Shelly BLU Motion

Quick verdict

A no-fuss Bluetooth motion sensor that reports motion and ambient light level to Home Assistant through a BLU gateway. PIR detection is reliable for walk-through motion in hallways and bathrooms. Battery life is solid, and the price is low enough to put one in every room. Just make sure you have a BLU gateway or BLE proxy within Bluetooth range.

Standout: Budget Bluetooth motion sensor with lux sensing — pair with a BLU gateway for fully local motion-activated automations.

Last checked: 2026-03-23

Compatibility snapshot

Why it stands out

• compact battery-powered motion sensor with built-in lux (light level) sensing
• long battery life from Bluetooth Low Energy — no wiring, no USB charging
• fully local when paired with a Shelly BLU gateway or ESPHome BLE proxy

Reasons to hesitate

• requires a Shelly BLU gateway or ESPHome BLE proxy — does not connect to Home Assistant directly
• Bluetooth range is limited, so gateway placement matters for reliable detection
• PIR-based detection has the usual blind spots — works best for cross-path motion, not sitting still

Best for

• Home Assistant users building motion-activated lighting or presence-based automations on a budget
• hallways, bathrooms, and closets where you want lights to turn on automatically

Avoid if

• you do not have a Shelly BLU gateway or ESPHome BLE proxy and do not want to set one up
• you need presence detection for stationary occupancy — PIR only detects movement

Privacy and local-control notes

Bluetooth motion sensor with no cloud dependency. Detection events are transmitted locally via BLE to a gateway. No internet required for operation.

Home Assistant support: supported · integration path: via Shelly BLU gateway or ESPHome BLE proxy.

Built with ESPHome — see our ESPHome guide for Home Assistant →

Buying reality check

Price notes: Among the cheapest motion sensors available. Factor in the cost of a BLU gateway if you do not already have one.

Compare side by side: see sensor comparisons →