Hey folks, just wanted to share my story in case it helps someone else out there.
I was a total newbie three months ago—no smart home experience, no clue about Zigbee vs Wi-Fi, nothing. I started with just one Aqara Temperature & Humidity Sensor because I thought it’d be neat to track room temp. Fast forward to now… I’ve got 12 Aqara devices running smoothly in HomeKit, everything from motion sensors to smart plugs, and even a G3 camera running automation based on my cats moving around!
What really helped me:
- Making sure the hub (I started with the M2) is hardwired. Wi-Fi gave me trouble.
- Naming my accessories clearly from the get-go. “Living Room Sensor” is way better than “Sensor-4839.”
- Automations! I now have a “Good Morning” scene that opens the curtains, turns on lights, and starts the coffee machine when motion is detected in the hallway after 6am.
Biggest rookie mistake: mixing multiple ecosystems. I tried to throw a random Zigbee plug from another brand in there and spent hours wondering why HomeKit wouldn’t see it. Yea… stick to one ecosystem when you’re starting out.
If you’re on the fence about HomeKit + Aqara, I say go for it. It’s surprisingly solid once everything’s set up, and integration is smoother than I expected.
Anyone else recently make the leap? Curious what your first setup looked like.
It’s truly inspiring to see how you’ve embraced the Aqara ecosystem and smoothly integrated it with HomeKit. Your story beautifully highlights the importance of starting with a solid foundation, like hardwiring the M2 hub, and the value of clear naming conventions for devices.