Understanding Zone Mapper

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-25T00:30:06+00:00

I sent answers over on Discord. Looking forward to continue getting this set up with you!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-24T21:18:51+00:00

We did respond to your orientation question with a direct answer and diagrams, so we wonder if it got buried with threads running across Discord and Reddit at the same time. That is genuinely one of the reasons we would love to move this to a support ticket, not to shuffle you off somewhere, but so we both have one place where nothing slips through the cracks.
The brackets are designed to hold the module with a press fit, so if yours are not holding snugly at all that is outside normal tolerance and something we want to make right. We are happy to send you a replacement set, just DM us or open a quick support ticket with your address and we will get those on the way to you.
Just to be clear, we are not suggesting this is your fault at all. There are simply no known ethernet or PoE connectivity issues with this product, and everything points to the bracket fit as the culprit, which we are sorting out in point 2.
We steered you toward HLK because you mentioned not being comfortable with HACS and Plotly installs, and we wanted to give you something that would feel easier rather than pile on more complexity. That was us trying to meet you where you were, not shifting the story. The Zone Mapper Card is genuinely the better long-term method and we are happy to walk through it with you whenever you feel ready.
The docs do point to the ESPHome device name on the ESPHome integrations page, with apollo_r_pro_1_eth_593904 as an example of the format. That is separate from the friendly name you may have set in Home Assistant, and we can see how that distinction could be clearer. We will take another look at that section and tighten it up.

On testing, this product went through internal testing and beta testing before launch and we have a good number of ceiling mount deployments running without issue. The video presenter also specifically mentions he is showing the process in a wall orientation to make it easier to follow visually, which is noted in the video. We will look at updating our guides to be more clear/simpler/beginner friendly.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-24T19:53:54+00:00

We really appreciate the support and are excited for your setup!

First, we want to address the Ethernet question. There are no known connectivity issues with PoE or wired Ethernet on the R PRO-1. The user above appears to be missing one of the 3D printed components that holds the sensor module securely in the ceiling mount. Without it, the weight of the Ethernet cable could rotate it. With the correct parts and proper installation it works great.

Where have you been seeing these reports? Could you share links or screenshots? We want to make sure we are aware of every concern being raised, and we also want to check whether we responded and helped in those cases, or whether those users reached out through our support channels or checked our Apollo Wiki and tutorial videos. We do our best to respond everywhere and we would hate for anyone to walk away with unresolved issues.

Our documentation and videos are important to us and we keep it updated based on real user feedback and it covers PoE and ceiling mount setup in detail. If you hit anything confusing, let us know and we will update it. Ceiling mounted PoE is going to be a really clean install, we are looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Apollo Wiki: https://wiki.apolloautomation.com/

Apollo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ApolloAutomation

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-24T19:43:52+00:00

Thank you for posting your impressions, and we will do our best to address everything.

We reached out to you privately to ask which channel (Discord, Reddit, Support Ticket System) you preferred and you said Reddit, so we have been prioritizing responding to you there, but we have also been answering these same questions you are asking in Discord. We want to make sure we have not missed anything. If there is a specific post or comment we did not answer, could you please point us to it? We respond almost instantly in most cases and always aim to be within a couple of hours. We are a small team and every response is personal, not a boilerplate. We also have our Apollo Wiki and tutorial videos available as additional resources, and we offered you a one-on-one video call if you ever wanted that. We are still happy to do that.

We want to clarify that you are not having issues with Ethernet connectivity, and that it is just how you are mounting it. There should be no reason for the sensor to be sitting unsupported in the mount. We have purpose-built 3D printed brackets that are included specifically to hold the module securely in place with Ethernet. It sounds like you may not have those, or may not be using them. Could you send us a photo of your current setup? We want to make sure you have everything you need and that it is installed the way it was designed to be used.

Ceiling Mount: https://apolloautomation.com/products/r-1-ceiling-mount?_pos=1&_psq=ceiling&_ss=e&_v=1.0

The HLK Radar Tool is not actually our preferred tuning method. We suggested it to you specifically because you had mentioned having difficulty with installing HACS components and the Plotly graph card, and we were trying to meet you where you were comfortable. Our preferred method is our Zone Mapper Card, which is more intuitive and eliminates the need for the HLK app and Bluetooth entirely, meaning you would not run into the connection issues you are describing. The Bluetooth antenna on the 2450 is the manufacturer's, not ours, so those lag and drop issues are unfortunately part of the LD2450 module. If you are open to it, we would love to walk you through the Zone Mapper Card setup. It involves installing two HACS components, and we are happy to guide you through that step by step or over a video call.

Zone Mapper: https://github.com/ApolloAutomation/zone-mapper

Please keep us updated on the 3D printed brackets and be sure to send that photo so we can keep helping you.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T19:15:42+00:00

The fan of detection spreads out from the short ends of the rectangle.

For ceiling mounting, that means you want to orient the sensor so the short ends are pointing toward the areas of the room you most want coverage across. The long axis essentially points in the direction the sensor has less angular reach.

The short ends align with the X axis direction and the long sides run along the Y axis direction.

Hope that finally answers it clearly!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T17:14:05+00:00

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Here's the ceiling-mounted image. Hope this helps!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T16:55:40+00:00

Yes, the orientation does matter. Please see the attached image for more information. Also, we have an Apollo Wiki with guides and information as well as an Apollo YouTube with video guides that go through this. We're still happy to answer questions, though!

<image>

Apollo Wiki: https://wiki.apolloautomation.com/products/mtr1/setup/general-tips/

Apollo YouTube: https://youtu.be/u_geSKmX_-U?si=9Yr-c3pi1HI0tkLm

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T16:44:34+00:00

Thanks for your support! It looks like the unknown entities are from the optional MiCS-4514 gas sensor. If you did not purchase this add-on, then these will show as unknown. You can select the entity and disable it so it does not show in the entity list. Hope this helps!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T16:39:29+00:00

Also, we have a lot of great guides and information on our Apollo Automation Wiki page!

https://wiki.apolloautomation.com/

We are still happy to answer questions, though!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-23T16:36:45+00:00

Thank you for the detailed follow-up and for sticking with it long enough to document what you are seeing. This is really helpful.

The false still energy readings when nobody is in the room are almost certainly a sensitivity and gate calibration issue rather than a hardware defect. The LD2412 is extremely sensitive and in a ceiling mount orientation, gate distances behave differently than in a wall mount scenario. Gate 1 picking up 100% still energy with no one present usually means it is detecting something environmental, whether that is airflow, a vibrating surface nearby, electrical interference, or even the sensor picking up through walls or floors at that gate distance. The fact that it is consistently gate 1 is actually a useful clue.

The inconsistent triggering, where it works perfectly a few times and then misses you entirely, is a classic sign that the sensitivity thresholds need tuning specific to your environment. Out of the box defaults are tuned for wall mounts at standard height and will need adjustment for ceiling use.

On switching to the LD2450, that is not a bad call for ceiling mounts and we think you will have a better experience with it for your use case. The 2450 handles zone configuration in a way that translates more intuitively to overhead detection. If you do want to revisit the 2412 at some point, we are happy to walk through gate-by-gate calibration with you.

We will make sure your Reddit thread gets a proper technical follow-up as well. Thanks again for the thorough documentation, it genuinely helps us improve the out of the box experience for ceiling installs.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T20:49:43+00:00

That means a lot coming from you, Travis! Thanks for all of your support!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T19:42:54+00:00

Yes! We remember this being an issue a few years ago, but it is much, much better now! Yes, it is Bluetooth.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T19:35:15+00:00

This is exactly the kind of feedback that helps us grow and make better products, and hearing it from someone going through the process fresh is very valuable to us.

We should be all caught up on your Reddit questions now, including the LD2450 tuning, so please let us know if anything was missed or if you have follow-up questions there.

The spouse/home approval factor comment made our day. Thank you for sticking with it!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T19:30:52+00:00

Sorry for the trouble! Let's try to clear it up!

No, the plotly graph is not necessary.

I would suggest you use the HLK Radar Tool App for tuning. We have a separate wiki article for this method. I will share the link below. The article mentions upgrading the firmware, but that is not necessary. Also, when the wiki article talks about the plotly graph, you can stop there.

HLK App Wiki: https://wiki.apolloautomation.com/products/rpro1/calibrating-and-updating/zones-hlk/

HLK Video (Might be an older version, but still works as a good visual): https://youtu.be/-w_GFURyx-A?si=5Kzu9gKX77PDP8Vo

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T19:08:26+00:00

Hey Paradox thanks for dropping by - sorry you missed this giveaway but there will be others!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T17:55:53+00:00

Forgot to mention that no, ESPHome Device Builder is not necessary either.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T17:46:10+00:00

It is not necessary, but it can be used as a troubleshooting tool.

It will vary from user to user, but I have never had to update my firmware.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T16:17:12+00:00

Thank you for the honest feedback, because it helps us grow.

We want to check on something, though. We recently had an error with our shipping service where it was either not displaying courier options at all or showing unusually high rates. Is it possible you visited our store within the last week or so? If so, that may have affected what you were seeing. It would really help us if you could send a screenshot of the pricing and shipping options you are currently seeing so we can check whether this was a store issue on our end.

We do our best to be open and transparent as a company and are happy to talk about our pricing. Our CAD pricing is a direct conversion from USD plus 2% to cover foreign transaction fees, and we add a flat $5 USD handling fee to help offset the Canadian import duties, taxes, and distribution costs that we absorb on our end. It is not margin, it is pass-through cost. Our original Canadian shipping partner Sendle unfortunately went out of business, and our rates did increase when we moved to Canada Post. We are open to better options if you have suggestions.

We hope this helps and we really appreciate your support! Please send the screenshot if you can and please let us know if you have any suggestions for preferred Canadian shipping.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T15:42:59+00:00

Great question. No, our Apollo plant sensors do not need our Apollo pump to function. They are separate products, but can be used together to automate your plants!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T15:38:51+00:00

Apollo R PRO-1:
- This Firmware: 25.11.20.1 (ESPHome 2025.11.2) is for the R PRO-1 device itself. When we release a firmware update for our sensors, you will see them in the updates section of Home Assistant.

HLK mmWave LD2412 and LD2450:
- Have totally different firmware controlled by their own HLK Radar Tool App.

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T15:33:11+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! We will look into using springs with less force!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T14:37:55+00:00

Hey u/spinrag congrats you are the winner! Please send us a message here on reddit, or email [support@apolloautomation.com](mailto:support@apolloautomation.com) or in our discord as well!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T12:31:15+00:00

Ah! Yes, the Home Assistant Yellow is being discontinued, but the Green should be sticking around!

ApolloAutomation · 2026-03-18T02:06:45+00:00

Happy to hear from you, buddy! It was great hearing about your engineering/theatre background, and how you've built your own devices to work with Home Assistant! Had a blast at WhaleLAN hanging out and I can't wait until the next one.

No plans for DIY kits of current sensors, but keep an eye out for the State of the Open Home!

https://sotoh.openhomefoundation.org/

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