This new Zigbee tech could turn Philips Hue lights into motion sensors

Matter may be the big new thing in the smart home arena, but the old Zigbee protocol still has some tricks up its sleeves, and this one’s pretty cool: The ability to transform Zigbee devices, such as Philips Hue lights, into motion sensors. 

It’s called Ambient Sensing and apparently it works with a simple firmware upgrade and without additional hardware. Even better, all the motion sensing happens locally, no cloud required. 

The news was teased Wednesday in a YouTube video posted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the group that’s behind both the Zigbee and Matter protocols. 

Ambient Sensing works with both new and existing Zigbee devices, according to the video, which demonstrates how Zigbee mesh networks can be divvied up into “precise” motion-sensing zones within your home such as in your living room, entry hall, or garage. 

When those motion zones detect activity, they could trigger automations that turn nearby lights on, fire off security alerts, or perform other tasks. 

The CSA video is light on details, but it does note that Ambient Sensing can be enabled with an over-the-air update, and without the need for additional hardware. 

So, when will these Ambient Sensing updates be available? That’s not immediately clear, but given that the CSA is a standards group, we’ll probably have to wait for Zigbee device manufacturers to implement the feature in their hardware. 

Of course, one Zigbee device maker that jumps to mind is Philips Hue, which has long employed the Zigbee protocol in its smart lights. (Indeed, anyone using Hue lights with the Hue Bridge is sure to have multiple Zigbee mesh networks present in their home.) 

We don’t yet know whether Hue is looking at Ambient Sensing specifically, but as Hueblog points out, there’s long been chatter that Hue is interested in turning its lights into motion sensors. (We’ve reached out to both Philips Hue and the CSA for comment.)

That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Wiz, Hue’s sibling brand (both companies are owned by the same parent, Signify) already offers a similar motion-sensing technology for its lights. 

Unlike Ambient Sensing, Wiz’s SmartSense tech leverages Wi-Fi signals rather than Zigbee, but both appear to employ the same basic technique: detecting motion by sensing disturbances within wireless networks. 

If Hue does adopt Ambient Sensing, the benefits would be immediate: You could easily set up motion zones that would turn your Hue lights on and off as people enter or leave a room, all without needing to install a separate motion sensor.

Even better, your Ambient Sensing-enabled Hue lights would be able to trigger security alerts when they detect motion where there shouldn’t be any. (Philips Hue does make traditional motion sensors, and its Hue Secure cameras can detect motion.) 

Given Hue’s recent foray into home security, Ambient Sensing seems like a perfect fit for the brand. Will it actually happen? We’ll have to wait and see.