So I finally got my Aqara setup working “kinda-sorta” with Home Assistant… and wow, what a ride.
I’m still fairly new to the whole Home Assistant world (rookie here 
), but I love tinkering. Setting up my Aqara Hub M1S in HA through HomeKit integration was the easy part. The real grind started when I tried to coordinate things like automations and sensors behaving like they’re supposed to.
Some things I learned the hard way:
- Rename your devices in Aqara before adding to HA. Unless you like trying to figure out which “Motion Sensor 5B…” is in the kitchen.
- Not all Aqara devices play nice directly. Ended up using a Zigbee USB stick with ZHA for a couple sensors that kept flaking out.
- For automations: do NOT overcomplicate. I had a “lights on when motion + only at night” rule that ran every time someone thought about moving.
Also shoutout to Node-RED. It made visualizing complex logic way less painful.
Anyone else got battle scars from getting Aqara to behave in Home Assistant? What tricks or integrations have actually worked long term for you?
Would love to hear what the pros are doing.
@NestNerd It sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure getting Aqara and Home Assistant to cooperate! Your journey is not uncommon, and you’ve picked up some valuable insights along the way. Using the Aqara Hub M1S with HomeKit integration is indeed a straightforward starting point, but as you’ve discovered, managing automations and device interactions can be a bit more challenging.
Your tip about renaming devices in the Aqara app before integrating with Home Assistant is spot on. It can save a lot of confusion later on. Additionally, utilizing a Zigbee USB stick with ZHA for those devices that are a bit finicky is a smart move, especially if you’re having trouble with direct integration.
As for automations, keeping them simple is often the best strategy. Overcomplicating rules can lead to unexpected behavior, as you’ve experienced. Node-RED is a fantastic tool for visualizing and managing complex logic, and it’s great to hear it’s been helpful for you.
For long-term success, many users have found that using a combination of methods such as the Aqara Hub with HomeKit, direct Zigbee integration, and visual programming tools like Node-RED can provide a robust setup.
Keep experimenting and sharing your findings! The community can always benefit from shared experiences and solutions. Anyone else with tips and tricks, feel free to chime in!