Shelly Presence Gen4: Occupancy Sensor

The Shelly Presence Gen4 is a mmWave motion detection sensor built to upgrade your home. It blends radar sensing with home automation, so your space reacts to your presence on its own. Whether you want to save energy or add ease to daily life, this sensor delivers. It detects people even when they sit still, and it connects to your devices over Wi-Fi 6, Zigbee 3.0 or Matter. The sensor fits right into modern IoT devices setups. It controls lighting, climate, and security based on who is in each room. One thing up front: this is a plugged-in device, not a battery one. More on that below, because the difference changes where you can put it.

Understanding the Presence Gen4 Motion Sensor

The Presence Gen4 is Shelly's current take on occupancy sensing for smart homes. It spots movement with a 60-64 GHz radar and triggers actions from your linked devices. Unlike basic PIR motion detectors, it reads real presence, so a person reading on the sofa doesn't get the lights switched off on them. Shelly lists still-person detection out to 3 m. That cuts false "room empty" events, which is the thing PIR sensors get wrong most. The compact body (64 x 41 x 26 mm without its stand) blends into a room. It still covers an 8 x 8 m space from a wall. Setup is a web page or the Shelly app, so anyone can install it.

Key Technical Specifications

Knowing the specs of the Shelly Presence Gen4 shows what it can do in your smart home automation setup. It runs on 5 V DC over USB-C at up to 1 A, drawing 2.5 W nominal and 3.5 W peak, so it needs a socket or a USB supply within cable reach. Shelly's documentation is blunt about that supply: use a dedicated adapter with a stable 5 V output, and skip multi-port chargers and fast-charging bricks, whose output can wobble when another device is plugged in. It weighs 42 g on its own and 85 g on the metal-weighted stand. The working range is -20 to 40 C. CE and FCC marks cover the radio side. There are no batteries in the box and none to replace. The flip side is obvious: you can't stick it anywhere you like. Put it where a cable can reach.

Shelly's own spec sheet shows two numbers for how many people it tracks. The feature list says up to 10 separate people. The specification table says up to 6 objects. We checked both on the same documentation page in October 2026 and they still disagree. Plan on 6 and treat 10 as marketing. Zones are consistent at 10 configurable detection zones. The device shows detected people on a map in its web interface, which is handy when you're deciding where a zone boundary should sit.

Hubs, Apps and Protocols

The Presence Gen4 works with modern smart home hubs and platforms. The radio list is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax on 2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5 LE and Zigbee 3.0, with Matter over Wi-Fi. Zigbee and Matter are two firmware modes, not one. The device ships in Matter mode, and five quick button presses switch it to Zigbee and back. Pick one before you pair it, because a hub that expects Zigbee won't see a Matter device. Pair it with smart lights to turn them on when someone enters a room. Lights dim or turn off when the room is empty. Climate systems can also respond to the sensor. They raise or lower heat based on which rooms are in use. For security, the sensor can trigger door locks and alarm systems based on who is home. Shelly's product page names Home Assistant, Google Home, Alexa and SmartThings. Local MQTT, webhooks (20 hooks with 5 URLs each) and on-device scripting are there for people who don't want a cloud in the loop.

Practical Use Cases in Modern Homes

Real-world applications for the Presence Gen4 extend far beyond basic motion detection, demonstrating its versatility in contemporary living environments:

Key Points

• Automatic lighting control that activates room illumination as you enter and deactivates when you leave
• Energy-efficient climate management that adjusts heating and cooling based on actual room occupancy
• Security system integration that arms when all family members leave and disarms upon return
• Entertainment system activation that powers on displays and audio equipment when motion is detected

Setting Up Your Motion Detection System

Setup takes just a few quick steps. First, plug in a 5 V USB-C supply and check the status LED: blue means it's in access-point mode and waiting for you. Decide between wall, corner or shelf placement. On a wall, unscrew the mounting plate from the stand and fix it with the supplied screws and wall plugs, or with the adhesive tape. On a shelf, leave it on the stand. Make sure it has a clear view of the space you want to watch. Then adjust the sensitivity and draw your zones in the web interface or the Shelly Smart Control app. Walk through the zones to test detection and check that linked devices respond. Fine-tune the range and timing until it matches your daily patterns. If you mount it upside down, turn on Flipped mounting in the settings so the zone map matches the room.

Advanced Features and Performance Benefits

The Presence Gen4 is notable for the filtering built into its firmware. You can tell it to ignore movement near the floor, which keeps a robot vacuum or a cat from holding the lights on. Sensitivity is adjustable per zone, so a corridor can be twitchy while a bedroom stays calm. A light sensor sits next to the radar, so an automation can check brightness before it bothers with the lamps. You can set up to 10 detection zones in one room. This lets you control which areas start which routines. Voice assistant support comes through Matter or the Shelly cloud link, so you can fold the sensor into Alexa and Google routines. Does it learn your habits on its own? No. It does what you configure, which is the right answer for a sensor you want to trust.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Placing the Shelly Presence Gen4 around your home saves a lot of energy. It stops lights and devices from running in empty rooms. Lights that respond to presence use far less power than ones you control by hand. Climate control based on who is in each room can cut heating and cooling costs by fifteen to twenty percent per year. The sensor itself draws about 2.5 W around the clock, call it 22 kWh a year, which is a fraction of what one forgotten ceiling light burns. These perks match green living goals and lower both your bills and your footprint.

Installation and Mounting Flexibility

This sensor fits nearly any room layout. You can mount it on a wall, stand it on furniture, or tuck it into a corner. Wall mounting gives the full 140-degree field and the 8 x 8 m coverage. A corner cuts that to 90 degrees and 7 x 7 m, which Shelly suggests for smaller rooms. The adhesive tape allows short-term placement, great for renters or those who want to test spots first. For the best results, mount it at 2 m (6.5 ft) with a tilt of about 15 degrees, and keep the lens clear of furniture and decor so it can detect movement well. Shelly's ceiling limit is 5 m. Price in Shelly's EU store is 69.90 EUR for either the white or the black version, with a 3-year warranty on Gen4 hardware.

The Presence Gen4 changes how your home reacts to who is in each room. It is a key part of any smart automation setup. Your space will adjust to your needs on its own for complete room awareness. Whether you want to cut energy use, boost security, or add daily ease, this sensor does the job well. It works with modern smart home systems right out of the box. Both beginners and expert users will find it a strong pick. Try presence-based automation and see how it can reshape your daily life while saving energy across your home.