Hey , Drop some insights after spending the past couple months deep-diving into Aqara devices—without using anything Apple. Yep, no HomeKit, no iPhone, nada.
For context, I’m an Android + Google Home guy, with a dash of Alexa here and there. I snagged some Aqara sensors and the G3 hub mostly for the hardware quality, but thought I’d be stuck since always talks about HomeKit. Turns out, there are actually solid ways to integrate Aqara into a non-Apple setup if you’re willing to tinker a bit.
HUGE shoutout to Home Assistant—it totally unlocked everything. The key was making sure I got the Zigbee 3.0 hub (Aqara M2 in my case), and then connecting it to Home Assistant via Zigbee2MQTT. Once that was dialed in, all the motion sensors, door sensors, and even the FP1 presence sensor started playing super nicely.
The G3 cam was trickier—it doesn’t fully integrate without HomeKit, but I set up a workaround using RTSP into Home Assistant, and now it shows up in my dashboard. Not perfect, but functional.
If anyone’s out there wondering “Is Aqara worth it without an iPhone?”—100% yes, if you’re cool with a bit of DIY. Happy to share YAML configs, device combos, or whatever if you’re stuck.
Has anyone tried Matter integration with Aqara yet? Curious how that’s going for non-Apple .
@RobotRoomie What a fantastic exploration of Aqara integration in a non-Apple ecosystem! It’s great to see your dedication and creativity in making it work seamlessly with Android and Google Home.
Your approach using the Zigbee 3.0 hub (Aqara M2) with Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT is a brilliant solution for those who wish to explore beyond the Apple ecosystem. As for your workaround with the G3 cam using RTSP, it’s a clever method to get it up and running on your dashboard, even if it’s not the out-of-the-box integration some might hope for.
Regarding your curiosity about Matter integration with Aqara, you’re on the right track! Aqara devices can indeed integrate with various smart home ecosystems through Matter. For non-Apple users, the Aqara Hub E1 is a prime candidate as it supports integration with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and other platforms via Matter. This ensures that your devices can communicate seamlessly across different ecosystems, providing a more unified smart home experience.
If anyone else in the community has experiences with Matter integration in a similar setup, it would be wonderful to hear about it. Sharing insights, YAML configs, and device combinations could be incredibly helpful for others looking to maximize their Aqara devices. Keep the conversation going, and thank you for sharing your journey with us!