Joe TriesMotion sensors compatible with Alexa
Yes, 13 motion sensors in our catalog work with Alexa, most of them through the maker's hub. Some Echo speakers can sense motion on their own, which may be all a hallway light needs.
Most motion sensors are small battery devices on a Zigbee or Bluetooth radio, so they reach Alexa through the maker's hub, which is a second purchase. A few Echo models have a Zigbee hub built in and can pair some Zigbee sensors directly, with no other box. Matter sensors skip the maker's hub, and the Thread ones need a Thread border router, which some Echo models are. Before buying any of them, know that recent Echo speakers can detect motion in a room on their own, using ultrasound, which covers the simple case of a light that comes on when you walk in.
- Compatible, in our catalog
- 13 of 19 motion sensors
- Work without any hub
- 0 of 13
- Need a hub first
- 9 of 13
- Price range
- $8 to $50
Check these before you buy
- Look up your exact Echo model. Only some have a built-in Zigbee hub, and only some are Thread border routers. The product page for a sensor says which path it uses.
- Check that the sensor appears as a routine trigger in the Alexa app (when motion is detected). That is the whole point of a motion sensor in Alexa, and a sensor that only shows status is not much use.
- Count the hops. A sensor that goes through the maker's hub and cloud, then Alexa's cloud, then the light's cloud, adds a delay you will notice on a hallway light.
Connects directly 2
The maker built this connection to Alexa. Some of these still need the maker's own hub, and the line under each product says so.
Connects through Matter 2
These join Alexa through Matter, a shared standard, so no maker's cloud sits in the middle. The ones that use Thread also need a Thread border router, a radio built into some smart speakers and hubs.
Needs a hub first 9
These reach Alexa only through a hub, usually the maker's own. If you do not own that hub yet, add its price to the device's.
Needs a Thread border router (an Aqara Hub M3, a HomePod, an Apple TV 4K, or a recent Echo).
Requires an Aqara Zigbee 3.0 hub
Needs a Zigbee hub/coordinator
Needs a Zigbee hub/coordinator
Works over Bluetooth with the SwitchBot app; a SwitchBot Hub adds remote access plus Matter/Alexa/Google/HomeKit.
Needs a Zigbee hub/coordinator
Requires the Wyze Sense Hub
Needs the YoLink Hub.
Hub required.
Not on this list?
That does not mean it will not work with Alexa. It means we have not confirmed a path for it yet, and we add connections as we confirm them against the maker's documentation. How we check
Already own some gear? Check what works together