I have posted about the use of the Aqara app and in that post referred to difficulties with the Aqara H2 UK Smart Plug. I thought it better to post this as a separate subject.
I bought a pack of 3. Call them “1, 2 & 3”. Initially it was a struggle to set them up. One in particular, number 3, needed several attempts. Once installed in the app I then connected them to HomeKit. Initially it seemed OK, but number 3 proved troublesome. It did not seem to want to be seen and could not be found in the system. I swapped it for No. 2. That seemed to be OK but then I found it had switched off. It may have been me catching the large icon in the app which would turn it off. I don’t know. The app could see the other two. Sometimes. Not always.
As the app is quite cumbersome to use I decided to delete them and install them only in HomeKit. Doing a reset was not easy. The quick twice press and then hold did not do anything. I did the factory reset. Press the button 10 times. Again, at first it did nothing until I found you need to press the button very quickly.
Having reset I yesterday installed in HomeKit again. They appeared to be there and operating. Number 3 was used to switch on a PSU. It operated fine yesterday. This morning I went to switch it on remotely and HomeKit could not see it at all. I had not switched off power to it. Switching it on manually and HomeKit still did not see it. I swapped it for number 2 as it appeared to be working. Plugging in number 2 and HomeKit did not see it until I stimulated it by pressing the button to turn it on, off and then on. Plugging number 3 into a spare socket and HomeKit still could not see it despite my not having removed it.
I cannot rely on these when operation is hit and miss. One in particular seems to have issues. Consequently, I have reverted back to a spare Philips Hue Smart Plug. I have used their product for some years and never ever had issues of this nature that I am having with Aqara.
At present I have left one of the three plugged in to a spare socket doing nothing and will monitor it to see if the system continues to see or if it drops out. If all good I will go back to using it.
Does anybody in the forum have any suggestions? Indeed, does Aqara know if issues have surfaced with some of them?
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Hi there, it looks like you’re experiencing a support-related issue. We’ve automatically created a support ticket for you and will reach out via the forum email within the next two business days.
If other members have any suggestions or insights on this topic, feel free to share!
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Thanks. Another member has mentioned the issue may one the H2 struggling to connect with an appropriate Apple hub in my system. Relevant hubs are only a couple of feet away from the plug.
@rhlangdon Thanks for the additional context! Since your Apple hubs are only a couple of feet away, proximity shouldn’t be the issue. A few things worth checking based on common troubleshooting patterns:
For the H2 UK Smart Plug specifically, these plugs require an Aqara Hub to function properly—they can’t connect directly to HomeKit or Wi-Fi on their own. If you’re trying to run them hub-free in HomeKit only, that would explain the unreliable behavior.
Quick diagnostics:
- Are you using an Aqara Hub (M2, M1S, M3, G2H Pro, etc.) in your setup? The H2 EU/UK plugs need one of these compatible hubs.
- If you do have a hub, check if its firmware is up to date—outdated firmware can cause “device not supported” or pairing failures.
- For the reset issues you described: the correct method is long-pressing the button for 5+ seconds until you see red blink once, then rapid blue flashing.
The “works after manual button press” symptom suggests the plug may be losing its Thread/Zigbee connection to the hub and briefly re-associating when physically toggled. This often happens when:
- The hub’s child device limit (32 devices) is reached
- There’s interference or the plug is on the edge of effective range despite being physically close to Apple hubs (Aqara Hub range matters more than Apple Hub proximity)
Given that one plug (#3) is consistently worse than the others, it’s possible you have a hardware issue with that unit specifically.
Since AqaraBot already opened a ticket for you, that’ll be your best path for escalation—especially if you suspect a defective unit. The forum community can help with setup tweaks, but intermittent hardware-level failures usually need direct support.
Any luck confirming whether you’re running these through an Aqara Hub or trying to pair them standalone?
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Thank you.
I have now set my HomeKit hub as a fixed device, it will now always be the “live” one. My Apple TV. This is following advice from a member of this forum.
I then did a factory reset of each H2, holding down for 5 seconds does not seem to achieve anything. I switched the switch on and then press on and off 10 times.
Following this I have first installed each of the 3 in the Aqara app connecting them to a M100 hub which I had spare. That seemed to work. Then through the Aqara app I connected each one to HomeKit. No issues doing that.
I waited until this morning as all will have been off overnight. This morning operating through HomeKit all seemed to work. I have not yet though checked number 3 and will later.
One observation is that when initially installed in HomeKit, even though the connection looks good, when you first use HomeKit to switch on it takes some time for the H2 to react. As if it is thinking about it. Once done though subsequent times it is quicker.
I shall keep away from the Aqara app unless I really have to use it! Far too easy to switch a smart plug off inadvertently. I would not let my wife near it! Sadly I don’t see the energy use but I no doubt will in a few days in HomeKit once Apple release IOS and MAC OS 27.
@rhlangdon Glad to hear you’ve got them stable! The M100 hub was the missing piece—H2 plugs definitely need an Aqara hub to behave reliably, as they can’t run standalone on HomeKit alone.
A couple of thoughts on your observations:
The “thinking about it” delay you noticed is pretty typical. First command after idle often has a slight lag while the Zigbee/Thread mesh wakes the connection—totally normal and should stay snappy once active.
On the reset method: The 10-press factory reset you used is solid. The “hold 5 seconds” method can be finicky on some H2 variants—seems you found what works for yours.
Energy monitoring is indeed a gap in HomeKit for now. The H2 does track consumption in the Aqara app, but I get the UI concern—those large toggle targets are definitely easy to hit by accident. If you ever want the data without the risk, maybe bookmark the device detail page rather than the main dashboard?
Keep an eye on #3—since it was the troublemaker from the start, it’ll be the real test of whether the hub-based setup solved the underlying issue or if there’s a hardware gremlin lurking.
How’s it holding up after a few more days?