So, I finally decided to upgrade my boring apartment lighting with some Aqara magic — and oh man, I should’ve done this way earlier.
I’m no hardcore smart home geek (yet), just your average DIY enthusiast who likes clean setups and hates getting up to turn off the lights. I started simple with the Aqara motion sensor, the door sensor, and a few smart bulbs connected to the Aqara Hub M2.
Here’s the cool part: I set it up so when I come home after 6 PM and open the door, the hallway light turns on automatically (only if it’s already dark outside). Sounds small, but it’s honestly a game changer. Then the motion sensor in the living room picks up movement and turns on that light too — all smooth like I’m in some futuristic movie.
My current favorite is this: there’s a “movie time” button set up using the Mini Switch — one tap and the living room dims to the perfect cozy level, curtains close (yep, using the curtain motor too), and the AC adjusts to 23°C. All in one click. It’s insane.
Setting this all up wasn’t hard. The Aqara Home app is friendly, even if you’re not super techy. I used HomeKit too for some scenes and it worked fine, just needed some trial and error with automations.
So yeah, curious to know what kind of light setups you guys are rocking. Any must-have scenes I should try?
Also, anyone tried sunrise/sunset triggers with Aqara? Thinking of messing with that next.