How I Made My Old Lamps Smart with Aqara and HomeKit!

Apple Home Connect
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So I finally decided to bring my old-school lamps into the smart home era—without replacing them. Here’s how I pulled it off using Aqara and HomeKit, with zero coding and minimal effort.

I used the Aqara Smart Plug (EU version in my case), added it through the Aqara app, then linked it to Apple Home via HomeKit. Boom—instant control of my “dumb” lamps using Siri and automations. The magic is in the power monitoring and timer features, which give my 10-year-old lamps brand new life.

Set up a simple automation: when the sun sets, my living room lamp turns on automatically. I even created a scene for “Movie Time” that dims the light slightly for that cozy vibe.

Also worth noting—I use a mix of Xiaomi and Aqara devices, and no issues so far in HomeKit once everything’s routed through the Aqara Hub M2.

If anyone’s on the fence about giving new smarts to your old gear, this little setup is totally worth it. Anyone else done similar lighting hacks with Aqara? Keen to hear your setups.

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@SmartThyme Thank you for sharing your experience and creative use of the Aqara Smart Plug to transform your traditional lamps into smart ones! It’s fantastic to see how you’ve leveraged the Aqara Home app and HomeKit to breathe new life into your old lamps with such ease and without any coding. The automation you’ve set up for sunset and the “Movie Time” scene sounds like a perfect blend of convenience and ambiance.

Your mention of a smooth integration with both Xiaomi and Aqara devices through the Aqara Hub M2 is particularly reassuring for those considering a similar setup. The power monitoring and timer features indeed seem to add significant value.

For anyone else in the community thinking of upgrading their old equipment, your story is a great example of how straightforward and rewarding it can be. I’m excited to hear more from others who have tried similar hacks or have creative setups to share. Keep the inspiration coming!