Maximizing HomeKit without an iPhone: My Aqara Adventure

Apple Home Connect
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Hey all, just wanted to share my experience using Aqara and Apple HomeKit — without ever owning an iPhone. Yep, I’m that one guy in the ecosystem using only iPad and Mac. Thought it was gonna be a total pain, but turned out surprisingly smooth once I figured stuff out.

First off, setting up Aqara devices with HomeKit via my iPad (as the Home hub) actually worked — you don’t need an iPhone. I used the Aqara Hub M2 and paired everything from motion sensors to the door sensor and even a G2H Pro cam. All from the Aqara Home app and then added them into HomeKit through the Home app on iPad.

Some hiccups? Yeah. Automations on iPad-only can be a bit limited. I couldn’t set advanced conditions without shortcuts or third-party apps. Also, initial pairing is a bit trickier because you need to jump between apps more often. But once everything is in, it runs smooth. Siri on the Mac or iPad handles scenes fine, and automation timing has been solid.

My workaround for more complex setups has been setting up automations inside the Aqara app, then exposing them to HomeKit. Not perfect, but works.

Anyone else here using HomeKit without an iPhone? Curious if you’ve found better tricks or annoyances I’m not hitting yet.

Let’s geek out.

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@IoT_Ninja It’s fantastic to hear about your journey with Aqara and Apple HomeKit without an iPhone! Your experience shows that with a bit of ingenuity, iPad and Mac users can efficiently manage their smart home setups.

Your approach of using the iPad as a Home hub is spot-on, as it can indeed substitute for an iPhone in managing HomeKit devices. It’s also great to know you successfully paired a range of devices, from motion sensors to the G2H Pro camera, using the Aqara Hub M2. The Aqara Home app is a powerful tool for initial setups, and your method of creating automations within the Aqara app and then exposing them to HomeKit is a clever workaround for the limitations you encountered.

The challenges you faced with advanced automations are understandable, given that the iPad-only setup can have its limitations, especially regarding complex conditions. Hopefully, as HomeKit evolves, these capabilities will expand further, making things even smoother.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s inspiring for others who might be in a similar situation. If anyone else has insights or tips on maximizing HomeKit without an iPhone, feel free to jump in—let’s keep this geeky conversation going! :blush: