & Window (3rd generation, Matter) → | |||||||||||
| Philips Hue Motion Sensor (indoor)✓ fully verified | $49 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | partialSmartThings: partial support — see the catch | worksHome Assistant: works | Zigbee | Yes | No | — | |
Philips Hue Motion Sensor (indoor) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$49 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Zigbee · Hub for full use: Yes (Philips Hue Bridge (required — the official product page states a Bridge is required for the Motion sensor; there is no Bluetooth-only mode for this accessory)) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud Full sourced profile for Philips Hue Motion Sensor (indoor) → | |||||||||||
| Eve Motion (3rd generation, Matter)✓ fully verified | $55 | worksAmazon Alexa: works | worksGoogle Home: works | worksApple Home: works | worksSmartThings: works | worksHome Assistant: works | Thread · Matter · Bluetooth | Yes | No | — | |
Eve Motion (3rd generation, Matter) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$55 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Thread · Matter · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (Thread border router + Matter controller — Eve's own wording: 'This Matter-enabled device requires a hub that supports both Thread and Matter.' For Apple Home Eve names HomePod (2nd gen), HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K; for Alexa/Google/SmartThings, that ecosystem's Matter controller with Thread border router.) · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud Full sourced profile for Eve Motion (3rd generation, Matter) → | |||||||||||
| Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 | $83 | partialAmazon Alexa: partial support — see the catch | partialGoogle Home: partial support — see the catch | worksApple Home: works | checked — unresolvedSmartThings: researched, but the evidence does not settle it — the profile has details | worksHome Assistant: works | Wi-Fi · Bluetooth | No | No | — | |
Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$83 at time of research — never treated as a live price
Connection: Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No · Cloud-dependent: No — core function survives without the vendor cloud | |||||||||||
| No products in this category work with that ecosystem in our records yet. A Setup Check can research options outside our library. | |||||||||||
Sorted by price, low to high — an objective order, not a ranking or a verdict. Tap any row’s ＋ (or a phone card) to read every catch. ✓ works · ◐ partial · ✗ doesn’t work (verified) · ? not checked yet · ? checked, but the evidence doesn’t settle it. *Prices at time of research — never live prices. Data last verified 2026-07-19; every fact links to its sourced profile.
Which of these works with your home?
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Don’t see the exact model you own? Two options, and they’re different:tell us and we’ll add it to the research queue (free), or get aSetup Check — a personalized, human-checked report that researches your whole list, including products we haven’t profiled yet.
The three infrastructure patterns
Matter-over-Thread, or nothing. The Aqara Door & Window P2 ($30), Aqara Motion & Light P2 ($34), Eve Motion ($55), and Eve Door & Window ($44) all take the same deal. You get no proprietary hub, wide five-ecosystem support, and local control. In exchange, they depend completely on a Thread border router plus Matter controller. Aqara’s listing says a border router “is required”; Eve’s wording is the same. IKEA’s 2025 wave now undercuts them all on price with the identical architecture: the MYGGSPRAY motion sensor, MYGGBETT contact sensor, and TIMMERFLOTTE climate sensor are $9.99 each, with two asterisks straight from the records: the required rechargeable AAA batteries are sold separately, and IKEA publishes no detection-range or battery-life figures. If you own a HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, Nest Hub, newer Echo, or IKEA’s own DIRIGERA, you already have the infrastructure and all seven are plug-in easy. If you don’t, add that cost before comparing prices — our Thread border router guide covers which boxes qualify.
Bridge-locked. The Philips Hue Motion sensor ($49) is Zigbee behind the Hue Bridge, with no Bluetooth fallback. Everything it offers to HomeKit, Alexa, and Google flows through the Bridge. In a house already running Hue lighting that’s a feature: motion-to-light automations execute on the Bridge locally, and the sensor reads temperature and lux besides. As your first Hue product, the Bridge makes it a $110 motion sensor.
Bluetooth now, hub later. SwitchBot inverts the Thread deal. The Contact Sensor ($17) and Meter Pro ($30) work out of the box over Bluetooth with your phone in range, and that may genuinely be enough for a “did the garage door close” use case. The upgrade path is where the money is: remote notifications, voice assistants, and Matter each require a SwitchBot hub, and Matter specifically requires Hub 2, Hub 3, or the Hub Mini Matter Enabled. Cheap to start, priced to expand.
The outlier is the Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 ($83): straight to 2.4 GHz WiFi, no hub of any kind, and also no Matter and constant USB-C power. It’s a different instrument, mmWave presence rather than PIR motion. It knows someone is sitting still on the sofa, which is precisely the scenario where every PIR sensor above times out and turns the lights off on you. Zone setup lives in the Aqara app and takes real effort.
Reading the table honestly
Two records carry “?” in the SmartThings column, and they’re there on purpose. Neither the FP2 nor the SwitchBot Contact Sensor appears in its manufacturer’s official SmartThings documentation, so we record unknown, which is a verified statement about the documentation rather than a guess in either direction. Community integrations may exist; our table only asserts what a primary source supports.
One subscription flag in the whole category, and it’s on the cheapest-looking product. The Meter Pro stores 68 days of readings locally, but its history beyond two years sits behind a paid plan, per SwitchBot’s own pages. A $30 thermometer with a paywall is exactly the kind of fact the box omits and our records exist to surface.
Alexa households should check the partial marks. The Aqara Motion & Light P2 loses its light-sensor half in Alexa (motion carries over Matter; lux doesn’t), and SwitchBot’s voice support routes through its hub with scene-level rather than device-level depth on some combinations. Full rows and caveats live on each product page.
For renters
This is quietly the most renter-friendly category in the library: ten of eleven run on batteries and mount with adhesive, so move-out is a thumbnail job, not a spackle job. The FP2 is the exception only in needing a wall outlet. The real renter math is the infrastructure: a border router is yours and moves with you, which makes the Thread sensors a portable investment in a way hardwired gear never is.
Where to start
Pick the infrastructure pattern that matches what you already own, then the sensor. Thread border router in the house: IKEA’s $9.99 trio is now the cheapest way in (batteries sold separately), the Aqara P2 pair adds published spec figures IKEA omits, and Eve uses friendlier AAA and AA cells against Aqara’s coin cells, per the records. Hue Bridge household: the Hue Motion slots in with zero new accounts. No infrastructure and no plans: SwitchBot starts at $17 today, with the upgrade costs stated up front. Run your exact combination through the checker, or take the starter quiz if you’re still choosing an ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Do Matter sensors need a hub?
The Matter-over-Thread sensors in our library (both Aqara P2 models, both Eve models, and all three IKEA sensors) need two things: a Thread border router and a Matter controller, often the same box. A HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, Nest Hub (2nd gen), newer Echo devices, an Aqara Hub M3, or IKEA's DIRIGERA all qualify. Without one, these sensors do nothing at all — except the IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE's on-device display, which reads out temperature and humidity hubless.
Which sensors work without any hub?
A few, with limits. The Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 connects straight to 2.4 GHz WiFi and needs constant USB-C power. The SwitchBot Contact Sensor and Meter Pro work over Bluetooth with your phone nearby; remote alerts, voice assistants, and Matter all require adding a SwitchBot hub. And the IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE shows temperature and humidity on its own display at a button press — but app readings and automations need a Thread border router.
Why does the Aqara motion sensor show partial Alexa support?
Matter carries motion detection to every ecosystem, but Alexa drops the light-level half of the sensor, per Aqara's own documentation. If lux-based automations matter to you, that column is the difference between full and partial.
What do the question marks in the table mean?
They mean we checked and the official documentation doesn't answer the question. The FP2 and SwitchBot Contact Sensor have no official SmartThings listing, so we record 'unknown' rather than guessing. A ? is a verified gap, not missing homework.