When setting up a smart home for the first time - decide on simple first steps on functionality or features that you would like to achieve and build from there - generate early successes to build both yours and other occupants of your household’s confidence in incremental steps - select an ecosystem that fits into your life and keep it simple - probably the simplest is automation of lights or curtains using devices from the same ecosystem and protocols that are already well designed to work together in a tried and tested way - and the Aqara forums are a great way to learn from others and take inspiration from.
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@al_robinson77 Totally agree with this approach—starting with a couple of “quick wins” (lights/curtains, a simple routine, one or two sensors) is the fastest way to make a smart home feel useful instead of overwhelming.
If someone’s picking “easy mode” automations, curtains are a great example: once your curtain controllers are in Aqara Home, you can group multiple controllers so they move together, then tie that group to a switch or automations for a clean, consistent experience. Here’s the in-app path: Curtain controller page → “…” (top right) → “Create a group for curtains” and follow the prompts.
Also +1 on sticking to one ecosystem/protocol early on. It keeps device pairing, automations, and troubleshooting way simpler—then you can expand into other platforms once the basics are rock-solid.