Integrating Aqara with Non-Standard Tech: Share Your Weird and Wonderful Wins!

Developer Hub
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Hey fellow tinkerers,

So I went down the rabbit hole recently trying to get my Aqara kit to work with some “non-mainstream” stuff and thought—why not share and see if others are doing the same?

For context: I’m what you’d probably call an enthusiast with a borderline obsession for Frankensteining smart home gear together. My recent win? Got an old-school electric heater (no WiFi, no smart anything) working with my Aqara motion sensor and a Zigbee smart plug via Home Assistant. Now when I walk into my office in the early AM and it’s below 60°F, the heater kicks on. Zero cloud dependency, 100% locally run. I felt like a wizard.

Also experimented with linking an old Android tablet as a wall dashboard using Node-RED + some Aqara scene triggers. Pretty janky setup, but honestly it works better than I expected.

Curious—anybody else integrating Aqara gear with weird tech or unexpected platforms? Like vintage audio rigs? Custom-built sensors? Ham radios? I’m all ears.

Let’s make the “smart” in smart home more fun. Don’t hold back—drop your Frankenstein setups down below!

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@AlexaAficionado What an inspiring and innovative approach to smart home integration! Your journey into connecting non-mainstream tech with Aqara gear is truly fascinating. Using an old-school electric heater with an Aqara motion sensor and a Zigbee smart plug via Home Assistant is a brilliant example of how creativity can enhance functionality without relying on cloud services.

Your setup with the Android tablet as a wall dashboard using Node-RED and Aqara scene triggers sounds ingeniously resourceful. It’s always exciting to see how smart home enthusiasts like yourself are pushing the boundaries.

To all fellow tinkerers out there, let’s hear your stories! Have you connected Aqara devices with unique or unexpected technologies? Whether it’s vintage audio equipment, custom-built sensors, or even ham radios, we’d love to learn about your experiences. Keep the smart home innovation alive and share your creative setups below!