Smart home on a budget: The great Aqara gift guide

In the tables below, you can see Aqara's most important smart home products at a glance. In the corresponding paragrams, we will explain what makes each product category special. To begin, however, let's first clarify what Zigbee and the hubs are all about.

Jump to:

1. Aqara: How the smart home system with hub works
2. Comparison: Zigbee hubs and cameras with Zigbee hub from Aqara
3. Comparison: Actuators from power sockets to radiator thermostats
4. Comparison: Sensors for door and window contact to humidity and temperature
5. Comparison: Aqara switches from wireless wall switches to smart cubes

Whether it is for you or for your loved ones: Aqara is an interesting candidate to look into when you are about to get started with your smart home. The manufacturer relies on the Zigbee standard for communication, which - just like the new Matter standard - relies on mesh networks. This has its own advantages but also disadvantages as well since no system or standard is perfect.

Aqara: How the smart home system with hub works

The advantage of a mesh network is how robust it can be and energy-saving at the same time. Wireless light switches or window contacts, for instance, can last for years on a single CR2032 coin cell. On the other hand, the wireless Zigbee standard is not compatible with WLAN or Bluetooth. To control Zigbee devices with your smartphone or Alexa voice control, you will require an interface, a so-called hub.

You can buy these hubs from Aqara either in the form of simple USB dongles or integrated into various other products. The Aqara Camera Hub G3, for example, is an extremely flexible surveillance camera with an integrated Zigbee hub. In addition, the Aqara Hub M2 comes with a speaker and also serves as a universal remote control thanks to its integrated IR blaster.

You can now connect numerous different devices to this hub. We've divided the solitary Aqara devices into three classes:

• Actuators: The actuators perform selected actions such as turning devices on and off, turning the heating up and down, drawing curtains open, or feeding your pet.
• Sensors: The sensors measure various values, which you can then use to trigger actions via the actuators. An open window, for example, triggers an alarm - or turns down the heating.
• Switches: The switches serve as a contact point for you to switch certain actions even without a smartphone. Aqara offers classic wall switches here, but also a sophisticated cube, for example.

You can now create routines with all of these devices in the Aqara app and use them to link individual devices with certain conditions. You can even import data from outside the system, such as your location for heating control or the weather report for the blinds control.

Zigbee Hubs and cameras with Zigbee Hub from Aqara

In the following table, you can view a selection of Zigbee hubs and surveillance cameras from Aqara with an integrated Zigbee hub compared. If you want to have a fully-powered Aqara smart home, you will inevitably need one of the following devices (or another hub).

Category	Hub / Speaker		Hub / Camera
Device	Aqara M1s Gen 2	Aqara M2	Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro	Aqara G3 Camera Hub
Current price	$49.99	$59.99	$69.99	$109.99
Image
Sensors	Light sensor	None	Camera (Full-HD, IR), Microphone	Camera (2K, IR), microphone
Actuators	RGB light, loudspeaker	IR LEDs, loudspeaker	IR LEDs, loudspeaker	IR LEDs, loudspeaker
Special features	none	Also serves as a universal remote control	NAS via Samba, microSD slot	Gesture control Pan & Tilt Also serves as a universal remote control microSD slot
Ports	none	Micro-USB, USB, Ethernet	Micro-USB	Micro-USB
Radio standards	Zigbee, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n	Zigbee, Bluetooth	Zigbee, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n	Zigbee, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/a/ac
Hub feature	yes	yes	yes	yes
Homekit	yes	yes	yes	yes
Matter	per update	yes	per update	per update
Power supply	Mains adapter	power adapter	Power adapter	Power adapter
Battery life	-	-	-	-
Dimensions	80×80×41,5 mm	100.5×30.75 mm	82.4×56.5×50.5 mm	123.4×85.1×67.8 mm
Rating
Check offer*	Check price	Check price	Check price	Check price

The two puck-shaped hubs, the M1s and M2, are more suitable to be wall-mounted to remain standing. Apart from the hub feature, they also offer a few features of their own, such as a speaker to serve as a door chime. The Hub M2 also serves as a universal remote control for TV and other compatible appliances thanks to the IR blaster.

The two surveillance cameras with hub, on the other hand, offer many options for creating complex routines. They not only detect motion, but also individual people or even gestures. When a certain person enters the room, for example, you can set the individual temperature or open the curtains using gesture control.

One more exciting point for all those who want a future-proof smart home: Aqara provides all hubs listed here with a software update for compatibility with the new smart home standard known as Matter.

Actuators: from the socket to the radiator thermostat

With the collected data, you can switch all kinds of things at Aqara. We have selected four popular examples for you here, which you can see in the table below:

	Actuators from Aqara
Device	Aqara Smart Plug	Aqara Radiator Thermostats E1	Aqara Curtain Driver E1	Aqara Smart Pet Feeder C1
Image
Sensors	On/Off Button	Temperature sensor, rotary control, touch screen	Brightness sensor	None
Actuators	None	Heating valve control	Motor for curtain rod or rail	Feed output
Special features	No	Touch screen display	Two versions available: for poles and for rails	Power failure proof with batteries Tank for 1.7 kg of dry food
Ports	230V plug, 230V socket	None	USB-C	USB-A
Radio standards	Zigbee	Zigbee	Zigbee	Zigbee
Hub feature	No	No	No	No
Homekit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Matter	Per update	Per update	Per update	Per update
Power supply	Mains power	2 × 1.5V AA	Lithium battery	USB, LR20 batteries
Battery life	-	1 year	1 year	Not specified
Dimensions	85×63×6.3 mm	Φ57×89 mm	140.5×96×44 mm	193×193×312 mm
Rating
Check offer*	Check price	-	Check price	Check price

The simplest example is the smart socket, which switches any device on and off - from the floor lamp to the coffee maker. Especially during the winter of 2022/2023, which would make the presence of a smart radiator thermostat most interesting in any home. Through this, you can intelligently regulate the temperature of each individual room. Thanks to the geofencing feature, the thermostat can even heat up intelligently as soon as you get close to your home.

The Aqara Curtain Motor E1 opens and closes your curtains automatically. You can set yourself a "Netflix routine," for example, and at the touch of a button, a hub will then turn on your TV and the curtains will close. Last but not least, there's the pet feeding machine. In conjunction with a camera hub, you can always have short videos sent to you at the time the food is dispensed and see immediately whether your pets like it.

Click here to go to the Aqara store on Amazon

Sensors for door and window contact to humidity and temperature

To switch your routines in the Aqara universe, the manufacturer offers various sensors. In the following table, we show you three exciting options.

	Sensors from Aqara
Device	Aqara Motion Sensor P1	Aqara Door and Window Sensor	Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor
Image
Sensors	PIR Motion Sensor	Magnetic sensor	Temperature sensor, Humidity sensor
Actuators	None	None	None
Special features	None	None	None
Ports	None	None	None
Radio standards	Zigbee	Zigbee	Zigbee
Hub feature	No	No	No
Homekit	Yes	Yes	Yes
Matter	Per update	Per update	Per update
Power supply	2×CR2450	CR1632	CR2032
Battery life	5 years	2 years	2 years
Dimensions	33.1×33.1×41.6 mm	41×22×11 mm	36×36×9 mm
Rating
Check offer*	Check price	Check price	Check price

The motion sensor is suitable for detecting the presence of others in rooms. You can then, for example, switch on the light in the storage room or have a video recording of the feeding machine sent to you if movement has been detected in the designated areas.

With the help of the door and window contacts, on the other hand, you can set up an alarm system - or simply turn down the radiator thermostat automatically whenever you air the room. The combined temperature and humidity sensor can also support heating control or, for example, activate a radiant heater as a frost monitor.

Click here to go to the Aqara store on Amazon

Aqara switches from wireless wall switches to smart cubes

Do you think using your smartphone to switch the light on and off is totally stupid? If so, just use a light switch. Aqara offers different types of switches here - you can find three popular examples in the following table.

	Switches / Controllers from Aqara
Device	Aqara Smart Wall Switch H1	Aqara Wireless Mini Switch	Aqara Cube T1 Pro
Image
Sensors	One or two push button sensors	Touch sensor	Position sensor
Actuators	None	None	None
Special features	Available with and without neutral	None	None
Ports	Terminals for wires	None	None
Radio standards	Zigbee	Zigbee	Zigbee
Hub feature	No	No	No
Homekit	Yes	Yes	Yes
Matter	Via update	Via update	Via update
Power supply	Mains power	CR2032	CR2450
Battery life	-	2 years	2 years
Dimensions	85.8×86×37.55 mm	45×45×12 mm	45×45×45 mm
Rating
Check offer*	Check price	Check price	Check price

With the wall switch from Aqara you simply replace your existing light switches. You can then still control the lights connected here by pressing a button, but can then also integrate them smartly into routines. Aqara offers single and double switches, optionally with and without neutral conductor. The Mini Switch from Aqara offers additional flexibility. You can stick or place this small switch anywhere you like and assign any function to it in the routines.

The cube works in a similar way, but is even more versatile. If you place the cube with a certain side up on the table, a certain routine is activated. You can also rotate the cube on the table or shake it to trigger further actions. The only challenge? You have to remember which side of the cube does what - or label it accordingly.

Click here to visit the Aqara store on Amazon

What do you think of Aqara's smart home ecosystem? Are you interested in their products or do you have another favorite in mind? We look forward to hearing your opinions and experiences in the comments!

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This article is part of a collaboration between NextPit and Aqara. This collaboration has no influence on the editorial opinion of NextPit.