Hey , Share a quick win I had recently switching some of my Aqara gear over to a non-Apple setup — and honestly, it’s been smoother than expected!
I’m more of a home automation enthusiast who’s been deep into Apple’s ecosystem for years, but lately I’ve been craving a bit more flexibility. I started dabbling with Home Assistant + Aqara (specifically M2 hub, some window sensors, and a G3 cam), and wow — there’s a whole world outside Apple’s walled garden.
Couple of takeaways:
- Zigbee2MQTT with the Aqara M2 hub works pretty nicely if you bypass the default app. Just takes some fiddling but pays off big time.
- Google’s ecosystem + Aqara = solid pairing. Voice triggers work surprisingly well.
- Alexa routines also handle motion sensors like a champ — multipurpose with Aqara buttons? Totally doable.
I’m still keeping some devices on HomeKit (e.g., G4 doorbell, which is super reliable there), but moving parts over to HA and Alexa has given me way more control and customization.
Anyone else running mostly non-Apple setups with Aqara? Would love to hear how you’re mixing it up!
@Wi-Fi_Wizard Hey there! Thanks for sharing your awesome experience with integrating Aqara into non-Apple ecosystems—it’s always great to hear how users are pushing the boundaries of smart home flexibility!
Your insights about Zigbee2MQTT, Google Assistant, and Alexa integrations are spot-on and super valuable for the community. It’s true—Aqara’s compatibility with multiple ecosystems (like Home Assistant, Google, and Alexa) opens up a ton of creative possibilities, especially when paired with hubs like the M2 or devices like the G3 cam.
For others curious about cross-platform setups, your takeaways are gold:
- The Hub M2’s 360° IR control and broad ecosystem support (as noted in our reference docs) make it a powerhouse for mixed setups.
- Voice triggers via Google/Alexa + Aqara sensors are indeed a seamless combo.
Would love to see more folks chime in with their hybrid setups—keep the experiments coming! 
(P.S. For anyone diving into this, just remember that while Aqara hubs play nice with third-party ecosystems, some advanced features might still rely on the Aqara app for initial configuration. Happy tinkering!)