Aqara M3 hub setup in new installation

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1

Hi I am planning to set up a smart home, focused on Aqara products for now. I am puzzled why the M3 hub needs to be connected to a home wifi network (or LAN), at least for the initial setup. If I am just using Aqara products and not connecting to Apple HomeKit and suchlike this seems unnecessary. Could someone explain why it isn’t possible to setup a smart home without the Wi-Fi/lan network. I had imaged the Aqara hub do all that itself. Thanks for your help.

2

Hello, for the initial launch of the system you need to connect to the server of your region, for this you need WiFi and Internet access. The second reason is that to bind devices to the gateway, you will also need the aforementioned server, it will identify the Zigbee device and bind it to the gateway (in your case M3). Thirdly, when creating automation, the same server is also used again, it will register it on the gateway and then LOCAL automation will be created that will work without going online. Only the gateway and the device that is bound will be involved. Understand, I only superficially described the principle of operation, it is an order of magnitude more complicated than I told.

Also, to control devices remotely from the app (outside the WiFi area), you can control devices through a gateway connected to the Internet via WiFi.

3

Thanks. As I am new to this I may have misunderstood how this works. I had understood that the hub can still control devices that communicate via local protocols like Zigbee or Matter, even without an internet connection. It is appealing to me not to have my home network connected to the internet 24 hrs a day.

4

You need wifi to connect your phone to the hub.

5

Thanks - I had imagined that the Aqara Hub would supply it’s on Wifi network. never mind. My partner is paranoid about having WiFi an 24 hrs a day, and also being connected to the internet consistently.

6

Probably a smart home isn’t for your wife!!! ;O)

7

What is great about smart switches etc they look like normal switches. ‘ what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over’!

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