The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has introduced a feature named “Ambient Sensing” in a recent video announcement. There aren’t many details on this new feature, but from the video we’re assuming it utilizes Zigbee technology to detect presence within a room by analyzing interference in connection signals.

Ambient Sensing for Zigbee lights allows zone-based lighting setups with just a firmware update and no additional hardware. Philips Hue products may support Ambient Sensing, requiring at least three lights.

Your Philips Hue lights could soon get a lot smarter thanks to a free firmware update that would let them do double-duty as occupancy sensors. It involves an update to the Zigbee wireless protocol, and could allow your bulbs and lamps to detect your presence without the need for any extra hardware.

Matter may be the big new thing in the smart home arena, but the old Zigbee protocol still has some tricks up its sleeves, and this one’s pretty cool: The ability to transform Zigbee devices, such as Philips Hue lights,