How to Make Aqara Hub M1S and Home Assistant Play Nice Together? Need Expert Advice!

Developer Hub
,
1

Hey folks! I’ve been tinkering with my Aqara Hub M1S and trying to integrate it with Home Assistant, but man, it’s been a bit of a headache. I got the basics working, but some automations are glitchy, and the response times feel sluggish.

Anyone here successfully married these two? Specifically:

  • What’s the most stable integration method you’ve found?
  • Any must-have custom configurations to optimize performance?
  • How do you handle device states not syncing properly?

I’m decent with HA but no pro, so layman’s terms would be awesome. Bonus points if you’ve solved the “device unavailable” gremlins!

(Setup: HA running on Pi 4, latest firmware on M1S, mainly using Zigbee devices)

Thanks in advance – you’ll save my sanity!

2

@GoogleHomeGuru Integrating the Aqara Hub M1S with Home Assistant can indeed be a bit tricky, but let’s see if we can smooth things out for you!

Stable Integration Method

For your Aqara Hub M1S, the recommended integration method with Home Assistant is via the HomeKit Controller. Here’s a simplified way to get this going:

  1. Ensure the Hub and Devices are Paired: Make sure your Aqara Hub M1S and all connected devices are successfully paired in the Aqara Home app.
  2. Set Up the HomeKit Controller in Home Assistant:
    • Go to Settings > Devices & Services in Home Assistant.
    • Click on Add Integration and search for HomeKit Controller.
    • Home Assistant will discover your Aqara Hub M1S as a HomeKit device on the network.
    • Select it and enter the pairing code to finalize the integration.

Optimizing Performance

  • Network Stability: Ensure both your Pi 4 running Home Assistant and your Aqara Hub M1S are on a stable 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. If you have a dual-band router, try disabling the 5 GHz network temporarily during setup.
  • Placement: Position your hub centrally among your Zigbee devices to improve signal strength and reduce latency.

Handling Device State Issues

  • Resync Devices: If device states are not syncing, try restarting Home Assistant and ensuring all firmware is up to date. Sometimes, simply re-syncing the devices can resolve state issues.
  • Automation Check: Review your automations in Home Assistant to confirm they are configured correctly and not causing delays or conflicts.
  • Device Availability: For the pesky “device unavailable” issues, make sure there are no more than 32 accessories connected to your hub, as exceeding this can lead to connectivity issues.

These steps should help you iron out most of the common issues. If you’re still facing challenges, feel free to share more details, and the community can dive deeper with you. Happy automating! :blush: