Aqara FP400 Detects Ten People, While Amazon Raises Smart Home Prices
A new spatial sensor tracks posture in large rooms, but rising prices for Amazon and Google devices make budgeting harder.
Key points
- Aqara FP400 sensor tracks posture of ten people in rooms up to 10x8 meters.
- Amazon raised Echo Dot price to $79.99 and Fire Stick 4K Max to $84.99.
- Ikea launched a Matter-over-Thread driver supporting up to eight lighting units.
The smart home landscape is shifting toward higher precision and higher costs. AppleInsider reports that the new Aqara FP400 sensor can now track the posture of up to ten people simultaneously, marking a significant leap in spatial awareness for automated lighting and security systems.
However, this technological advancement comes alongside a broader trend of price increases. Major retailers like Amazon have significantly raised prices for core smart home devices, making the entry point for smart home automation more expensive than it was just a year ago.
Advanced sensing replaces basic motion triggers
The Aqara FP400 uses 60Hz mmWave radar to monitor rooms up to 10 by 8 meters. Unlike older sensors that only detect motion, this device identifies individual people and their posture. This allows for highly specific automations, such as turning on a lamp only when someone sits at a desk, rather than just when they walk past.
Users can define virtual zones as small as 0.5 by 0.5 meters. The sensor works with Matter over Thread or Zigbee, ensuring compatibility with Apple Home and other ecosystems. The trade-off is complexity; setting up these granular zones requires more configuration than simple on/off motion switches.
Amazon increases costs for core devices
Amazon has raised the price of its Echo Dot smart speaker from $49.99 to $79.99. The Fire Stick 4K Max also saw a 40 percent increase, now costing $84.99. These hikes push the cost of basic smart speakers to the low end of the market, placing them near the price of Google and Apple alternatives.
With the HomePod mini at $129 and Google speakers at $99, the price gap between major brands has narrowed. Consumers seeking affordable entry points into smart home ecosystems now face higher baseline costs, reducing the value proposition of budget-friendly devices.
New hardware and app updates arrive
Ikea has launched the Dubbelkisel, a Matter-over-Thread driver for cabinet lighting that replaces older Zigbee models. It supports up to eight lighting units. Meanwhile, Govee has released new dual-zone table lamps and outdoor ball lights. Both Govee products support Matter via Wi-Fi for Apple Home integration, though advanced features like animations remain exclusive to the Govee app.
Apple has also updated its ecosystem with iOS 27.2 beta, introducing profiles for the Apple TV app. This feature allows parents to limit content for children without affecting the main user's watch list. Additionally, the HomeBatteries app has been updated with new sorting and filtering options to help users monitor battery health in their smart devices.
