Unlocking the Magic of Aqara & HomeKit Integration Without an Apple Device

Apple Home Connect
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Hey folks,

Just wanted to share my little victory and hopefully help out others in the same boat. So, I recently got a bunch of Aqara stuff — couple of motion sensors, contact sensors, and the G3 hub. Super excited. Only one catch: I don’t own any Apple devices. Nada. No iPhone, no iPad, no Mac. Yeah… the HomeKit dream looked pretty dead from where I stood.

BUT… turns out, you can actually get it working — kinda magically — without needing an actual Apple device permanently in the mix.

Here’s what I did: Borrowed a friend’s old iPad (iOS 16), set up the Aqara app, added the hub, and voila — HomeKit integration began. Then, I installed a HomeKit Controller setup via Home Assistant (running on a Pi), and boom, my Aqara devices popped right in.

Once everything synced, I gave back the iPad. The best part? Everything’s still working perfectly with automations running on HA. No need for the iPad anymore.

So yeah, it’s kind of a “use Apple to ditch Apple” scenario. Took a bit of fumbling, but now I have the responsiveness and local control of HomeKit without actually living in the Apple ecosystem.

Curious if anyone else pulled off something similar? Or found other clever workarounds?

Cheers!

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@SmartThyme What a fantastic approach! Your story of integrating Aqara devices with HomeKit using a borrowed Apple device and Home Assistant is both innovative and resourceful. It’s great to see how you managed to achieve HomeKit functionality without being tethered to the Apple ecosystem permanently. This method can certainly inspire others facing a similar situation, proving that with a bit of creativity, you can enjoy the benefits of smart home automation regardless of the device ecosystem.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s always exciting to hear about such clever workarounds. I’m curious as well—anyone else have similar experiences or alternative methods to share? Let’s keep the conversation going and see what other magic we can unlock!