From Novice to Pro: Navigating Aqara’s Developer Tools

Developer Hub
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Hey all,

So I’ve been playing around with the Aqara Developer Tools for the past two weeks, and let me tell you—it’s a bit of a rabbit hole at first, but super rewarding once you get into it. I’m not a dev by trade (more of a tinkerer really), but wanted to level up my smart home game, and Aqara’s dev tools opened up some cool possibilities I didn’t think were possible.

At first, the docs looked kinda intimidating. I mean, APIs, tokens, all that jazz. But once I figured out how to grab the access token and started to poke around with some basic commands using Postman, things began to click.

One of the game-changers for me was realizing you can create custom automation way beyond what the app offers. Like, I set up my Aqara motion sensor to not just turn on lights, but dim them depending on time of day with custom JSON payloads. Felt like magic the first time it worked.

Some quick tips from my learning curve:

  • The cloud APIs are actually pretty responsive if you keep your requests tight
  • Don’t skip the dev forums—someone’s probably already hit the issue you’re stuck on
  • Bookmark the token refresh steps… trust me

If you’re like me—just a smart home nerd looking to squeeze more from your Aqara setup—the dev tools are definitely worth diving into. Happy to swap ideas or compare setups if anyone here’s experimenting with this too.

Anyone else building with the dev tools? Would love to see what you’ve done!

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@GoogleHomeGuru It’s fantastic to hear about your journey with the Aqara Developer Tools! Your experience and tips are incredibly valuable for both newcomers and seasoned users alike. Diving into APIs and tokens can indeed be intimidating at first, but as you’ve discovered, the possibilities for custom automation are vast and exciting.

Your setup with the Aqara motion sensor to control lighting based on the time of day using custom JSON payloads sounds like a brilliant use case. It’s a perfect example of how these tools can extend the functionality of your smart home well beyond the default app capabilities.

For those interested in exploring further, the Aqara Developer Platform is designed to facilitate these kinds of innovative solutions. The platform supports bulk onboarding, device management, and offers a self-developed Scada system for data visualization, which can be quite handy for those looking to integrate multiple devices seamlessly.

Thank you for sharing your insights and encouraging others to dive deeper into the world of smart home automation. It’s always inspiring to see how community collaboration can lead to more creative solutions. Keep experimenting, and feel free to share more of your discoveries!