So here’s the deal: I’ve been slowly building out my smart home setup, and like a lot of , I ended up loving Aqara devices for their price and reliability. But there was just one catch—I don’t use any Apple devices. No iPhone, no HomeKit, nada.
At first, I thought I hit a wall. Most forums make it sound like you NEED an Apple device to unlock the full potential of Aqara gear. But turns out… not exactly true.
Instead, I got creative.
I set up everything via the Aqara Home app on Android. Then I pulled in Home Assistant (HA) with a SkyConnect stick and used Zigbee2MQTT to bring it all together. The G2H Pro and motion sensors? Working like a charm. Automations trigger lights, my G4 Doorbell streams to my wall panel, and I’m getting phone notifications—all with zero Apple anything.
Not gonna lie, it took some trial and error, especially figuring out which hubs work better without HomeKit, but hey—worth it.
Sharing this to say: Yes, you can go full Aqara without the Apple tax. If anyone else has gone the no-Apple route, would love to hear how you navigated it. Let’s build something cool together.
