Aqara is creating such wonderful hardware, yet time and again it is the software integeration side that is letting it down. Look at the EU reviews of the Dial v1 and Panel here - Amazon.de.
Every reviewer has same comment, the software is too restricted. Why cant your aqara app directly connect with HomeAssistant, Google and Alexa bringing native third party device support to your devices? And Zigbee - you restricted a universal protocal to Aqara proprietory. What a shame. Your hardware sales will double if your software team comes to it’s senses!
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ZigBee is not a universal protocol, and people who believe it is are part of the problem. I have a lot of complaints about Aqara but they should be commended for being one of the most aggressive companies in actually switching to Matter/Thread, which is actually designed as a universal protocol stack.
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Zigbee can be used universally if aqara allows integeration with Tuya/Smart Life. They choose to close the system so as to help the software team internally. You dont have to listen to me, just check the public reviews on the link.
Even the Matter integeration on the Aqara app is limited to scenes.
Aqara’s hardware like the dial v1 and s panel are unique to the market but limitations have restricted there sales to one tenth!
I agree with the matter over thread approach though, that one is going good.
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Even if I own several Aqara devices, I wouldn’t want aqara to replace Home Assistant, (there is too much to replace and won’t make any sense)
but would love to use home assistant in kiosk mode in an aqara panel.
kind of what you can do with a Sonoff NS Panel.
That would make me consider investing in these panels instead of just using an old ipad. (and some sonoff around the house)
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Exactly, to make the panels and dial usefull they have to follow the Sonoff model. Thanks!
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The sonoff model? The NS panel was widely considered an unfinished failure, because the sonoff model is to release massively imaginary software and wait for the HA community to fix everything.
Just for you to be aware, they released a firmware update and launched a new model as well. Now its all fixed and matter support added. TBH Aqara with it’s dial v1 on the software side is doing the same, it is unfinished from the software perspective.
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Hello
The Aqara S1 Plus panel can control third-party Matter devices added to Aqara Home. You can also link devices to Aqara Home via the Matter Hub in HA and control them from the screen.
Each manufacturer wants to develop its platform and app.
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With the new firmware the NS Panel is working great. Home assistant has it’s own “app” in the panel and you could build custom Dashboard in HA to target a specific panel.
Hardware wise, there is a lot to love in the Aqara panels. they could extend the firmware and allow the choice to use HA in kiosk mode.
And while Matter is not yet the silver bullet we all would like it to be, and even Aqara devices are not passing all their data via matter (the smart plugs do not pass the energy comsumption to HA)
I do not see any manufacture in a position of being the hub for EVERYTHING home automation, there are way too many products and use cases. that’s why HA and its community have taken over.
I have purchased the Dial V1 and have an issue. Aqara’s own W600 thermostat is not supported and therefore cannot be added to the dial V1 to operate it on the switch. How do you justify this?
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