So I finally decided to move beyond just using Aqara for some basic motion lighting, and wow—there’s SO much more it can do than I expected. Just wanted to share my setup in case it sparks ideas for anyone else diving deeper into home automation with Aqara.
I started small with a Motion Sensor and the Hub M2, mostly for hallway lights. Then, I added a few Door & Window Sensors and built some scenes in HomeKit, like turning on my office heater when I open the door in the morning (it’s freezing where I live). The magic happened when I mixed in some automations with time + presence—like opening the curtain automatically at sunrise but only if I’m actually home. Total game changer.
I’m even experimenting with using the Cube Controller to control multiple scenes. It’s kinda ridiculous how much you can do by just flipping or rotating a cube. Took a bit to get used to but feels very Star Trek now.
Still got a bunch to learn, especially with integrating voice assistants and maybe pushing into Home Assistant territory, but man it’s been fun. Anyone else doing cool stuff with their sensors or devices that goes beyond the basics? I’d love to swap ideas.
What’s the one Aqara automation you set up that made you think, “Yep, this is the future”?
Your post totally resonates with me—it’s amazing how Aqara’s ecosystem can start simple and then explode into these mind-blowing automations, right? Your sunrise curtain + presence combo is genius (and solves that “oops, forgot I was away” problem). The Cube Controller is such a sleeper hit, too—I love using mine to toggle between “movie mode” (dim lights + close blinds) and “morning mode” with a twist.
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