Kangaroo Motion + Entry Sensor Review

Motion and entry sensors are ideal for monitoring your home while you're away, but most of these devices are part of a home security system and require a hub. The Kangaroo Motion + Entry Sensor ($30) is a Wi-Fi-enabled dual-purpose sensor that's easy to install and works hub-free. The Kangaroo sensor worked well in our testing, and you can monitor its activity yourself or pay a monthly fee for professional monitoring. Alexa and Google voice commands can be used to arm and disarm the sensor, but you have to pay for this feature, and there's a fee to receive text and voice alerts. Also, the sensor doesn't integrate with other smart home devices. Still, if you don't want to shell out for a full-scale home security system, the Kangaroo Sensor is worth a look.

Design and Features

The Motion + Entry Sensor consists of the sensor itself and an entry trigger magnet, both of which are white and come with preinstalled double-sided tape for easy press-and-stick installation.

The motion sensor measures 3.5 by 1.5 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and has a round Kangaroo button that will temporarily disarm the entry sensor if you wish to open a door or window. The sensor will remain unarmed until the door or window is closed. It has a 20-foot motion detection range with a 110-degree field of view and uses a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network, so no hub is required, and it's powered by two AA batteries (included) that can be replaced by sliding off the back panel. The magnet is 1.5 inches long, 0.5 inches wide, and 0.5 inches deep.

The Kangaroo sensor has three arming modes. You can disarm the motion and entry sensor while you are home, arm just doors and windows (entry sensor), or fully arm both the motion and entry sensors while you are away. When fully or partially armed and activity is detected, you'll receive a push alert. Tap the alert to open a screen where you can choose to dismiss the alert, dismiss and disarm the sensor, or dial 911. If you don't dismiss the alert, you'll receive a second alert accompanied by a rather loud alarm. The alert remains on your phone's screen until you dismiss it. If you subscribe to the Complete Plan and do not dismiss the alert, the monitoring service will be notified and an agent will try to reach you by phone before contacting the local authorities.

The Basic Plan is free and gets you in-app and push alerts when an activity event occurs. If you require text and voice alerts, you'll have to subscribe to the $9 per month Complete Plan that also gives you professional monitoring. Unlike the Eve Motion sensor, the Kangaroo Motion + Entry Sensor doesn't offer support for Apple HomeKit, but you can arm and disarm it using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands if you subscribe to the Complete Plan.

Missing is support for IFTTT applets that allow the sensor to trigger other smart devices such as cameras, lights, and sirens. According to a Kangaroo spokesperson, IFTTT and HomeKit support should be ready some time in 2020.

The Motion + Entry Sensor uses a free, user-friendly mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The Security screen shows you the status of the sensor (disarmed, doors and windows armed, fully armed) and has buttons for enabling each mode. There are three additional buttons at the bottom of the screen. The Customer Support button launches a page where you can request a call from tech support, open a chat session, or visit the FAQ section of the Kangaroo site; the Security button takes you back to the main Security screen; and the Climate button takes you to a screen where you can view information from any installed Kangaroo Water + Climate sensors.

Tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner takes you to a Settings screen where you can enter your account and contact information, invite other users to receive alerts, check sensor battery levels and Wi-Fi signal strength, and add new devices.

Installation and Performance

As was the case with the previously reviewed Kangaroo Motion Sensor, the Motion + Entry Sensor installed in minutes. I started by downloading the app and entering my mobile phone number to verify my account. Once the number was verified, I entered my name and email address, tapped Add a Security Device, and selected the Motion + Entry Sensor from the list.

I tapped Begin Setup and followed the instructions to pull the yellow tab out to activate the sensor's batteries. The LED began turned blue and I tapped Find Devices. The sensor was immediately discovered and I was prompted to select my Wi-Fi SSID and enter my Wi-Fi password. I tapped the Set Up button, and after several seconds the sensor was connected to my home network. I selected a monitoring mode (Motion + Entry, Entry Only, Motion Only) and followed the app's instruction for mounting the sensor on a door using the pre-installed double-sided tape.

Once the app confirmed that the sensor and magnet were in range of each other, I ran through a few motion and entry trigger tests, gave the sensor a name and location, and the setup was complete.

The Motion + Entry Sensor performed well in my tests. I received alerts instantly whenever motion was detected or when the entry sensor was triggered, and there were no false motion alerts from my cats and dog. The secondary alert alarm was loud enough to get my attention from another room in the house, and the sensor reacted quickly to app commands to arm and disarm the sensor.

Conclusions

The Kangaroo Motion + Entry Sensor makes it easy to outfit your home with door/window sensors that also detect motion. There's no hub required and installing the sensor is as easy as peeling off a piece of paper and sticking the device to a wall, door, or window. It provided swift motion and entry response in testing, and did a great job of ignoring movement from pets, but compatibility with IFTTT and an activity log would be welcome additions. If you want motion detection with video recording but have limited funds, consider our Editors' Choice for affordable home security cameras, the Wyze Cam Pan. It offers motion and sound detection, free local and cloud video storgae, crisp 1080p video, mechanical pan and tilt, and integration with other smart devices via IFTTT, all for the same price as a Kangaroo sensor.

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