Update on Apr 22:
Our live AMA session has now come to a close. Thank you all for participating and for your continued passion for the Aqara Forum! A big thanks to our guest @Aqara_PM_Donie for the detailed updates and for taking the time to engage with us. We really hope these answers helped you get a better understanding of Aqara and where we’re headed. More exciting activities are coming in the forum! See you at the next event!
Howdy Folks!
As we move into the second half of Aqara’s 1st Anniversary celebration, we want to give you access to the team behind the products you love. We are thrilled to announce a special AMA (Ask Me Anything) session!
Our Special Guest
Joining us is a face many of you may recognize from the forums: @Aqara_PM_Donie, an expert veteran of the Aqara Product Team. Whether you have technical questions or just want to say hi, Donie is here to chat.
What can you ask?
While Donie is the expert behind our camera series, this AMA has no set agenda. Feel free to ask Donie any questions you may have about Aqara. Your imagination is the limit.
How it works
Drop your questions in the comments section below starting NOW. (Friendly tip: Please try to post just one question per comment.)
On 10-11 PM, April 21st (GMT-4) and 11-12AM, April 22nd (GMT+2), Donie will join the thread to start answering your questions live.
Don’t miss this chance to get your questions answered directly by the source. Let’s celebrate one year of smart living together!
Donie great to have you back!
My question is, why did Aqara chose to region lock devices?
Will we ever see this region lock lifted and be able to enjoy cross region devices?
Aqara is known to have a better, wider selection of products in china than small countries located in “other” region
I have a question regarding the user experience. Since I have quite a large Aqara setup across my house, I often spend my day working at my computer.
I was wondering if there are any plans to develop a Web Dashboard or a PC/Browser interface for Aqara? Sometimes, especially when managing many devices or checking cameras while at my desk, it would be very convenient to access the system through a browser instead of using a phone.
Hi @Aqara_PM_Donie Why does the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro perform so poorly in face recognition within the aqara home app?
Based on my experience, a person needs to be within about one meter of the camera for their face to be recognized reliably. At greater distances, the feature barely works.
At the same time, in Apple HomeKit, face recognition performs significantly better - it works consistently even at distances of over five meters using the same camera.
This essentially undermines the purpose of the G5 Pro as an outdoor camera, especially when relying on face-based automations.
Are there any plans to improve the Aqara Home face recognition algorithms to match the level of HomeKit?
I’d certainly prefer to chat in person, but in the meantime, I have a few questions for you:
On your background:
What originally drew you to become a Product Manager for cameras? Was it a long-standing passion for imaging, or did you find your way into this field by chance?
On the G5 Pro:
The G5 Pro has been a standout success for Aqara! The low-light capabilities and other features are truly impressive. It’s clear whole team put a lot of heart into this product. As a PM, did you have to make any difficult trade-offs (such as sacrificing specific features or hardware) to maintain its compact size or keep it within a reasonable price point? What was the single hardest part of bringing the G5 Pro to life, and how do you see this lineage evolving for the next generation?
Thank you for your time and for all the work you do!
I’ve looked into Aqara Studio, and it looks like a powerhouse for professional IoT management. However, from what I gather, it’s deeply integrated with the M300 (Edge Hub) hardware for local processing.
While that’s great for future M300 owners, I still believe a simpler, browser-based dashboard for the standard Aqara Home app would be amazing for everyone. Managing my current setup from a PC while working—even without the professional-grade Studio features—would be a huge step forward in daily convenience.
Actually, as someone with over 200 devices in my 3-story home. I’m definitely planning to get the M300 as soon as it’s released to take advantage of those advanced features.
My question was mainly focused on the ‘everyday convenience’ of a simple web interface. While Aqara Studio is a fantastic professional tool, I think a standard browser access for the regular Aqara Home app would be a great addition for everyone’s daily workflow.
I have decked my apartment out with H1s and they work great - however they are missing some features that would make the more useful:
Wall Switches:
Double Press
Long Press
Double Rocker - improve both-together (it frequently triggers when switch 1 and switch 2 are pressed indivutally, but seemingly too quickly for the H1 which registers it as both-together rather than individual)
Double Rocker - both-together - double press
Double Rocker - both-together - long press
Wireless Switches:
Double Press
Long Press
Double Rocker - iboth-together (missing from the wireless version compared to the wall version)
Double Rocker - both-together - double press
Double Rocker - both-together - long press
Are there plans to introduce these via a firmware update?
Here’s my question: Will Aqara create a consistent strategy for Cameras related to Home Guardian and which features are available available with the hardware versus with a subscription?
I’ll admit the question comes with strong opinions - I believe if the feature is accomplished on the device itself then a cloud subscription should not be required to unlock it. And there are discrepancies between, for example, G5 Pro and G400.
Thank you Aqara, for giving this opportunity. Will Aqara has any plans on giving us the capability to manage the channels for Zigbee and Thread Networks on our Aqara hubs? There are many instances that the random channels that the hub adopt are interfering with 2.4ghz wifi channel and causing some disconnection and devices go into non responsive state.
I have a few questions and requests that I’ve been raising for some time, and I’d really appreciate some clarity or progress on them:
Toggle option for group devices
For the love of everything pure, please add the option to toggle a group device. Currently, they only support on/off states, which is limiting. It would also be great if this group functionality could be exposed through HomeKit and Matter.
Region-locked devices
Why are we unable to add region-locked devices? Even a simple disclaimer—such as: “This device is intended for region X and may not function correctly in your region. Do you still want to proceed?” —would be helpful. This would give users the choice while acknowledging potential limitations.
Android app dark mode
Please fix the dark mode in the Android app. It would also be ideal if the app could follow the system-wide light/dark mode settings for a more consistent user experience.
I am interested in the z1 switches. I have automated my switches in my home, but I have 2 places that I cannot replace. They are 3 switches placed in a double juction box. Is there any work being done to put out a 110 volt version of this switch? Preferably using thread/matter?
When can we expect for UWB to function as intended? Majority of the time it works flawlessly and is fantastic. But even after the latest FW update and tweaking the settings I’m still having issues with
Delayed triggering of the lock (UWB lights up but waiting 3-5 seconds before it unlocks)
Fails to register all together. (Have to use finger print scanner)
Lock unlocked from inside the home from a spare bedroom to the right of the front door. ( left and right side approach detection are off)
With as good as it is a majority of the time, the times it doesn’t work correctly stand out.
