The Best Smart Door & Window Sensors

Home security requires more than locks and bolts. Window and door sensors are a necessity. Homeowners and other property owners want the best possible security options to protect their loved ones, pets and belongings. They also often need solutions that integrate well with other smart home systems.

Smart door and window sensors can give them peace of mind. These sensors do more than provide motion alerts at entry points. Along with vibration sensors, they notify the owner, a property manager, a security firm or law enforcement of further ingress by burglars, thieves and vandals. When integrated with additional compatible smart systems and virtual assistant technologies, they provide a property owner with real-time information about many areas of their home and control over more than merely security.

A homeowner can use them to turn on automatic locks and adjust whole-home temperature levels and cooling and heating equipment. When they use sensors beyond entry and exit points, they receive a wide range of surprising benefits. For example, most insurance carriers offer deep premium discounts when homes and other structures contain innovative, cutting-edge security systems that adapt to safety and personal needs.

What are the Best Aqara Smart Door and Window Sensors?

It goes without saying that plenty of fine motion detection products exist on the market. That said, Aqara has set the bar high with its door and window sensors. The following list outlines the top three options from the Aqara range. The following are fully compatible with Aqara’s range of smart hubs and will be compatible with other future cutting-edge products based on Matter and Thread protocols to offer new functionalities and even longer-lasting battery life.

Door and Window Sensor

The Aqara Door and Window Sensor is one of the most affordable and best door and window security sensors available today. At 1.61 L x 0.87 W x 0.43 H inches and 0.48 ounces with a two-year battery, it offers an incredibly lightweight security solution that home and property owners can set up quickly anywhere they need real-time motion detection. During an event, a single sensor can activate an Aqara Hub’s local alarm and prompt the sending of a remote alert.

This standard Aqara sensor for doors and windows offers compatibility with both Amazon Alexa and Apple Home. It works well hands-free with all other smart devices to provide a wide range of security and automation options. These sensors can even work with smart LED devices to turn on and off exterior lights and cameras when someone opens a main door at night or interior lights in one or more rooms.

Door and Window Sensor P2

One of the best door sensors compatible with all the major platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Google Home, Apple Home and Siri, Samsung SmartThings and Aqara Home. The Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 features more than the high-quality services provided by Aqara standard door and window sensors and long-lasting batteries. It also offers additional security, connectivity and communication benefits above and beyond the norm for the entire industry.

The P2 is one of the first sensors on the market designed to work with the Matter connectivity standard and use the IPv6-based wireless Thread Protocol that reduces the power needed to run the sensor. It provides the highest levels of stability and security. The P2 is one of the best options for securely setting up and connecting devices throughout a smart home or other structure for seamless operation.

This sensor system doesn’t require the owner to use cloud services. It also affixes effortlessly to surfaces with a strong adhesive sticker. As with all Aqara sensors, it immediately prompts the sounding of a local alarm and sending of remote notifications. It also features tamper-proofing and adjustable sensitivity. Even better, it offers preset “if…, then” automation. A homeowner can set it up with a Thread router to automatically adjust a smart thermostat based on the open or closed status of doors and windows and the outdoor temperature. It can also automatically turn off or on the bathroom light based on whether someone has opened or closed the toilet lid.

With a virtual assistant attached to P2 sensors, a property owner can receive verbal alerts when someone opens or closes a window or door. It’s a great solution for people who work in noisy areas or experience vision, hearing or mobility difficulties. Someone can also ask their virtual assistant to check if they remembered to close and lock a door or window, such as a main door after they carried groceries or food into the home or the garage door at the end of the day.

Vibration Sensor

Although door and window sensors provide ultimate security and other smart solutions, a property owner can also benefit from installing Aqara’s vibration sensors. Each sensor is sensitive enough to detect the mildest of unexpected vibrations, tilts and drops and, in connection with the Aqara Hub, immediately triggers the activation of an alarm. If desired, a vibration sensor can also trigger remote notifications to security, police and emergency personnel and the owner’s phone or other portable device.

Aqara vibration sensors are among the best sensors available because they’re barely noticeable (‎0.35 L x 1.42 W x 1.42 H inches and ‎0.03 pounds), battery-operated, utilize a Wi-Fi connection, and integrate fully with and trigger other Aqara devices and even major smart home and virtual assistant services, including Apple Home-enabled accessories. Vibration sensors are a top solution for balcony, pet and safe doors. A homeowner can also affix these sensors safely and effortlessly to drawers and cabinet doors that house valuable items or directly to valuables like antique furniture and expensive paintings.

Smart Door and Window Sensor FAQs

How do smart system door and window sensors work?

The answer to this question depends on the design of the visible or hidden entry or contact system. That said, most security sensors use a circuit setup with a magnet and a switch. When a disruption to the electrical current and circuit occurs because someone opens a door or window, the system issues an alert to the property owner, on-site residents or visitors, a security firm or local law enforcement via a smart home communication and control hub, a loud interior alarm, and a rapid remote notification.

What should someone look for in smart door and window sensors?

Always search for a low-cost solution that installs easily in any area. The sensors should have energy-efficient, long-lasting batteries. They must also integrate with other technologies, including the Aqara Hub, whole-home virtual assistants, remote app security, and other smart tools. It’s critical that they provide push notifications as well, so that a homeowner receives real-time alerts.

What smart home automations can you set up with door and window sensors?

Beyond main entry security automations, a homeowner might use the sensors to alert them about the unexpected use of a garage or pet flap door. Outside of security, they can connect the sensors to a smart wall switch to automatically turn on lights at night when someone opens a main or bathroom door. They can also install the sensors on bird, dog and other pet cages to alert them about pet escapes. If someone in the home has a major medical problem that requires food-intake monitoring, they can set up the door sensors to alert them to someone opening the refrigerator door at odd hours for late-night snacking. With a refrigerator, the sensors can also supply energy waste data that displays how long someone stood with the fridge door open or the number of times people opened the door throughout a 24-hour period.

Why are door and window sensors important for home security?

Depending on the property security systems in place, door and window sensors serve as the first line of defence against burglars and thieves. Outdoor motion sensors attached to floodlights and cameras are the only other systems that serve an equally important purpose. With these sensors, a homeowner can achieve peace of mind when sleeping at home or while traveling for work or play. They know that sensors and an attached smart home or remote security system immediately alert them to any concerning changes to the status of the entry points to their home. Learn more about setting up a DIY smart security system.

Where to buy Aqara Smart Door and Window Sensors?

The closet retailer or independent security specialist that sells Aqara products is easy to find with just two clicks on the Aqara “Where to Buy” page. To find a location, select the continent and country names. The page auto-scrolls below the fold to display the top retailers.