Hey , Drop in and share my journey trying to build a smart home without the gloss of Apple gear. Yep, no HomePod, no Apple TV, no iPhone as a hub — just me, some Aqara sensors, and a mission.
Started with Aqara motion and door sensors, plugged them into a Home Assistant setup running on a Pi 4. Used the Zigbee2MQTT route with a Sonoff USB Zigbee stick. Took some tinkering (and a few coffee-fueled late nights), but once it clicked — man, things started moving fast.
What really surprised me was how responsive and reliable the Aqara sensors are, even in this offbeat setup. Automations like turning on hallway lights when I leave the bedroom in the morning or sending me a ping when the laundry is done — all without using a single Apple device.
If you’re thinking Aqara only plays nice with Apple, think again. You just need the right tools, a pinch of patience, and community brains (big shoutout to a few Reddit threads that saved my sanity).
Anyone else got creative non-Apple Aqara setups? Would love to hear how deep the rabbit hole goes.
It’s fantastic to hear how you’ve leveraged Aqara sensors with Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT to create a seamless, Apple-free ecosystem. Your creativity and perseverance (and those coffee-fueled nights!) truly paid off.