Xiaomi's new bathroom heater uses radar to know when you're in the shower
Xiaomi has launched a ceiling-mounted bathroom heater in China that uses 24GHz radar to detect when someone is in the room — even standing motionless in the shower — and automatically controls the light, heat, and exhaust fan. The Mijia Smart Bath Heater P1 Human Sense Edition entered crowdfunding at 999 yuan (around $148), with a subsidized crowdfunding price of 1,099 yuan (~$160). It currently has no confirmed release outside China.
The radar difference
Most bathroom motion sensors use infrared (IR) and switch off if you stay still too long — the familiar problem of waving frantically at the ceiling mid-shower. Xiaomi's 24GHz radar detects micro-movements, meaning it can tell the difference between an empty room and a person standing quietly under the water. Sensitivity and detection range are adjustable, so the sensor won't trigger every time a pet walks past the door. The radar privacy implications, however, are real: a device mounted overhead in one of the home's most private spaces continuously scans with radio waves, a point that regulators in the UK (ICO) and EU are likely to scrutinize if the product ever reaches those markets.
Xiaomi Mijia Smart Bath Heater P1 Human Sense Edition — ceiling-mounted unit with integrated 24GHz radar sensor.
What it actually does
Beyond presence detection, the unit packs a 3,000W inverter-controlled graphene heating element for fast warm-up, a 1,500-lumen integrated light panel designed to be easy on the eyes first thing in the morning, and a 259 m³/hr exhaust fan to clear steam and prevent mold. A built-in VOC (volatile organic compound) sensor monitors air quality, and Xiaomi claims the sterilization system eliminates up to 98% of bacteria. The whole unit connects to Xiaomi's HyperConnect smart-home ecosystem.
The integrated 1,500-lumen light panel and 3,000W graphene heating element are designed for fast, efficient bathroom warm-up.
Availability
Right now, this is a China-only product. Retailers like John Lewis, Currys, and Amazon UK don't carry any Xiaomi bathroom heater line, and the company has made no announcement about international expansion. If it does reach the UK or US, it would enter a smart room heater market growing at 5.7% CAGR through 2033 — driven largely by consumers who became acutely cost-conscious during the 2022–24 energy price spike and want room-by-room, occupancy-aware heating control.
The exhaust system moves 259 m³/hr of air, helping clear steam and control humidity to prevent mold growth.
At roughly $148–$160 at current exchange rates, the hardware price is competitive. The bigger questions — radar data handling, cloud privacy policy under the UK's Data Protection Act 2018, and compatibility with Matter or Alexa — remain unanswered for now.