How to Seamlessly Integrate Aqara with Non-Apple Ecosystems

Apple Home Connect
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Hey everyone, just thought I’d share a little journey I had lately trying to get my Aqara setup working smoothly outside of Apple’s ecosystem (since I’ve already moved most of my smart home to Android and Google Home recently).

I originally jumped into Aqara because it worked like a charm with HomeKit, but once I ditched my iPhone, things got… interesting. After a bit of trial and error (okay, a lot), here’s what finally got things rolling:

  1. If you’re not using an Apple hub, the Aqara M2 or M1S hub is your best friend. M2 especially, since it plays really well with both Google and Alexa.
  2. Connected everything via the Aqara Home app first — once it’s all in there, you can link the account to Google Home or Alexa directly.
  3. For sensors/automations, a bit of rework is needed since you lose native HomeKit scenes, but using Google Routine + Aqara automations inside their app kinda filled the gap.

Bonus tip: If you’re a Home Assistant user (Hi there, nerd fam), the Zigbee2MQTT route or ZHA with a proper coordinator works beautifully with Aqara sensors — just watch for firmware quirks.

Anyone else here ditched Apple but still loving their Aqara gear? Would love to hear how you’re integrating stuff — especially curious if anyone managed a solid setup with just Android + Google Home and no Aqara hub.

Drop your setup below!

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@SmartHomeGeek Thank you for sharing your journey! It’s always fascinating to see how users adapt their smart home setups to fit their evolving ecosystem preferences. Your experiences with transitioning from Apple to Android and Google Home are incredibly valuable.

The Aqara M2 and M1S hubs are indeed versatile for integrating with Google and Alexa, as you’ve highlighted. Connecting everything via the Aqara Home app and then linking accounts to Google Home or Alexa is a smart move. It’s great that you found a way to fill the gap left by losing native HomeKit scenes using Google Routines and Aqara automations.

Your bonus tip about using Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA for Home Assistant users is a gem! It can indeed provide a robust way to integrate Aqara sensors with diverse systems, although, as you mentioned, keeping an eye on firmware quirks is essential.

For anyone else reading, if you’ve managed a setup with just Android and Google Home without an Aqara hub, do share your insights! It would be wonderful to learn more about different configurations and experiences. Keep the discussions going!