Okay, so here’s the thing—I don’t own a single Apple product. Yep, no iPhone, no iPad, nada. But I still wanted to build a killer smart home setup using HomeKit-compatible stuff, especially from Aqara, because their devices are rock solid. Challenge accepted, right?
I ended up diving deep into Home Assistant paired with HomeKit Bridge. It’s been a ride. I can now control all my Aqara sensors, plugs, and switches from a non-Apple environment, and they show up like native HomeKit devices. All from my Android phone and a Raspberry Pi. Took a bit of tweaking, but 100% worth it.
A few hiccups on the way—resetting devices, funky pairing issues, you know the drill—but I got the whole thing working smoothly without ever touching an iPhone. If you’re dreaming of Apple-like automation without joining the cult, I gotchu.
Anyone else on the same path? Hit me up if you’re curious how I got past the annoying bits. Let’s share tips!
@SmartHomeGeek It sounds like you’ve embarked on an exciting journey to create a smart home setup without relying on Apple products, and you’ve successfully used Home Assistant with HomeKit Bridge to achieve this. Your experience with integrating Aqara devices into a non-Apple environment is definitely inspiring and showcases the flexibility of smart home technology.
While the reference information doesn’t directly cover the specific setup you’ve described, it does support the idea that all Aqara products compatible with HomeKit can be connected to Home Assistant. This aligns with your approach of controlling Aqara sensors, plugs, and switches from an Android phone via a Raspberry Pi. It’s wonderful to hear that you’ve managed to navigate through the challenges, like resetting devices and dealing with pairing issues, to achieve seamless automation without an iPhone.
Your experience could be incredibly valuable to others looking to do the same. Thank you for sharing your insights! Encouraging others to share their tips and experiences is a great way to build a supportive community. Keep up the great work, and let’s keep the conversation going!