The Aqara Hub and many of the ‘child devices’ have now been officially launched on Amazon.com for the US market (although now seemingly no longer available), which follows on from the EU version, that seems to have had a limited release in a few countries in Northern Europe, at the time of updating this post, although many people (including myself) have gone for the Hub with the Chinese plugs, and have been toying with them for well over a year now. One thing we’ve noticed with talk regarding the Hub is the amount of uncertainty and confusion surrounding what will and won’t work with the Aqara Hub, along with a lack of information on what can be achieved. So, in this article, we’ll try to cover as many questions as we can, so as to not only prepare those of you that have recently purchased a Hub but also for those who already have one and are a little baffled by the Aqara system.
- As of December 17th 2019, the latest firmware version for the Chinese Aqara hub, set to the China Server (when using the Mi Home app) is 1.6.8. If you are using the Aqara app, the hub firmware may well appear as 1.6.9, although we think it’s actually the same firmware version, just reported differently for the respective apps.
- Due to GDPR rules in force in the EU, you’re currently not able to use the Aqara app fully if you’re located in the EU, so you would need to use the Mi Home app for installation and maintenance of the hub.
- You can still use the Aqara app, but you must be signed out, which means you cannot create automations or scenes in the Aqara app, although you can still set up an alarm, as this is done via triggers for the alarm as opposed to automations. Your options for the alarm are also limited.
Setting up an account Ok, this is fairly straightforward, but in order to get the most out of your Hub and any associated devices, you’re going to need to set up an account with either Aqara or Xiaomi via their respective apps – Aqara Home or Xiaomi Home (formerly Mi Home, and henceforth referred to in this article as Mi Home). With regards to the Aqara app, once you have set up an account and are signed in, you need to select a server. You have a few options, which are;
- Mainland China
- United States
- Europe (supports HomeKit only)
- Russia
- Korea
- Other Region.
There are certain benefits to using each of these apps, so it’s down to whether you intend to go deeper into the whole Xiaomi Smart Home ecosystem, or just stick with the devices that work with the hub. You need to be signed in to use the Mi Home app, but you need not be signed in to the Aqara app to use it, although if you aren’t signed in, you can’t create scenes or automations.
What’s the difference between Mi Home and Aqara Home? The Mi Home app allows you to add the Aqara hub, but in order to get the complete experience from the hub, you should use the server relevant to the region your hub belongs to. So, if you have a Chinese hub, the hub will work as intended when signed into the Mi Home app, with the server set to ‘Chinese Mainland’. If you have the US or European hub, then the US or EU servers are the best ones to use.
It’s almost the same situation with the Aqara Home app, although as already mentioned, you can still use the app when signed out, also known as HomeKit Mode. The Aqara app has one unique advantage over the Mi Home app that relates to HomeKit mode; To use the Mi Home app, you must be signed in, but you don’t have to be signed in to use the Aqara app. Both the Mi Home and Aqara Home apps only allow you to add devices that are designated for that region, so if you are signed and connected to the US server, for example, you can only add devices that are officially supported for that region. If you sign out of the Aqara app and select HomeKit Mode, then subsequently try to add an accessory, all of the devices compatible with the Aqara hub become available. In one example, the recently released Aqara/Opple wireless switches are only designed for use with the Chinese server, but in the Aqara app, set to HomeKit mode, you can add these. Furthermore, once they’re added, they function perfectly well, even after you sign back in, using the US server.
- NOTE: This might not be the case with all devices that are only designed for use with the Chinese Mainland server
The Mi Home app does also have a large advantage over the Aqara app as well, although this relates less to HomeKit and is only of relevance if you start diversifying your smart home system to include non-HomeKit devices. With the Mi Home app, regardless of which server you’re connected to, you do have access to more devices that can be added to the app (NOT specifically the hub). So, if you’re signed into the Mi Home app and set to the US server, you can add cameras (eight models at present), smart plugs, smart bulbs from Mi and Yeelight, and Induction cooking plate, air purifiers, a Bluetooth temperature and humidity sensor with an LCD screen, and a selection of robot vacuums. All of these use Wifi (or Bluetooth for the temperature sensor), so they cant use, and don’t require the hub as such.
So, to be clear, as none of these requires the hub, they will therefore not be exposed to HomeKit, but one advantage of having Aqara (or Mijia) devices, is that they can have a foot in both smart home systems. As an example, you might have a Xiaomi smart fan, which isn’t HomeKit compatible, but with the Aqara temperature and humidity sensor, which does work with HomeKit, it can also control the smart fan within Mi Home. Here are a couple of examples of simple automations you can create in the Mi Home app with either the Aqara temperature sensor or the Aqara motion sensor;
Aqara temperature sensor and Xiaomi Smart Fan
- IF – the Aqara temperature reading is above 26ºC
- THEN – turn on the fan at 60% speed.
Aqara motion sensor and Roborock S6 Vaccum
- IF – no motion detected
- THEN – Delay 15 minutes * – Roborock S6 begin cleaning
* the 15-minute delay is so that if someone only temporarily left the room/apartment, the vacuum wouldn’t immediately begin cleaning, and only start after the 15 minutes had elapsed without any further motion detection events.
This, of course, means you’re then delving into the Xiaomi world of automation, but if you wanted to control the same fan with an Eve temperature sensor (Eve room), then it wouldn’t be possible, so depending on how deep you go with Mi Home and Xiaomi Smart devices, there could be lots of potential to control more devices beyond HomeKit, but with a HomeKit compatible sensor.
The Hub and HomeKit The Hub itself comes with a HomeKit code, so if you’re at all familiar with adding a new device via the Home app, this will be very easy for you, but it’s recommended that you add the hub to either Mi Home or Aqara Home first, and follow the onscreen instructions. If you have the Chinese model, it will almost certainly start with some voice instructions in Mandarin, but don’t worry, just follow the instructions via your phone, after which once the hub has been added, you’ll be able to change the onboard voice to English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese. If you get the US hub, the instructions should be set to English by default. Adding the hub will initially give you some instructions on how to prepare the hub for installation, then as per a normal HomeKit installation, ask you to scan a HomeKit code, and from there, the rest of the installation will simply ask you to name the hub and add it to a room within the Mi Home/Aqara app. If you then move over to the Apple Home app, there are a total of two devices added to HomeKit; one for the night light, another as an alarm system, with an alarm icon, The third device the used to be visible, represented the Aqara hub as a ‘Hub’. Prior to iOS13, there was a tile to represent the hub separately from the other two icons. Since iOS13 however, all bridges have been relocated to the Home Settings section of the HomeKit app. To complicated matters, the Aqara hub actually doesn’t show up in the hub section of the app anyway, which we believe is due to the fact the hub is already assigned as two devices, and possibly can’t be both a hub and a device, but that’s just an educated guess. Both the Alarm and the night light will show up in a room other than the one you assigned to them in the Aqara/Mi Home app, so you’re going to have to assign them to the correct room a second time. The night light tile acts like a regular colour light, so control over the brightness and hue of the night light is available, as well as toggling the light on and off. The Alarm tile allows you to arm and disarm the alarm, providing you’ve set the alarm automation up in the Mi Home/Aqara app first (we’ll go through this further down).
Adding devices The Aqara Hub works in the same way as the Hue Bridge works in relation to HomeKit, in that the Hub itself is HomeKit compatible, not the devices themselves. This means all of the compatible, Zigbee-based Mijia or Aqara devices that you want to be exposed to HomeKit need to be added to the Hub via the Aqara or Mi Home app. For the purposes of this article, and for the sake of simplicity, we’re only focusing on using the Mi Home app. The process of adding an Aqara device is actually very easy;
- Click on the Plus symbol in the top left of the Mi Home app
- Select the relevant accessory you want to add from the gallery of devices
- Select your hub as the parent device
- Then follow the onscreen instructions, which usually involves holding down a button on the device until you get a flashing blue LED
- The hub will confirm the device was added successfully and then ask you to choose the room that the device is located in, along with the opportunity to rename the device from the standard name it comes with
- Once that is all done, the device will appear in Apple’s Home app, although you will need to assign the room again, as already mentioned, and you may need to choose whether to add it as a favourite
- From there, all automations triggers and timers will work in the same way as other HomeKit enabled devices
Aqara Hub Language if you’re in possession of the Chinese version of the Hub, it will ship with the Prompter voice set to Chinese, however, it’s easy to change the voice to English.
- Open the Mi Home app and select the hub
- Click on the ‘device’ tab and select your hub
- Once in there, you can change various parameters, including the light colour and brightness, volume and ‘Language of voice prompt’, along with Adding a child device.
- You have a choice of English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Which devices work with the Aqara Hub? The Mi Home app allows you to add Aqara and Mijia devices, all of which should be ZigBee-based in order to go through the hub.
Sensors
Switches | buttons
- Aqara Wireless mini Switch
- Aqara Wall Switch (single rocker)
- Aqara Wall Switch (double rocker)
- Aqara Wall Switch (triple rocker)
- Aqara Wireless Remote Switch (single rocker)
- Aqara Wireless Remote Switch (double rocker)
- Mi Wireless Switch – REVIEW
- Aqara/Opple Wireless Switch (2, 4 & 6-button) – REVIEW
Smart Plugs | Outlets
Lighting
- Aqara/Opple MX960 ceiling light
- Aqara/Opple MX650 ceiling light
- Aqara/Opple MX480 ceiling light
- Aqara LED Light Bulb (Tunable White) – REVIEW
Window coverings
- Aqara Curtain Controller – REVIEW
- Aqara B1 Curtain Controller – REVIEW
- Aqara Roller Shade Controller
Locks
- Aqara S2 Door Lock *
- Aqara S2 Pro Door Lock *
Miscellaneous
- Aqara Cube *
- Mi Cube *
- Aqara Wireless Relay Controller
* These are not currently exposed to HomeKit
** The Chinese Mi Smart plug Will get exposed to HomeKit when setting to the China server. The Mi Smart Plug for Taiwan and the Aqara Smart plug for the US, which both use the same Type B North American plug, will be exposed to HomeKit when using the Taiwan, US or China servers, but if you use the China server, it will still be exposed to HomeKit, although you will be unable to access the settings for these plugs in the Mi Home app. You can still include these devices in automations within the Mi Home app, however, and you still have full control over the smart plugs in the Apple Home app, so the only thing you will miss in the Mi Home app is access to the settings, and electricity usage monitoring functions.
Aqara app automations Whilst the Aqara Hub is HomeKit compatible, and you can add HomeKit devices to the Aqara/Mi Home app, the apps themselves are not actually 3rd party HomeKit apps, unlike the Eve app for example. This means that automations that are created in these apps will not appear in the Apple Home app. The one benefit of this, however, is that it means with a little thought into creating automations, or clever use of devices, you can control non-HomeKit devices ‘by association’ as well as having devices work as a connection between the two apps;
- As the Aqara wireless rocker switches work with Mi Home and HomeKit, in my case I can use one of my double rocker switches to control LiFX bulbs AND Yeelight bulbs in my kitchen. I could even set things so that a single press of just one button can control all of the lights together. This would require automations to be set up in each app separately, but once they’re set up, that’s it, no more maintenance unless things go wrong or you want to change something.
- If you use the Aqara app, you can create an automation that controls the state of one device – so, for example, you could use the Aqara Cube (which is not HomeKit compatible) to control the brightness or colour of the hub light, and from there have a HomeKit automation that is triggered by the specific state of the light in the hub, thereby effectively creating a multifunction HomeKit controller of the Aqara cube (see the separate article below for details of this particular automation).
How does the hub communicate? The Hub itself connects to your home network via Wifi but uses Zigbee to communicate with its child devices. This seems to generally make for a faster, more efficient connection, in addition to making sure your network isn’t clogged up with lots of devices all wanting to connect to your network directly. The Philips Hue system works in the same way essentially. From what we understand, like the Philips Hue implementation of Zigbee using bulbs to act as repeaters for the Zigbee signal, thereby extending the range of the Zigbee network, battery-operated Aqara devices do not extend the network and so they act as a ‘dead-end’ or final destination for the ZigBee signal, however the Smart plugs, and in-wall Single and Double Rocker Switches would act as repeaters, as they are always powered. Even though this isn’t ideal, from our tests, the Aqara hub has a greater reach than we anticipated, so unless you live in a very large property, chances are that one Aqara Hub will suffice. With the eventual introduction of Zigbee 3.0 versions of the sensors, the reach will be great, resulting in an even better connection.
Aqara Home, Mi Home and Siri Shortcuts Both apps now support Siri Shortcuts. This makes for some interesting uses, especially for devices that don’t get exposed to HomeKit. In the Aqara app, you create scenes, which can then be added to Siri Shortcuts for further automation, or for recalling via Siri. So for example, if you created a scene involving the hub playing a sound, you can trigger this via Siri. With the Mi Home app, you create an automation. This automation can then be added to Siri Shortcuts in exactly the same way. You can read a couple of articles on the process below;
What is shown in the Home app when Mijia and Aqara sensors/devices are added (via the Aqara Hub)? In many ways, the rules appear to be the same for many Aqara sensors, as they would any other HomeKit sensors, meaning some additional sensors will appear only in the devices’ specific app and not the Home app, and some appear across all apps. Below is a simple list of the Aqara devices, what sensors they contain, and what is exposed to Homekit, the Home app and 3rd party HomeKit apps (varies depending on the app). We have only included information on devices we have been able to test, so a few devices in the list above don’t have corresponding details in the list below;
Aqara Hub
- Home app – hub | night-light | security system
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – hub | night-light
- Mi Home app – hub | night light | alarm
Aqara Temperature Sensor
- Home app – temperature | humidity
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – temperature | humidity | atmospheric pressure
- Mi Home app – temperature | humidity | atmospheric pressure | historical data
Mi Temperature Sensor
- Home app – temperature | humidity
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – temperature | humidity
- Mi Home app – temperature | humidity | historical data
Aqara Motion Sensor
- Home app – motion
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – motion | occupancy threshold
- Mi Home app – Motion | ambient light curve | brightness and event log
Mi Motion Sensor
- Home app – motion
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – motion | occupancy threshold
- Mi Home app – Motion | event log
Aqara Door and Window Sensor
- Home app – contact
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – contact
- Mi Home app – contact | event log
Mi Door and Window Sensor
- Home app – contact
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – contact
- Mi Home app – contact | event log
Aqara Water Leak Sensor
- Home app – water detection
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – water detection
- Mi Home app – water detection | event log
Aqara Vibration Sensor
- Home app – motion
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – motion
- Mi Home app – tilt, vibration, drop | event log | vibration curve | vibration sensitivity
Aqara Smart Plug
- Home app – on/off
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – on/off
Aqara Wireless Mini Switch
- Home app – single press | double press | long press
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – single press | double press | long press
- Mi Home app – single press | double press | long-press | shake | event log
Mi Wireless Switch
- Home app – single press | double press | long press
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – single press | double press | long press
- Mi Home app – single press | double press | long-press | event log
Mi Smart Natural Gas Detector
- Home app – Gas sensor
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – Gas sensor
- Mi Home app – Gas sensor | link to Aqara/Mijia Hub alarm
Mi Smart Smoke Detector
- Home app – Smoke sensor
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – Smoke sensor
- Mi Home app – Smoke sensor | link to Aqara/Mijia Hub alarm
Aqara Wireless Relay Controller
- Home app – on/off switch x 2
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – on/off switch x 2
- Mi Home app – on/off switch x 2
Aqara Wireless Remote Switch (Double Rocker – model AK012)
- Home app – single press (L & R) | double press (L & R) | long-press (L & R)
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – single press (L & R) | double press (L & R) | long-press (L & R)
- Mi Home app – single press (L & R) | double press (L & R) | long-press (L & R) | single press both switches | event log
Aqara Wireless Remote Switch (Double Rocker – model AK004)
- Home app – single press (L & R)
- 3rd party HomeKit apps – single press (L & R)
- Mi Home app – single press (L & R) | single press both switches together | event log
- It would be fair to assume that the in-wall versions of the rocker switches have the same feature sets, but I can’t confirm at this time.
- I Don’t currently have information on the other devices, like the curtain controller or the wall outlet as I don’t have them.
If there’s something we’ve missed feel free to tell us in the comments below and we’ll add them for the benefit of our readers!
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