Apollo MSR-2 mmWave Multisensor For Home Assistant

Recently, Apollo Automation reached out to us with an exciting opportunity to test some of their products. They generously provided the MSR-2, MTR-1, and AIR-1, along with several accessories.

The Apollo Automation MSR-2, a mmWave Multisensor for Home Assistant, is an advanced iteration of the popular MSR-1 and the latest addition to Apollo Automation’s suite of smart home devices. Developed using customer feedback, the MSR-2 has been refined to be 30% smaller. Additionally, some of the sensors have been upgraded, and an extra expansion slot has been added to the back of the board.

Key Features

1. mmWave Technology: Unlike traditional sensors that rely on infrared or ultrasonic waves, the MSR-2 uses millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology to detect motion and presence with a high degree of accuracy. This advanced technology enables the sensor to sense even minor movements, making it ideal for security and automation applications. For instance, a mmWave sensor can instantly detect when someone enters a room and automatically turn on the lights. Additionally, mmWave’s superior stillness detection capability ensures that the lights remain on as long as you are present, even if you are sitting very still.
2. Compact Design: Measuring only a few centimeters, the MSR-2 is one of the smallest presence sensors available on the market. Its diminutive size allows it to be discreetly installed in various locations without drawing attention.
3. Integration with Home Assistant: The sensor is designed to be fully compatible with ESPHome and Home Assistant, a widely-used open-source home automation platform. This ensures users can easily integrate the MSR-2 with their existing smart home systems.
4. Versatile Applications: The MSR-2 goes beyond simple motion detection by also monitoring environmental parameters such as temperature and pressure, making it a versatile tool for home automation. With the optional CO2 sensor module, the MSR-2 can additionally provide humidity sensing, further enhancing its range of capabilities.
5. Low Power Consumption: Despite its advanced capabilities, the sensor is energy-efficient, drawing only 0.77 Watt of power to operate effectively.

mmWave sensor

The MSR-2 features the HLK-ld2410b mmWave sensor, which excels in tracking a single target, detecting still presence, fine-tuning capabilities, and reducing false positives. Officially supported by ESPHome, the HLK-ld2410b is widely praised for its reliable detection of stationary presence.

The HLK-ld2410b is capable of setting up to three detection zones by specifying distances in centimeters. For instance, Zone 1 might detect presence within 0-50cm, while Zone 2 could cover 50-250cm. To fine-tune the sensor and avoid false triggers, you can use Gates, which are energy thresholds for various detection distances. Each gate represents a specific distance, allowing you to adjust move and still energy thresholds. Lowering gate thresholds makes specific areas less sensitive, while raising them increases sensitivity. This customization ensures accurate presence detection while minimizing false positives and negatives.

During our six-week review period, we found the sensor to be extremely reliable for both motion and still presence detection. However your results may vary. Due to its high sensitivity, the sensor may occasionally respond to minor movements within the room, such as a curtain moving or a fan operating. In such cases you could try adjusting the gate thresholds, or you could combine this sensor with a traditional PIR sensor. The PIR sensor can detect motion when entering the room, while the mmWave sensor can ensure continuous presence detection. This combination provides truly 99.98%  😉 reliable light control.

Temperature and Pressure

The MSR-2 features an onboard Infineon DPS310, a miniaturized digital barometric air pressure sensor known for its high accuracy and low current consumption. This sensor is capable of measuring both pressure and temperature. Based on a capacitive sensing principle, the pressure sensor element ensures high precision even during temperature changes.

To test its accuracy, we first calibrated the sensor by comparing it to a median of our existing Sonoff and Aqara sensors. We then set the offset (in our case -30.5) within ESPHome and placed the MSR-2 in our bathroom, took a shower and observed the following values afterwards:

Light and UV sensor

The MTR-2 incorporates an LTR390-UV sensor, offering both ambient light and UV sensing capabilities with a spectral response range from 280nm to 430nm and raw data output. It features high sensitivity, quick response, and strong anti-interference properties, making it suitable for outdoor UV detection and ambient light monitoring. The sensor appears to be quite accurate and could be useful for automating lights based on illuminance (lux) values.

Piezo Buzzer

The onboard piezo buzzer can be automated and used as an audible indicator. For example, it can play a tune whenever CO2 levels surpass a certain threshold, alerting you to open a window. The buzzer requires RTTTL (Ring Tone Text Transfer Language) to output melodies. While this might seem complex, there is an abundance of RTTTL melodies and sounds available on the internet.

RGB LED

The onboard RGB LED can be controlled just like any other light in Home Assistant, making it easy to automate and use as a visual indicator. For instance, you could change the LED’s color based on temperature readings or even to signal presence detection.

Accessories

Apollo Automation offers several 3D-printed accessories for the MSR-2 to enhance its functionality and placement options in your home. One option is an articulating sensor stand that can be mounted on any surface at an angle of your choosing using the included tape or screw holes. Another accessory allows you to swap out the back of the case for an alternate back-facing USB-C port; the default case has the USB-C port on one side, so this accessory enables you to run a cable from the back.

Additionally, Apollo offers an outlet mount, which is an L-shaped USB-C to USB-C connector that plugs into a wall power brick. This not only provides a clean, wire-free look but also ensures ease of setup and sensor stability. Furthermore, Apollo offers a GPIO Header Addon that provides access to 3V, 5V, GND, I2C, and 6 GPIO pins. This lets you connect additional sensors, RGB LED strips, or relays, expanding the MSR-2’s potential. The optional USB connectors, CO2 sensor, and GPIO addon all come with a mezzanine connector. This design allows the accessories to be quickly swapped, offering optimal flexibility and convenience.

CO2 Sensor (option)

When purchasing the MSR-2, you also have the option to add a CO2 sensor, which includes humidity sensing capabilities. This sensor, a Sensirion SCD-40 is known to be quit accurate, however, it does need calibration. To calibrate simply put the sensor in a well ventilated room for at least 5 minutes and then press the “Calibrate SCD40 To 420ppm”. After calibration the sensor turned our the be fairly accurate, compared to our Netatmo sensor.

The SD40 also offers humidity sensing. Humidity sensing needs calibration as well which is done by setting an offset within ESPHome. We had to offset a rather large number of -30 to get close to our other humidity sensors. We then compared the humidity values to our Aqara and Sonos sensor in our bathroom whilst taking a shower. Results below:

These results were quite disappointing, as the sensor almost completely failed to detect the abrupt peak change in humidity. As shown in the graph above, the Sonoff performed best, accurately detecting the ~80% humidity peak. The Aqara sensor followed closely, being “only” 8% off. In contrast, the MSR-2 failed significantly, showing a deviation of 24%. Although not included in the graph, the Netatmo sensor supported the accuracy of the Sonoff, with the difference between the Sonoff and Netatmo readings never exceeding 2%. We repeated this test several times under slightly different circumstances and sensor placements, but the results remained the same.

Given its price of just under €20 for the CO2 option, I would not recommend this option unless you are in desperate need of some form of air quality measurement. For humidity sensing, it is unusable.

Conclusion

The Apollo Automation MSR-2 mmWave Multisensor offers great value at a price below € 33, including the case, excluding shipping, VAT and handling cost (Europe). It stands out for its reliable performance and flexibility, especially the mmWave sensor, which can significantly enhance your smart home automations. While optional addons like the CO2 sensor and mounting accessories range from €5 to €20, they are not essential for everyone. Sure, there are good Zigbee variants available like the Tuya MTG075-ZB-RL, but none of those come even close to the flexibility and performance of a ESP-based presence sensor. If you’re looking for a presence sensor that integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant and provides unmatched ESP-based performance, the Apollo MSR-2 is an excellent choice.

For more details and to make a purchase, please use our affiliate links:

• MSR-2 mmWave Multisensor For Home Assistant (ld2410)
• MSR-2 Male and Female Back USB-C Port
• MSR-2 Sensor Stand

Many thanks to Apollo Automation for providing the review sample!

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