Best motion sensors for Samsung SmartThings Android Central 2021

There are many smart devices under Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem, like connected doorbells and locks. It even has a Find feature that can help you locate a misplaced Galaxy device. With SmartThings, you can use a motion sensor to keep watch over areas of your home, allowing you to receive alerts, sound an alarm, unlock a door, or even just turn on a light. Not all Samsung SmartThings motion sensors are created equal, however. So we compiled a list that leaves out the headaches like our favorite option, the Ecolink Z-Wave Plus Motion Detector, so you can monitor your home no matter where you are.

Ecolink Z-Wave Motion Detector

Top Pick: Ecolink Z-Wave PIR Motion Detector - Pet Immune

Staff Pick

This great detector from Ecolink offers a five-year battery life (the best of the bunch) and flush or corner mount options. It can be set to ignore pets up to 55 pounds and is the best option of quality and price.

$39 at Amazon
Centralite Micro Motion Sensor Cropped Reco

Small, but mighty: Centralite Micro Motion Sensor

Centralite's tiny offering is one of the cheapest on our list. With motion detection of up to 15 feet and 2-year battery life, this sensor will monitor nearly any area of your home. It's also about the size of an apple, so you can easily place it anywhere.

$25 at Amazon
Orro Smart Dimmer Motion Sensor

Let there be light: ORRO Smart Dimmer with Motion Sensor

This sensor is more expensive than the others because it combines a motion sensor with a light controlled by touch, voice, or remotely using the app. It senses motion and can automatically turn the lights on or off when you enter or exit a room or set lights to a schedule that follows sunrise and sunset.

$299 at Amazon
Ge Enbrighten Z Wave Plus Smart Motion Sensor Render

In-wall choice: GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Smart Motion Sensor

You can control this in-wall sensor by GE from anywhere in your home, right from your phone or PC. It covers a 180-degree view range and can be placed up to 45 feet away from your SmartThings hub. There's a simple on/off switch to control it manually.

$45 at Amazon
Zooz S2 Outdoor Motion Sensor

Outdoor detector: Zooz Z-Wave Plus S2 Outdoor Motion Sensor - ZSE29

Many options on this list are meant for indoor use, but this versatile motion sensor is made for the great outdoors (well, at least for outside of the home). It can detect motion up to 30 feet away and can be powered by battery or USB. Note that you'll need a hub to connect it with SmartThings.

$61 at Amazon
Aoetec Multisensor 6

Feature packed: Aeotec Multisensor 6 with Battery

This feature-packed option from Aeotec offers not only motion detection, but also temperature, humidity, light, UV, and vibration. So don't use six separate hardware devices when the Multisensor 6 has them all.

$61 at Amazon

Sensing a smart trend

When monitoring your home for motion, you don't want to skimp on a cheap device. So any money you spend on Samsung SmartThings motion sensors will be money well spent — no matter if you're just turning on your lights or if you're keeping a watchful eye over things when you're not at home. Just add some new devices, and you'll be good to go. For that, the Ecolink Z-wave Plus Motion Detector is our pick for long-lasting motion detection.

Of course, it never hurts to go with mobile options like the Centralite Micro Motion Sensor that falls on the smaller side of things or an in-wall option like the GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Smart Sensor.

Whichever option you go with, you can feel good knowing that it will work with one of the most powerful smart home platforms in the world!

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