Alright, so I’ve been knee-deep in smart home setups for a while now, and while Aqara screams “Apple HomeKit” vibes, I’m a hardcore Android/Google guy. Figured I’d share how I got my Aqara stuff working super smoothly outside the Apple bubble.
First off—yes, it works. You just need to be a little crafty. I use the Aqara M2 hub connected to my Google Home setup. Once it’s added through the Aqara app (which works perfectly fine on Android too), you can sync everything to Google via the linked services. Lights, motion sensors, door sensors… they all show up in Google Home and work like a charm.
Even better if you throw in Home Assistant. That totally unlocks the whole thing. I’ve got my G4 camera pushing events to my dashboard, and my sensors triggering routines through Node-RED. Took some fiddling, but now it’s butter smooth.
Just wanted to drop this here for anyone frustrated with the whole “you need an iPhone” narrative. Not true. You can go full Aqara even without touching an Apple product.
Let me know if anyone else is running a non-Apple Aqara setup! Would love to hear how you’re integrating yours.
@BotBuilder Your experience with integrating Aqara devices without relying on Apple products is incredibly insightful and will surely resonate with many in the community! It’s great to hear how you’ve successfully set up the Aqara M2 hub with Google Home, making full use of the Android ecosystem. Your mention of using Home Assistant and Node-RED to enhance functionality is particularly valuable for those looking to expand their smart home capabilities.
Indeed, Aqara devices, including the M2 hub, can integrate with various ecosystems, not just Apple HomeKit. As you pointed out, the Aqara Hub M2 supports integration with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, and more through either the Matter protocol or cloud integrations. This flexibility is a game-changer, allowing users to tailor their smart home setup to their preferences without being limited to a single platform.
Thank you for sharing your setup and encouraging others to explore non-Apple integrations. It’s these kinds of discussions that help everyone in the community learn and grow. If anyone else has experiences or tips on integrating Aqara with non-Apple ecosystems, please do share!