Eve vs Aqara: Door and Window Sensors for Matter
By Naila Syifa
Updated September 2023
A contact sensor is a device that can detect the opening and closing of furniture. It is typically installed on doors and windows, hence also called a door and window sensor. However, it can be used on many other things, such as cabinets, drawers, first aid boxes, or safe deposit boxes.
Eve and Aqara are two of the most recommended door and window sensor brands in the market. The common feature that sets them apart from most contact sensor products is their support for Matter over Thread.
However, both products also have differences in some ways. In this article, we'll take a look at the price, design, connectivity, and features of each brand's sensor.
Key Takeaways
Both the Eve and Aqara Door and Window Sensors share many common features and provide support for Matter over Thread, but Eve offers an additional Eve app for iOS that lets you see usage insights.
Eve Door and Window Sensor
Higher Price for More Features
✓ Matter over Thread
✓ Monitoring, alert notifications, automation, usage insights
✓ Works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings
✓ Additional Eve app for iOS
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2
Affordable but Promising Future
✓ Matter over Thread
✓ Monitoring, alert notifications, automation, usage insights
✓ Works with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings
✓ Currently doesn’t support Aqara Home app
#1 Price
Eve Door and Window Sensor
The Eve Door and Window sensor typically costs around $49.95. Meanwhile, the Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 is way cheaper at around $29.99. It's also worth noting that both sensors will require a hub to work, so the price of the sensor is not everything you need to consider.
#2 Design
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2
In terms of design, the Eve and Aqara contact sensors are quite different. The Eve Door and Window Sensor is rectangular with rounded corners and comes smaller in shape with a dimension of 2.1 x 1.0 x 0.9 inches for the main unit and 0.7 x 0.7 x 0.3 - 0.9 inches for the accessory unit. This compact design allows for discreet installation.
The Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2, on the other hand, has an oblong shape like an eclair. With a dimension of 3.03 × 0.87 × 0.87 inches for the main unit and 1.42 × 0.45 × 0.29 inches for the accessory unit, the Aqara sensor is taller than Eve but still looks nice and won't be an eyesore on your windows or doors. The Aqara sensor also has mounting mark lines in the body of both parts to easily align them during installation.
Both sensors look sleek and modern with white color and roughly the same thickness. I personally find Aqara's design more appealing, but it comes down to personal taste and preference.
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#3 Connectivity
Eve Door and Window Sensor
Both the Eve and Aqara contact sensors support Matter over Thread. This is a big benefit as integration into Matter allows for interoperability across multiple platforms and ecosystems, including Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings. This allows your entire family to control the sensor no matter if they use an iPhone or Android device. The Thread protocol also adds more benefits as it provides enhanced connectivity, low-power consumption, more stability, and low latency.
However, a Matter-compatible Thread border router is required to use both Eve and Aqara contact sensors. Below are options from which you can choose according to your preference:
• Apple: Apple TV 4K (2nd gen), Apple TV 4K (3rd gen, 128 GB), HomePod (2nd gen), HomePod mini
• Samsung: SmartThings Hub v3, Aeotec Hub v3, SmartThings Station
• Amazon: Echo (4th gen)
• Google: Nest Hub (2nd gen), Nest Hub Max, Nest Wifi Pro
Typically, Aqara devices work with the Aqara Home app, but not in the case of this Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2. Compatibility with the Aqara Home app is currently not supported, but will be supported in the future through the Matter-compatible Aqara border router (the unreleased Aqara Hub M3).
#4 Features
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2
Eve and Aqara Door and Window Sensors share a few common features:
• Real-time status monitoring. You will be able to see in real-time whether your door, window, or any furniture that the sensor is installed on is open or closed. This will be helpful when for example, you go for a walk and forget whether you have closed the door, then you can check via the connected app on your smartphone.
• Alert notification. When you're away and wary of someone breaking into your house, you can set the sensor to send you a notification when it detects your door being opened. This can enhance the safety and security of your home.
• Local automation with privacy. Both sensors can be integrated to trigger the activation of other smart home devices. For example, you can set the sensor to turn on the lights when the door gets opened. The automation data is also stored locally without a cloud, providing privacy and reliability to work even without an internet connection.
Despite the shared features, the Eve Door and Window Sensor offers an additional benefit for Apple users. The Eve app which is available for iOS allows you to see usage insights such as time and duration statistics.
Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2 currently has no additional features. However, it has announced future compatibility with Aqara Home app (available for both iOS and Android) and more features to be available as an OTA update in the future, including a tamper alarm, adjustable sensitivity, sleep time, programmable button, and more.
Eve Door and Window Sensor vs Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2
Final Thoughts
Eve Door and Window Sensor
Both the Eve and Aqara Door and Window Sensors support Matter over Thread, resulting in common features and capabilities. However, Eve for a higher price offers a more discreet design and an additional Eve app for usage insights. Aqara currently doesn't offer such benefits but can be more promising when it comes to its future outlook, especially since it has announced an OTA update with more useful features.
If you like to read more about Smart Sensors, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Smart Sensors Singapore
Aqara Motion Sensor P1 Review
Aeotec MultiSensor 7 Review: The Best Multipurpose Smart Sensor
Philips Hue Motion Sensor vs Aqara Motion Sensor P1: Which One is Better?
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