Anyone try to build a bed occupancy sensor integrated with Home Assistant? I’ve looked into load sensors but all of them seem to have pretty small weight limits (low enough to where I don’t think it would even support the empty bed).

What devices/sensors have you used for this? And what does your setup look like?

  • bus_factor@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I’ve never done anything like this, but would it be possible to place such a sensor between the mattress and the frame instead? That would result in a fraction of the load due to the distribution of the weight. The challenge would be to set the threshold right.

    • roofuskit@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I believe that’s how most people do it. It works for me. You can also put two in parallel or just add a resistor across the leads to divide the resistance to make it more sensitive. If you used a potentiometer it would make it easier to adjust to hit the exact threshold.

    • David J. Atkinson@c.im
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      2 days ago

      @bus_factor Some of the #mmWave (Radar) Presence sensors may be able to detect bed presence through the mattress, mounted under frame. I have not tried this yet but I’ve been planning to. The Aqara FP-1 or Aqara FP-2 are candidates, but maybe too pricey for an experiment. The Apollo MTR-1 is far less expensive and excellent for short range. It is also small and with a sturdy enclosure you could easily place it between and mattress. These sensors can pick up very small motions, even the human heartbeat (sometimes through walls). I use both Aqara (easier set up) and Apollo MTR-1 for room and zone presence detection, with #HomeAssistant for integrated automation.