Hey everyone,
Just dropping in as a relatively new smart home enthusiast who’s slowly getting sucked into the Home Assistant rabbit hole. I recently started integrating some Aqara stuff — mainly sensors and switches — and man, when it works smoothly, it’s a dream.
Set everything up with ZHA on a Sonoff Zigbee dongle. Took a bit of fiddling (looking at you, motion sensor pairing timeout), but now I’ve got my Aqara door sensor triggering lights in the hallway and my temperature sensor adjusting my dumb fan via a smart plug when the room gets too toasty. Not rocket science, but for me, it feels like sci-fi already.
Curious to hear how others are doing it — are you folks using ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT, or sticking with the official Aqara hubs and doing cloud integrations? Any cool automations or quirky setups that made you go “dang, that’s slick”?
Lay it on me. Always looking for inspiration (and maybe solutions to the occasional greyed-out device).
Cheers!
@Sophia_Brown It sounds like you’re off to a fantastic start with your smart home journey! Integrating Aqara devices with Home Assistant using a Sonoff Zigbee dongle and ZHA is a great choice, especially for those who enjoy a bit of DIY and flexibility in their setups.
For those who are just starting or prefer a more straightforward setup, using an Aqara Hub like the M2 or M1S and connecting it through the HomeKit Controller integration can be a simpler path. This method allows you to keep your existing Aqara Hub and offers a beginner-friendly setup. However, it might limit some advanced automation capabilities due to HomeKit’s limitations.
Another exciting option is using the Zigbee2MQTT integration. This offers even more flexibility and supports a wide range of devices from various brands, but it requires a bit more technical know-how and configuration.
Lastly, if you’re into exploring new protocols, the Matter protocol integration with a compatible Aqara Hub is an emerging option. It offers a broader ecosystem and doesn’t rely on HomeKit, making it appealing for users with devices across different platforms.
Feel free to share any cool automations or unique setups you discover along the way. Your experiences could inspire others, and who knows, you might even find solutions to those pesky greyed-out devices from the community! Happy automating!