So I kinda fell into this smart home rabbit hole by accident. Just wanted to automate a nightlight for my kid’s room, ended up building an entire Aqara-powered setup that now basically runs my life—and I’m lowkey proud of it.
Started super simple: Aqara Motion Sensor + Smart Plug to turn on a warm light when motion was detected after 9PM. That was it. But then I thought… hey, what if the curtains opened automatically with the sunrise? Next thing I know I’m connecting door sensors, temperature sensors, and a G4 video doorbell. Boom—Aqara grid achieved.
Used HomeKit mode mostly, felt smoother. The M2 Hub did its job as the command center. Everything talked to each other nicely. Some trial and error here and there (door sensors acting up once during a firmware update lol), but overall, not as intimidating as I first thought.
My “favorite moment” so far? Walked in with dripping groceries, door unlocked itself, hallway lights turned on, and the AC switched to the right temp. I swear it felt like I was in a sci-fi movie.
Honestly, pretty amazed how Aqara devices click together. Sharing this in case anyone’s debating if they can actually pull off smart home stuff. If I can stumble my way into it, you definitely can too.
Would love to hear what you guys have automated!