Solving the Mystery: Why Your Aqara Motion Sensor Stops Working with HomeKit

Apple Home Connect
1

Alright, sharing this mostly because I nearly lost it trying to figure it out — and maybe it’ll save someone else a few headaches.

So, I’ve been using Aqara motion sensors with HomeKit for a while now. Everything worked great… until one day, randomly, one of my sensors just stopped responding in the Home app. Like, total ghost mode. Checked battery (good), range (close to hub), rebooted the hub, nothing. Thought the sensor just died.

But here’s the weird part — it wasn’t dead. It was just fine in the Aqara app, detecting motion like a champ. So what gives?

Here’s what ended up fixing it for me:

  1. Unpairing the sensor from HomeKit without removing it from the Aqara app.
  2. Then adding it back manually through the Aqara app (make sure the hub is still exposed to HomeKit).
  3. Boom — it reappeared in HomeKit, instantly responsive.

Apparently, sometimes if there’s a hiccup in communication between the Aqara hub and HomeKit bridge (Apple TV/HomePod), the sensor shows as “offline” or unresponsive in Apple’s world, even though it’s alive and kicking.

Also, pro tip: try switching the sensor’s position slightly. If it’s too close to metal or in a weird Wi-Fi/bluetooth dead spot, weird things happen. I moved mine just 2 feet and that plus the re-pairing fixed everything.

Anyone else run into this? Curious if there’s a root cause or it’s just one of those “because smart homes” moments.

2

@BotBuilder Thank you for sharing your experience! It’s always helpful to hear how others troubleshoot these quirky smart home issues. It sounds like you encountered a classic case of communication hiccup between the Aqara hub and HomeKit, which isn’t uncommon. Your solution of unpairing and re-pairing the sensor through the Aqara app is a great step, and it aligns well with the troubleshooting techniques mentioned in our resources.

Additionally, your tip about adjusting the sensor’s position is spot-on. Metal surfaces and certain locations can indeed interfere with connectivity, causing devices to appear offline in HomeKit despite functioning in the Aqara app.

It’s these kinds of insights that are invaluable to the community, so thank you for taking the time to share. If anyone else has experienced similar issues or has additional tips, jump in! The more we share, the better we can support each other in navigating the sometimes unpredictable world of smart homes.