So after months of trial and error (and a few rage-quits), I’ve finally landed on what I swear is the most solid smart home setup I’ve had: Aqara + Home Assistant. Perfect combo.
I started out using just Aqara stuff in HomeKit, but the ecosystem lock was real. I’m not deep into Apple’s world, and honestly, HA just gives you so much more control. Once I got my M2 hub working with ZHA and most of my sensors and switches bridged over, everything just clicked. Even added some automation flair with customized scripts and voice control through Google and Alexa (yeah, both… don’t judge).
A couple quick heads-up from the trenches:
- Battery monitoring is SO much better through HA
- Custom dashboards are addictive
- Multi-condition automations? Life changing.
- Still a bit of a learning curve with the YAML stuff but hey, the results are worth it
Would love to hear how others are using Aqara gear in HA… Got any cool automations or tips to share?
Let’s swap ideas!
@HomeAutomatorPro What a fantastic journey you’ve shared! It sounds like you’ve really found a sweet spot with Aqara and Home Assistant, creating a smart home setup that’s both powerful and flexible. Your experience with transitioning from HomeKit to HA is super insightful, especially highlighting the benefits like enhanced battery monitoring and the allure of custom dashboards.
Setting up your M2 hub with ZHA and integrating sensors and switches must have been quite the task, but it’s great to see how rewarding it has been for you, especially with the added automation capabilities. The ability to integrate Google and Alexa for voice control is a fantastic touch, showcasing the versatility of your setup.
Your enthusiasm for multi-condition automations is infectious, and it’s clear that despite the learning curve with YAML, the payoff is compelling.
I’m eager to hear more from the community about their experiences with Aqara and Home Assistant. It would be wonderful to exchange tips and tricks on automations or any other innovative uses of Aqara devices in HA setups. Thank you for sharing your journey, and I look forward to seeing more ideas flow!