The Lafaer LWR-1 Human Presence Detector is a new device from Gl-iNet, more famous for their router products, many of which I’ve written about in here over the years. Just this month I wrote about their GL-RM1 Remote KVM product. And now, the Lafaer LWR01 wireless Human Presence Detector.
This matter-compatible sensor is battery powered (2*AA batteries) and can also be powered by USB-C. As you can probably see in the images below, it has 120 degree detection angle and a range of between 3.5m and 6m. It runs on 2.4Ghz WiFi using Matter over Thread and has an operating temperature range of 0c-40c.
Not only presence sensing but also light detection.
The device connects to the free Lafaer app but also offers to let you to pair it with your Matter gateway App first, in my case Google Home. Despite trying both methods – ensuring the unit was factory reset – turning off the VPN on my phone, ensuring phone 2.4Ghz WiFi and BT are turned on, I was originally unable to connect the device. “Can’t find device”. “Cannot connect to Thread network AqaraHome-d7e0”
Ultimately I contacted GL-iNET who told me to try my Aqara Home APP (matter devices) as the Lafaer unit is not compatible with my Google Nest Mini hub.
I did just that and once added as a Matter device, the LWR-1 started to work. I could not get it to show presence – and again GL-iNET told me to use the self-learning feature – pressing the button 5 times in a row, clearing off out of the room within 30 seconds then staying out for 2 minutes – one working unit. From there it was a breeze to add “a Matter device already working on another Hub” to Home Assistant.
And from there I got history – not stored in the APP, from Home Assistant automatically.
But for Home Assistant (HAOS) user it gets better ay first glance – I just reset the LWR01 device to factory settings – removing it from the Aqara APP – and checking I had the MATTER integration in Home Assistant, tried adding it into that. HA told me I had to do that via the HA companion phone app (because it has the camera to scan the QR code on the device) and what – a minute late, the LWR01 was back up and running directly in HA – I didn’t even have to re-install my test tiles. History kept as well.
But then this morning I came into the office and the Lafaer unit showed “present”– at this point I turned off the now unused Aqara hub – so I left my office for a few minutes and on my phone (Home Assistant APP) I could see the LWR01 was no longer unavailable. So I came back into the office – still unavailable.
I wondered if the pre-supplied batteries were dead… 1.48 v. No, but regardless, I changed the batteries for decent Panasonics. Device still unavailable. I checked the Lafaer APP and held the side button in for 3 seconds to see if the unit would pair with the Lafaer APP – no sign of it (no devices scanned) – and still unavailable in Home Assistant.
That’s a shame – it was looking good. Was the unit somehow still relying on that Aqara hub? I could not simply factory reset the LWR01 and reconnect – Home Assistant (Android APP – Matter – add device) resulted in that and the Lafier APP still ranting on about “cannot connect to Thread network AqaraHome-D7e0….”
I re-powered on the Aqara hub… long pressed the LWR01 side button. – “Add to Home Assistant App” – WORKING – so even though the device was not apparently connected to the Aqara hub and HA matter integration doesn’t mention it. And magically I could now 3-seconds-add the LWR01 to the Lafier APP. This is the weirdest setup I’ve ever seen.
And.. so with the Aqara hub ON… after a while the LWR started to work properly but strangely – as I moved in and out of the office this morning – the light sensor (in HA) was going up and down (lights go off when I leave the office) but the Presence sensor remains on DETECTED… this afternoon I made sure the Aqara Hub-3 is now on a proper PSU instead of just any old USB – left the room for 15 minutes to take some photos of my latest acquisitions – and both sensors say UNAVAILABLE…. I don’t really think I can blame the Aqara Hub 3 for that.
Ultimately it seems the unit IS relying on the Aqara hub as it is not compatible with the Google Next Mini – and my Home Assistant does not in fact have a Matter hub built in but is relying on thst Aqara Hub for the Thread compatibility – of which I know next to zero as I have nowhere in my vast pile of IOT gadgets anything else that insists on Thread.