Happy Saturday Everyone! BUY AN AQARA M3 HUB BELOW... but first A MASSIVE Update: Aqara have listened and ALREADY implemented a huge matter update, the following are now compatible with the M3 Hub: Contact Sensor Occupancy Sensor Light Sensor On/Off Light (Wall) Switch Dimmer (Wall) Switch Thermostat On/Off (Smart) Plug Matter Bridge From Aqara: Due to limited resources, we haven't tested all third-party Matter devices, and as third-party support is still a “lab feature,” interoperability issues may arise. Nonetheless, by broadening Matter connectivity, we aim to offer users greater choice in crafting their ideal smart home. We'll keep you updated on additional device types joining Matter. Thanks again for your support! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you :) DISCOUNTS: UK - 20% off code - HUBM3PAUL (From May 11-15) US - 20% off code - USHUBM3P (From May 11-15) LINKS UK: amzn.to/3UU2kv3 US: amzn.to/3WBmQlm
I literally ordered, canceled then re-ordered it now because of the third party matter support. Now with this new update, I'm a little more convinced it's a product I can have in my smart home.
Paul, I use SmartThings to control WiFi lighting and some zig bee products. Over 100 individual items! Could this M3 product replace the smarthings hub and bring me up to date technology wise? Thank you for your great content.
I've just had an additional room added to my house, just to house all my smart home hubs. It will be tight but I think I may be able to fit this one in.
FOR ME, the biggest advantage to Home Assistant, is ESPHome. I'm making DIY devices, that work EXACTLY the way I want them to. For example something you can't easily find (if at all) is my custom fridge/freezer thermostats. Other than my Home, I have a restaurant, and I am controlling all refrigerators with ESPHome devices. This way everyone asks me, how my beers are always so perfect? :D They are perfect because a shit ton of code controls them, and not a stupid ON/OFF old school thermostat.
>This way everyone asks me, how my beers are always so perfect? :D Why is that? Specific temperature for the beer? I'm not a beer fan but I'm curious about what you're doing to make it better (perfect :D)
@@ruialves92 In my country (Greece) and especially in rural areas, people tend to like their beer, nearly frosted. (Some Info) Each beer, has a different serving temperature, and TEHCNICALLY, the beers we serve, are supposed to be served at 3 to 5 degrees (C). For example, Heineken's website states that it should be served at around 5°C. (What I do) 1) To keep the beers super chilled, yet avoid freezing them, (which ruins them) I set my thermostat to -5°C 2) Even if you push the fridge lower, beer takes some time to actually freeze, so when it's peak beer drinking time, the thermostat is auto-set to lower temperatures to counter the constant opening of the door. 3) When the door is opened the thermostat waits until it's closed + a certain amount of time, so the temperature stabilizes again, and THEN calculates if a run is needed. If you don't do that, the compressor runs ALMOST every time you open the door, since the temperature changes drastically. This is to prevent excess mechanical wear on the compressor. 4) When the store is closed, the thermostat is auto-set to a more "normal" temperature, to preserve the beer at a cold state but conserve energy. Once the store is open, the thermostat returns again to frosty sub-zero mode. Tricks like these help with having a beer, near perfect, at least perfect for my kind of customers, even if it's wrong generally. :D PS. I don't drink beer. Or alcohol in general.
@@m0shtik After some research, I determined that yes, it has to be in that room for the built in IR blasters, and there are IR Blasters from other companies that *should* work. I didn't try any yet.
How do multiple of these behave and if they are not in signal range of each other? For example, will these hubs let you extend a thread network to anywhere you can drag an ethernet cord? Because having a way to do this with a home assistant compatible router would be very interesting.
Does the hub require the app and cloud when commissioning Matter devices to its Matter fabric? Where is the NOC generated? It could be locally but usually app has to contact a cloud service where the CA (Certificate Authority) is.
I am obviously completely not getting this, but how did you pair you Hue device to the M3 Hub? There does not seem to be any option to add 3rd party devices....or am I misunderstanding how you did this?
The number of time I yelled HUE into a nightclub toilet in the 90s especially on a Monday night 80's music, 80p entry and 80p a drink means I just can't have that stuff in my home now In the same way I can't drink Jack Daniels anymore LOL
Watching this on the train, I laughed so hard at the titanic part that all my neighbors came to see what was happening on my phone , thanks, i made friends now.
Had our neighbours over last night for a meal, and during the course of conversation he mentioned he has home assistant. How I managed to stifle my laughter as I thought about Paul (spookily, our neighbours name was Paul too), I will never know, but it could have been a conversation killer right there are WWiii between neighbours thanks to this channel!
I've been looking for answers as to if my AC is compatible and which kinds of features/buttons are available. Turns out you have the same manufacturer as I. Are features like the "Powerful" button available? Left/right/up/down vents? Thanks for the review!
So if the M3 is in the loungeroom with your giant old tv, the IR blaster can also turn it on & off & volume & stuff, as well as the air con and the old DVD player?? I have a Antsig Grid Connect Smart IR universal remote in the lounge for my A/c and TV and it works through the Home assistant too, I'm surprised you say the Aqara can't do that?
Are you the only person who thinks that the M3 is ready for mainstream? Other reviewers seem to think it's a great product that's not ready software wise yet!
Until literally this morning only Philips Hue was available as a 3rd party matter device, so maybe that’s the beef the other reviewers had with it. I’ve had a slight issue with the temperature of my air con being out of sync with reality but only for certain digits, and I have aqara looking into that, but aside from that no issues!
One issue with Matter and Thread is that new devices can often set up their own Thread network instead of joining an existing one. This makes Thread's shared mesh network, which is designed to be self-healing, less useful unless you use a manufacturer's border router. It's also difficult to buy smart speakers, routers, TVs, and fridges from the same company.
I'm looking for a replacement for using Amazon Alexa devices as my Zigbee hub. Does this support non-Aqara Zigbee devices and if Alexa supports a Zigbee device can I rely on Aqara M3 Hub also supporting it? I'm mostly talking about smart bulbs and smart sockets from Ikea.
Thanks for this!.. im a noob to automation..and planned on getting the Aqara M3 Hub when it was debuted..but didnt realize the breath of ehat it could do and I just actually ordered the Home Assistant. I was thinking do they play well with each other or do they replace the other
For the IR detection functionality to work, is it just the Aqara hub receiving IR signals? i.e. does the hub need to be positioned such so that it is in the line of fire of your regular remotes?
That's what confused me, you will need to be line of sight 1. for all your devices in order for it to control them and 2. line of site of remote. So it you have same split system AC in living room and bedroom as I do (both remotes work in either room) you'd need a hub in each room like i currently do with sensibo. Also I just tested it and Sensibo monitors the remote too. So If I use the remote it updates in Home Assistant. However If you change setting in Home Assistant, obviously the remotes state goes out of sync. So for IR you really need to stick to the IR blaster or the remote both and they'll go out of sync. Of course this doesn't matter on a simpler IR control with no screen and temperature settings etc,
I think the fire tv remote is Bluetooth or rf, rather than infrared, so sadly not. I used an Flirc usb dongle to replace my fire tv cube remote with an infrared remote though for this exact reason
8:12 that Google clip is the most relatable thing ever... My Nesthub (assigned to my room with my AC assigned as well) just turned on every single AC unit in the house when I told it to turn on the AC... 🤣 Also all the matter (both Thread and Wifi) stopped working many times a day after the late February update of the Nest Hubs in my house. Switched to Home Assistant with all the existent stuff I already had (Wiz lights, some Tuya stuff and Tapo Matter integrated sensors and some EVE stuff) and added some Zigbee to the mix and made everything 100% local and cannot imagine using Google Home anymore for anything else but their faulty speakers and displays.
fully agree, Google Home is also not reliable for me and the automations are a joke, very few commands and not even a "delay" options to keep the lights on for a minute after the prox sensir detects movement...
Until Matter becomes more widely available and more Matter device profiles are certified? And Aqara allows other Zigbee device profiles, beyond their own? I don't see anything here that replaces the sheer size, magnitude and scope of Home Assistant.
I 100% agree with you on a personal basis as I require the ability to send adb commands and http, but there are users that don’t require that complexity or scale that ultimately will prefer the package deal that doesn’t involve a learning curve 😊
@@paulhibbert Same...adb commands for control of Google TV and Fire TV. Also? TV notification banners for when appliances are finished washing etc, along with Alexa announcements or Google Home broadcasts for activities...garage door open/close. Home Assistant is essentially God-mode for smart home. It was overwhelming at first, but now I've got the hang of it fairly well...as long as the automations aren't too crazy.
I only want to be able to download and see my aqara wireless room thermostats over time as a a graph Any suggestions that are simple I have m2 hub Thanks
It seems unlikely that the hub could track every IR command in many situations (eg: the hub can't be visible to every IR receiver if you have multiple). If it misses a command (or catches on which the device IR receiver misses), then toggles (on/off) and incremental changes (up/down) will get out of sync and stay that way. So I presume there must be an easy way to resynchronize state between the actual state of a device, and the state simulated by Aquara (and passed to HA). I hope.
Hi, currently have a mix of shelly/tuya/sonos/ecobee/lifx/Bluetooth ceiling fans. If I get this will every device need to be reset and re-paired with this device? Also what do schedules and scenes look like in the app? Thanks!
Do they make a seperate microphone and maybe an ir relay? Use your remote to turn on the microphone, talk, then use the remote to turn off power to the remote. This way you know when it gets turned on and off.
Wish they would open up the zigbee connections more generally. Even with Hue, connecting the Aqara hub to the Hue Hub seems silly when the bulbs could be connected directly to the Aqara Hub. Just me?
Unfortunately it’s a little more complicated. Although Zigbee is MEANT to be standardised Aqara would actually have to write drivers for each individual device just like the guys behind Zha for home assistant do. Aqara have obviously decided to stick it out until everyone is using matter
Paul - this was a great video and inspired me to go buy one! However, I can't get it to connect to HA. (Core w/Docker). Please consider doing a video about how you got it to connect?
Why don't you like Logitech Harmony for TV integration? Besides the fact that they don't make them anymore, but there's tons of them floating around and they work really well!
Always fun Paul. One can only hope that A) if ordered it actually turns up, unlike the LinknLink ISG who have gone radio silent on my order & B) it becomes available in Australia so that it can actually have a chance at turning up.
LinknLink were blindsided by how many people bought it off the back of my review, they’re still there, it’s just taking a while for them to catch up. It’s a shame to hear they aren’t responding but I have faith they will deliver, they’re good guys behind the scenes.
@@paulhibbert Nice, so i would be able to get a generic AC remote, and control a automation within HA with it. like: 1 press remote 2 signal goes to Aqara box 3 aqara box sends signal to HA 4 trigger for said signal
@@paulhibbert Then it might be interesting to use with a "Generic AC remote" for curtain control. only downside is the price at 130 euro, its not that interesting just for the IR function Hope they also make a IR-receiver that works with ZHA, so we don't need the HUB just for IR control
This hub is insane! I've never seen a hub before that has so many features, AND is Local. I might use add it in to my smart home to run along with home assistant. Its also a great excuse to get a wifi IR blaster, since there's an air conditioner in a room that hasn't been smart for years now, and I could use the Aqara hub to do just that. I've never used Aqara products before, but I've seen many videos you made about them, and I'm convinced they are pretty good now. Happy Saturday Paul!
If it was going to be the central hub, doesn't it also need to control Z-Wave devices? I've got a bunch of ring sensors that I would like to integrate into automations
Hey Paul, the backup feature is such a good idea having 2 hubs rules out a single point of failure, with regards to this if for instance “asking for a friend” if a device was out of range of the hub on the ground floor but was close to a hub in the loft would it work via the one in range?
Is it possible to teach this hub custom IR commands? It would be great if I could add my TV and other old school IR devices, but the ability to add IR commands manually would be a workaround. A very time consuming but functional workaround. This hub does look like it could be great!
Hey man, how did you sync your dumb remote with home assistant? How does home assistant knows if you use dumb remote? Do you have some state booleans set up?
As much as this hub is great, and it really is, the working with an air conditioner remote control is not new technology. Sensibo is at lesat one has been able to work with Air Con IR remotes for quite some time and keep everything in sync. There are also DIY solutions, but sensibo is commercial out of the box That aside, I am considering getting one of these M3 hubs. I have to admit this is a great option and it seems to be executed well.
Anyone successfully connect a gen 3 nest thermostat to the Aqara hub? How? I’m an apple HomeKit user and have the thermostat in google home, but I’m confused about the next step (if there is one). Thanks in advance.
Hey Paul, great video again though there's a blurring, obfuscation rectangle that doesn't look like it's supposed to be there from 10 minutes 33. You may want to check that.
Would this solution be better than hubitat? You mention home assistant, but looking over your back catalogue you mention that hubitat is better than home assistant excluding the BroadLink compatibility. So would this replace hubitat?
it’s different tools for different people, each of these hubs is amazing in its own way for its own reasons, the Hubitat C8 is far superior to this hub for advanced users for its ability to control Zwave devices and respond to http commands and highly complex automation engine. This hub is far superior for intermediate users due to its simple interface, connection to the aqara ecosystem, and ability to control infrared devices out of the box. Hubitat is better than building home assistant on a pi in that it is an all in one device with radios designed to work at long range and very neatly with no research and no learning curve for the initial build. Home assistant is still the way forward for anyone that is happy to tinker… and tinker… and tinker 😂 there is nothing as malleable as home assistant, but with that said you can actually write your own drivers for Hubitat if you are next level nerdy. The issue with Hubitat is if you don’t know how to write your own drivers and no one else has written a driver for the thing you want to implement then you’re stuck. There’s still no BroadLink or Tuya currently as far as I know, drivers were written but they broke and didn’t get fixed. Hope that helps man
Complicated one this, if you’re using home assistant on a Pi for an example then you don’t have a thread border router (unless you hook up a sky connect to it). The aqara m3 hub can act as a thread border router for matter devices that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect to home assistant without a google nest hub or an Amazon echo, which as I understand it would still require the cloud. Hope that makes sense
starting in the home automation world being an engineer and programmer, and it still seems very confusing... im looking into a sonoff smart water valve, since aqara doesnt seem to have one... im still confused if i will be able to connect it to the aqara hub and use it ... i say only certain third party devices are supported, and even then the compatibility is in Labs or Beta mode... do you know that this means?
The fact that I can control my Apple Home outlets, zigbee stuff, zwave smoke alarms, shelly current sensors and my whole LG mini split system plus the old radiant heat system (using zigbee relay controls in parallel with the old wired thermostats) with one Home Assistant instance is beyond.... amazing. No vendor lock in ever.....
Great video. 1. Aqara is still proprietary Zigbee coordinator. 2. Thread radio still currently creates an additional Thread fabric on top of your Apple, Google, Amazon, Eero, and any other brands Thread hub.
I can't believe they left it up to manufacturers to work together to share credentials for the thread network. Right now Amazon devices won't join any other thread network. If you have 4 border routers from different manufacturers you end up with 4 thread networks instead of one unified network for fail over. It also causes device issues because the device is on 4 different networks so way more traffic than there should be. Currently there isn't a way to share credentials unless all border routers are from the same manufacturer.
@@AndrewDee hmm.. maybe something has changed in the last four months, additionally Matter works over WiFi and thread so thread isn't even needed for.a.Matyer device to work, which is not at all.confuaing.. The Thread specification includes a foundation for adding a border router from any manufacturer to any Thread network, but during CES 2024 Jonathan Hui, VP of technology at Thread Group, said “Thread does not currently specify a protocol for securely sharing Thread credentials between different Thread border routers.” Meaning they don’t necessarily all join together on one network. “The platforms have yet to agree on a standardized way to share Thread credentials amongst each other,” Stefan Bauer-Schwan of smart home device maker Eve Systems sa8d. I would verify with the Discovery ap0.for iOS, It can show just the Thread network and all the Thread border router networks and edge devices, including devices from, Nanoleaf, Google, Samsung, Apple, and Amazon. To make it more confusing it also depends on what phone operating system you initially add them from. when a new Thread device or border router shows up in your home, something has to give it the credentials to the network (besides you typing in a 32-digit alphanumeric code). For a Thread gadget like a plug or light bulb, it should be able to grab those from whatever phone you set it up with. To do this, Apple and Google created keychain APIs for their phone OS, through iOS for an iPhone or Google Play services for Android. But when a Thread border router wants to join the network, it may not be able to access those credentials, or it may choose not to. Because border routers aren’t Matter devices, Matter doesn’t specify how it joins the network. And because Thread Group hasn’t told manufacturers and platforms how to handle this handshake, they have to figure it out between themselves. This means Apple has to work with Samsung; Amazon has to work with Google; Google with Samsung, and so on. While this is happening, it’s been very slow. And the current state of play is that the manufacturer can decide if its border router will join the Thread network created by its competitor or go ahead and set up its own network in your home. Currently, Amazon border routers will only work on a network set up by their devices (some Eero Wi-Fi routers and Echo fourth-gen smart speakers) and won’t join an existing Thread network nor allow devices from other manufacturers to join their networks.
@@AndrewDee Do you have multiple thread border routers? It's only an issue if you have multiple ones. The entire point was A - redundancy, if one thread border router goes down, the second one will take its place and B - entend your thread network like a zigbee repeater. What currently happens is if you joined an Amazon thread border router it would create a new entirely separate network. Now your device is doing twice the traffic talking to 2 thread border routers. This causes issues and negates any advantages of having multiple ones. The issue is companies haven't come up with a web API to share the credentials, similar to a WiFi network password. Apple and Google have been the best but currently Amazon won't join another network and has to create its own. It's caused a lot of headaches for early adopters. Just search the web for "matter has a thread issue" and there is an extremely detailed article by Verge. If you stay in one ecosystem (like Apple) it's a non issue.
OMG. MY EYES! MY EYES! I had to stop at the Titanic "parody". Now when I see Kate Winslet I'll be thinking of you. You monster! (When I stop laughing, of course)
Does this work with Hue Bluetooth stuff? (Lights) I have friends who want me to do their smart phone same I’ve done with home assistant. No way I’m getting involved with other people’s home with HA, just too much potential headache.
Ahh, I sit here in a quiet room... and then Home Assistant checks my Aqara temp sensor by my desk and decides it's too hot and fires up my Tuya based aircon... My only question is: with Tuya being in so much stuff, can the Aqara hub M3 do this too?
Only for controlling infrared devices, and obviously with its expense I would recommend getting one of their other infrared capable devices in other rooms instead 👍🏻
@paulhibbert I’ve got the M3 and I have an IR air conditioner setup. How did you get the air conditioner to show up in home assistant like you had in the video? I’d prefer to use the m3 as my bridge device to home assistant and run automations there. I have the m3 connected to HA via Matter and all I can see are the temp sensors I’ve installed. Thanks for the great video, and the coupon code was nice!
Paul, Great Video… I had watched four other videos that were either negative or “ it’s too early to buy”, so I had decided to NOT buy the M3 until I watched your funny video (Don’t change please) .You completely changed my mind with the Local control and failover clustering features and your properly tempered hope that Aqara will fill in the missing support as matter compatibility comes to pass over time. I ordered two M3s this morning, I will do some Internet down testing… This should be fun…. Thanks, keep up the good work mate!
i was looking to buy a hub, but now I am confused between the M3 and the G3 camera hub. I do want a camera as well. But, I also want to solve one other purpose with regards to IR devices such as fans and ACs. Would you know if infrared devices be controlled through Apple HomeKit as well (power toggle, AC temperature, etc.) by exposing scenes from Aqara app to Homekit? I want to control an old Panasonic air conditioner and a Denon AVR mainly. But I want HomeKit to have the temperature control for AC and not just power on off. Similarly, for any remote fans, would homekit have the control to change speed? If this can be done with G3, then that might work best. Any suggestions?
Sensibo have been doing the IR remote trick for almost 10 years now, around 5 of the just like you showed with Home Assistant. I believe that Tuya has something similar but probably hundreds of times less reliable. I The real trick here I think is the locality, if the IR blaster an receiver is actually local this is actually a terrific thing. I'm a bit in doubt regarding this specific thing, because I know quite a bit about how AC codes work.
I have Sensibo and yeah it does that thing, I also have the same AC as shown. But the thing that will never be able to stay in sync is that if your remote is in cooling mode 24C fan high, and you change in home assistant to other settings, your remote is now lying to you. Similar to how if you block the IR on the remote and press buttons it might show different settings to what the unit is actually set to. IR is just bad, so if you are getting a new AC you want to know exactly what the unit is set to and change it you need a "smart AC" on wifi or something.
Getting a bit lost with it all now. I feel like a round up video would be helpful. If you have home assistant you can control this, zigbee gets you interoperability with this. Aqara gets you interoperability with this (and this, and this), all your tuya devices can be added to this etc etc. its all getting a bit confusing for and i dont know what direction to go in
![[#73] Новый Matter-хаб Aqara M3 - разбираемся с Ark 2.0 и интеграциями в HomeKit и Алису](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/507We0zUJtY/mqdefault.jpg)
![[#73] Новый Matter-хаб Aqara M3 – разбираемся с Ark 2.0 и интеграциями в HomeKit и Алису](/img/tr.png)
Happy Saturday Everyone! BUY AN AQARA M3 HUB BELOW... but first A MASSIVE Update:
Aqara have listened and ALREADY implemented a huge matter update, the following are now compatible with the M3 Hub:
Contact Sensor
Occupancy Sensor
Light Sensor
On/Off Light (Wall) Switch
Dimmer (Wall) Switch
Thermostat
On/Off (Smart) Plug
Matter Bridge
From Aqara:
Due to limited resources, we haven't tested all third-party Matter devices, and as third-party support is still a “lab feature,” interoperability issues may arise. Nonetheless, by broadening Matter connectivity, we aim to offer users greater choice in crafting their ideal smart home. We'll keep you updated on additional device types joining Matter. Thanks again for your support!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you :)
DISCOUNTS:
UK - 20% off code - HUBM3PAUL (From May 11-15)
US - 20% off code - USHUBM3P (From May 11-15)
LINKS
UK: amzn.to/3UU2kv3
US: amzn.to/3WBmQlm
I literally ordered, canceled then re-ordered it now because of the third party matter support. Now with this new update, I'm a little more convinced it's a product I can have in my smart home.
20% code is not working for me on amazon
nvm. had to hit enter, not continue.
Paul, I use SmartThings to control WiFi lighting and some zig bee products. Over 100 individual items! Could this M3 product replace the smarthings hub and bring me up to date technology wise? Thank you for your great content.
I've just had an additional room added to my house, just to house all my smart home hubs. It will be tight but I think I may be able to fit this one in.
Paul connects his 54th hub to his network. 😂
Yeah, I want ONE hub. And a Tuya hub at that. None of this ongoing silliness any longer, please.
@@bobriemersma you WANT a Tuya hub??? What? That should be the last choice!
😂
55th... He installed two for High Availability
@@Sparky_D A hub that worked with Tuya, but locally, no more china? I'd pay $500 right now.
FOR ME, the biggest advantage to Home Assistant, is ESPHome.
I'm making DIY devices, that work EXACTLY the way I want them to.
For example something you can't easily find (if at all) is my custom fridge/freezer thermostats.
Other than my Home, I have a restaurant, and I am controlling all refrigerators with ESPHome devices.
This way everyone asks me, how my beers are always so perfect? :D
They are perfect because a shit ton of code controls them, and not a stupid ON/OFF old school thermostat.
>This way everyone asks me, how my beers are always so perfect? :D
Why is that? Specific temperature for the beer?
I'm not a beer fan but I'm curious about what you're doing to make it better (perfect :D)
@@ruialves92 In my country (Greece) and especially in rural areas, people tend to like their beer, nearly frosted.
(Some Info)
Each beer, has a different serving temperature, and TEHCNICALLY, the beers we serve, are supposed to be served at 3 to 5 degrees (C). For example, Heineken's website states that it should be served at around 5°C.
(What I do)
1) To keep the beers super chilled, yet avoid freezing them, (which ruins them) I set my thermostat to -5°C
2) Even if you push the fridge lower, beer takes some time to actually freeze, so when it's peak beer drinking time, the thermostat is auto-set to lower temperatures to counter the constant opening of the door.
3) When the door is opened the thermostat waits until it's closed + a certain amount of time, so the temperature stabilizes again, and THEN calculates if a run is needed. If you don't do that, the compressor runs ALMOST every time you open the door, since the temperature changes drastically. This is to prevent excess mechanical wear on the compressor.
4) When the store is closed, the thermostat is auto-set to a more "normal" temperature, to preserve the beer at a cold state but conserve energy. Once the store is open, the thermostat returns again to frosty sub-zero mode.
Tricks like these help with having a beer, near perfect, at least perfect for my kind of customers, even if it's wrong generally. :D
PS. I don't drink beer. Or alcohol in general.
@@bonamin Nice job. Thanks for the explanation 🙏
Home Assistant will never become obsolete! *Insert Paul's home assistant pelvis thrust here* 😂
"Look! It controls Phillips Hue! LOOK!"
*Paul keeps hand in front of the Hue bulb throughout 😂*
Loving your work, dude! ❤
If you bring in a zigbee sensor would Aqara feed that to HomeKit?
Could I utilise the m3 to connect ikea lights without the ikea hub?
So, the IR Blaster only works in the room with the hub? Is there an addon IR Blaster for other rooms?
exactly my question
@@m0shtik After some research, I determined that yes, it has to be in that room for the built in IR blasters, and there are IR Blasters from other companies that *should* work. I didn't try any yet.
@@Raytenecksshould work WITH this hub? Which ones?
@@Branagorn I never bought any of them, and I don't remember which ones were supposed to work. Sorry!
By having the Aqara M3, would I still need an Apple Home pod or Apple TV to switch a thread enabled smart plug on and off using Siri?
How do multiple of these behave and if they are not in signal range of each other?
For example, will these hubs let you extend a thread network to anywhere you can drag an ethernet cord?
Because having a way to do this with a home assistant compatible router would be very interesting.
Is it right that Aqara limit the Zigbee to only work with Aqara Zigbee devices on this hub?
Hi Paul, sorry for the stupid question. Will/Should my Tuya devices integrate with the M3 Hub? i.e. my garage door opener and my light switches?
The blurry square in the middle was weird at 10:33 and stopped at 11:19.
Does the hub require the app and cloud when commissioning Matter devices to its Matter fabric? Where is the NOC generated? It could be locally but usually app has to contact a cloud service where the CA (Certificate Authority) is.
I am obviously completely not getting this, but how did you pair you Hue device to the M3 Hub? There does not seem to be any option to add 3rd party devices....or am I misunderstanding how you did this?
I'm amazed you can finally say "hue" without vomiting 🤣😜
i AM HERE ONLY TO FIND THIS COMMENT ;)
The number of time I yelled HUE into a nightclub toilet in the 90s especially on a Monday night 80's music, 80p entry and 80p a drink means I just can't have that stuff in my home now
In the same way I can't drink Jack Daniels anymore
LOL
Watching this on the train, I laughed so hard at the titanic part that all my neighbors came to see what was happening on my phone , thanks, i made friends now.
🤣 just doing my job
@@paulhibbert Hopefully, new subscribers, too!
Had our neighbours over last night for a meal, and during the course of conversation he mentioned he has home assistant. How I managed to stifle my laughter as I thought about Paul (spookily, our neighbours name was Paul too), I will never know, but it could have been a conversation killer right there are WWiii between neighbours thanks to this channel!
You should have leapt to your feet and humped the air yelling home assistant! He might have joined in
@@paulhibbert 🤣….yeap, the thought did go through my mind for a split second!
You now need to setup rude HA messages as SSID on your wifi networks, see if he reacts
11:00 mentioned it was early days, doesn’t go on sale for three months, video released 3 days ago, active amazon links, please explain
Any idea when Google Nest Wifi 7 will be available to work in conjunction with the Aqara M3?
is this device able to control frequency 433.92mhz. as the Broadlink does ?
Paul, are you still using your ConBee II stick now that you' re using the Aquara M3 Hub?
I was not prepared for the Titanic bit....all of it was nightmare fuel.
In other words, thank you.
I’ve had to stop taking Leo’s calls, he got a bit clingy
@@paulhibbert If only he'd been a bit more clingy he might've survived (spoilers) :D
I've been looking for answers as to if my AC is compatible and which kinds of features/buttons are available. Turns out you have the same manufacturer as I. Are features like the "Powerful" button available? Left/right/up/down vents? Thanks for the review!
So if the M3 is in the loungeroom with your giant old tv, the IR blaster can also turn it on & off & volume & stuff, as well as the air con and the old DVD player??
I have a Antsig Grid Connect Smart IR universal remote in the lounge for my A/c and TV and it works through the Home assistant too, I'm surprised you say the Aqara can't do that?
So, noticed no Z-wave mentioned. Do we still have to use Z-Wave with Home Assistant then?
Paul, at 10:34 you added a blur somewhere in the middle of the video and it stays there until 11:17. Was that a mistake or deliberate?
Are you the only person who thinks that the M3 is ready for mainstream? Other reviewers seem to think it's a great product that's not ready software wise yet!
Until literally this morning only Philips Hue was available as a 3rd party matter device, so maybe that’s the beef the other reviewers had with it.
I’ve had a slight issue with the temperature of my air con being out of sync with reality but only for certain digits, and I have aqara looking into that, but aside from that no issues!
Yes your commentary implies not out for 3 months yet its on Amazon UK for immediate delivery
@@marktime61he said at the time of filming meaning he had it early
One issue with Matter and Thread is that new devices can often set up their own Thread network instead of joining an existing one. This makes Thread's shared mesh network, which is designed to be self-healing, less useful unless you use a manufacturer's border router. It's also difficult to buy smart speakers, routers, TVs, and fridges from the same company.
@@paulhibbert does this mean you can use other manufacturer sensors in their security alarm system?
I'm looking for a replacement for using Amazon Alexa devices as my Zigbee hub. Does this support non-Aqara Zigbee devices and if Alexa supports a Zigbee device can I rely on Aqara M3 Hub also supporting it? I'm mostly talking about smart bulbs and smart sockets from Ikea.
Does Adara M3 work with Somfy blind control remotes?
Thanks for this!.. im a noob to automation..and planned on getting the Aqara M3 Hub when it was debuted..but didnt realize the breath of ehat it could do and I just actually ordered the Home Assistant. I was thinking do they play well with each other or do they replace the other
Don't pay anyone for Home Assistant. It's completely free.....
Is this a realistic replacement for Smarthings primarily WiFi lights and some zigbee. Will it provide a good user interface experience. Thank you
What was happening with hue? Was it the light blocked by hand?
For the IR detection functionality to work, is it just the Aqara hub receiving IR signals? i.e. does the hub need to be positioned such so that it is in the line of fire of your regular remotes?
That's what confused me, you will need to be line of sight 1. for all your devices in order for it to control them and 2. line of site of remote. So it you have same split system AC in living room and bedroom as I do (both remotes work in either room) you'd need a hub in each room like i currently do with sensibo. Also I just tested it and Sensibo monitors the remote too. So If I use the remote it updates in Home Assistant. However If you change setting in Home Assistant, obviously the remotes state goes out of sync. So for IR you really need to stick to the IR blaster or the remote both and they'll go out of sync. Of course this doesn't matter on a simpler IR control with no screen and temperature settings etc,
@user-ec6vp8kw3q yeah I also heard that the m3 only supports 1 air conditioner atm but they seem to be adding more and more devices support
Does the M3 Hub allow you to use Aqara Switches to control (including dimming) Philips Hue lights?
I think the video answered that. Yes, but not really.
(12:07) Does that mean the Amazon FireTV remote dosen't work with the M3 Hub and automation?
I think the fire tv remote is Bluetooth or rf, rather than infrared, so sadly not. I used an Flirc usb dongle to replace my fire tv cube remote with an infrared remote though for this exact reason
IR is fine, but what about 433MHz RF remotes? You must have a ton of those lying around - i.e. for ceiling fan control?
Thanks!
Thanks so much dude!
8:12 that Google clip is the most relatable thing ever...
My Nesthub (assigned to my room with my AC assigned as well) just turned on every single AC unit in the house when I told it to turn on the AC... 🤣
Also all the matter (both Thread and Wifi) stopped working many times a day after the late February update of the Nest Hubs in my house.
Switched to Home Assistant with all the existent stuff I already had (Wiz lights, some Tuya stuff and Tapo Matter integrated sensors and some EVE stuff) and added some Zigbee to the mix and made everything 100% local and cannot imagine using Google Home anymore for anything else but their faulty speakers and displays.
fully agree, Google Home is also not reliable for me and the automations are a joke, very few commands and not even a "delay" options to keep the lights on for a minute after the prox sensir detects movement...
Until Matter becomes more widely available and more Matter device profiles are certified? And Aqara allows other Zigbee device profiles, beyond their own? I don't see anything here that replaces the sheer size, magnitude and scope of Home Assistant.
💯
I 100% agree with you on a personal basis as I require the ability to send adb commands and http, but there are users that don’t require that complexity or scale that ultimately will prefer the package deal that doesn’t involve a learning curve 😊
@@paulhibbert Same...adb commands for control of Google TV and Fire TV. Also? TV notification banners for when appliances are finished washing etc, along with Alexa announcements or Google Home broadcasts for activities...garage door open/close. Home Assistant is essentially God-mode for smart home. It was overwhelming at first, but now I've got the hang of it fairly well...as long as the automations aren't too crazy.
I only want to be able to download and see my aqara wireless room thermostats over time as a a graph
Any suggestions that are simple I have m2 hub
Thanks
So Hubitat c8pro will not work with Aqara? I’m so lost in this smart space
Smart homes confuse me, can this through alexa or smartthings bring in all my existing devices, or do I need to go out and buy new matter ones?
maybe i missed it but does it support smartlife/tuya devices?
Think he said Matter enabled Zigbee? So maybe later when all Tuya stuff gets Matter. I'm waiting for this also.
Does this actually work with the C1 Feeder with home assistant?
Do you know if it support OTA for the different brands?
Is there a way for the IR receiver function to trigger an automation when an IR Remote button is pushed?
Will this allow my aqara a100 door lock to be controlled by home assistant?
It seems unlikely that the hub could track every IR command in many situations (eg: the hub can't be visible to every IR receiver if you have multiple). If it misses a command (or catches on which the device IR receiver misses), then toggles (on/off) and incremental changes (up/down) will get out of sync and stay that way.
So I presume there must be an easy way to resynchronize state between the actual state of a device, and the state simulated by Aquara (and passed to HA). I hope.
Hi, currently have a mix of shelly/tuya/sonos/ecobee/lifx/Bluetooth ceiling fans. If I get this will every device need to be reset and re-paired with this device? Also what do schedules and scenes look like in the app? Thanks!
So it means we are able to view and control other Matter devices on the Aqara app itself?
Yup! 😊 at time of filming it was Justine and a few others but aqara apparently released an update yesterday that opened it up to loads more
@@paulhibbert that's awesome.
Do they make a seperate microphone and maybe an ir relay? Use your remote to turn on the microphone, talk, then use the remote to turn off power to the remote. This way you know when it gets turned on and off.
Wish they would open up the zigbee connections more generally. Even with Hue, connecting the Aqara hub to the Hue Hub seems silly when the bulbs could be connected directly to the Aqara Hub. Just me?
Unfortunately it’s a little more complicated. Although Zigbee is MEANT to be standardised Aqara would actually have to write drivers for each individual device just like the guys behind Zha for home assistant do. Aqara have obviously decided to stick it out until everyone is using matter
So I can get rid of Hue hub and other hubs it is compatible with?
Paul - this was a great video and inspired me to go buy one! However, I can't get it to connect to HA. (Core w/Docker). Please consider doing a video about how you got it to connect?
Why don't you like Logitech Harmony for TV integration? Besides the fact that they don't make them anymore, but there's tons of them floating around and they work really well!
Always fun Paul. One can only hope that
A) if ordered it actually turns up, unlike the LinknLink ISG who have gone radio silent on my order &
B) it becomes available in Australia so that it can actually have a chance at turning up.
You're not the only one, they no longer reply to any emails. The people taking care of LinknLink seems to have disappeared.
LinknLink were blindsided by how many people bought it off the back of my review, they’re still there, it’s just taking a while for them to catch up. It’s a shame to hear they aren’t responding but I have faith they will deliver, they’re good guys behind the scenes.
@@paulhibbert See the power you have Paul. The force is strong with you.
Can I access this hub for managing switches etc when I am out of city (using internet)?
So it is possible to use a generic remote and control automations with it in HA
Only currently for air con, but they plan to extend this to other devices
@@paulhibbert Nice, so i would be able to get a generic AC remote, and control a automation within HA with it.
like:
1 press remote
2 signal goes to Aqara box
3 aqara box sends signal to HA
4 trigger for said signal
@@darknessblades nailed it! 😁👍🏻
@@paulhibbert Then it might be interesting to use with a "Generic AC remote" for curtain control. only downside is the price at 130 euro, its not that interesting just for the IR function
Hope they also make a IR-receiver that works with ZHA, so we don't need the HUB just for IR control
Does it work with the Aqara doorbell?
This hub is insane! I've never seen a hub before that has so many features, AND is Local. I might use add it in to my smart home to run along with home assistant. Its also a great excuse to get a wifi IR blaster, since there's an air conditioner in a room that hasn't been smart for years now, and I could use the Aqara hub to do just that. I've never used Aqara products before, but I've seen many videos you made about them, and I'm convinced they are pretty good now. Happy Saturday Paul!
If it was going to be the central hub, doesn't it also need to control Z-Wave devices? I've got a bunch of ring sensors that I would like to integrate into automations
Hey Paul, the backup feature is such a good idea having 2 hubs rules out a single point of failure, with regards to this if for instance “asking for a friend” if a device was out of range of the hub on the ground floor but was close to a hub in the loft would it work via the one in range?
Hi awesome video but I was wondering how you felt this hub compares to the LinknLink Super Gateway? Thanks
Is it possible to teach this hub custom IR commands? It would be great if I could add my TV and other old school IR devices, but the ability to add IR commands manually would be a workaround. A very time consuming but functional workaround. This hub does look like it could be great!
This is really cool, curious though why would it not offer it's own GUI? I just want a simple option vs spending hours with HA.
Hey man, how did you sync your dumb remote with home assistant?
How does home assistant knows if you use dumb remote? Do you have some state booleans set up?
If this Aqara hub can replace Home Assistant what do I do with my YAML files?
*Yells in home assistant
As much as this hub is great, and it really is, the working with an air conditioner remote control is not new technology. Sensibo is at lesat one has been able to work with Air Con IR remotes for quite some time and keep everything in sync. There are also DIY solutions, but sensibo is commercial out of the box
That aside, I am considering getting one of these M3 hubs. I have to admit this is a great option and it seems to be executed well.
Anyone successfully connect a gen 3 nest thermostat to the Aqara hub? How?
I’m an apple HomeKit user and have the thermostat in google home, but I’m confused about the next step (if there is one).
Thanks in advance.
Hi, is it possible to Sync two hue hubs on aqara M3 hub ?
Hey Paul, great video again though there's a blurring, obfuscation rectangle that doesn't look like it's supposed to be there from 10 minutes 33. You may want to check that.
Does anyone know whether this hub will be able to do routines Using the energy monitoring Data from a plug? thx
Would this solution be better than hubitat? You mention home assistant, but looking over your back catalogue you mention that hubitat is better than home assistant excluding the BroadLink compatibility. So would this replace hubitat?
it’s different tools for different people, each of these hubs is amazing in its own way for its own reasons, the Hubitat C8 is far superior to this hub for advanced users for its ability to control Zwave devices and respond to http commands and highly complex automation engine.
This hub is far superior for intermediate users due to its simple interface, connection to the aqara ecosystem, and ability to control infrared devices out of the box.
Hubitat is better than building home assistant on a pi in that it is an all in one device with radios designed to work at long range and very neatly with no research and no learning curve for the initial build.
Home assistant is still the way forward for anyone that is happy to tinker… and tinker… and tinker 😂 there is nothing as malleable as home assistant, but with that said you can actually write your own drivers for Hubitat if you are next level nerdy. The issue with Hubitat is if you don’t know how to write your own drivers and no one else has written a driver for the thing you want to implement then you’re stuck. There’s still no BroadLink or Tuya currently as far as I know, drivers were written but they broke and didn’t get fixed.
Hope that helps man
❤
@@paulhibbertk
Can somebody explain why we have yet to see RF blasters that uses Zigbee instead of WiFi?
So if I get this does it replace alexa? Because it's local ??
Can you use a zigbee keypad to set the alarm
I am missing a voice assistant function and HA doesn't have easy to use hardware for that either
Why do i need a Matter hub? I run my Matter devices (Sonoff smart plugs) off the "Matter server" in home assistant, no hub involved.
Complicated one this, if you’re using home assistant on a Pi for an example then you don’t have a thread border router (unless you hook up a sky connect to it).
The aqara m3 hub can act as a thread border router for matter devices that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect to home assistant without a google nest hub or an Amazon echo, which as I understand it would still require the cloud.
Hope that makes sense
Does anyone know if the M2 hub will have the ability to expose IR device via matter, any similar IR functions as the M3?
starting in the home automation world being an engineer and programmer, and it still seems very confusing... im looking into a sonoff smart water valve, since aqara doesnt seem to have one... im still confused if i will be able to connect it to the aqara hub and use it ... i say only certain third party devices are supported, and even then the compatibility is in Labs or Beta mode... do you know that this means?
so if you are already a homeassistant user.. how is this different to a SkyConnect? (ignoring the IR stuff that you said is limited)
The fact that I can control my Apple Home outlets, zigbee stuff, zwave smoke alarms, shelly current sensors and my whole LG mini split system plus the old radiant heat system (using zigbee relay controls in parallel with the old wired thermostats) with one Home Assistant instance is beyond.... amazing. No vendor lock in ever.....
10:33 I think you added the blur box a bit too early. Sorry if already mentioned, I did look through the comments.
Thanks dude, adding these boxes once the video goes up never works out right, I’m nervous to move it in case they throw it in too late 😂
Will this hub work with Z-Wave devices?
how did you integrate into home assistant? i went and bought it got a tv working but how does it now appear in home assistant
Great video. 1. Aqara is still proprietary Zigbee coordinator. 2. Thread radio still currently creates an additional Thread fabric on top of your Apple, Google, Amazon, Eero, and any other brands Thread hub.
I can't believe they left it up to manufacturers to work together to share credentials for the thread network. Right now Amazon devices won't join any other thread network. If you have 4 border routers from different manufacturers you end up with 4 thread networks instead of one unified network for fail over. It also causes device issues because the device is on 4 different networks so way more traffic than there should be. Currently there isn't a way to share credentials unless all border routers are from the same manufacturer.
No, my M3 joined Apple thread network and acts as a border router there
@@AndrewDee hmm.. maybe something has changed in the last four months, additionally Matter works over WiFi and thread so thread isn't even needed for.a.Matyer device to work, which is not at all.confuaing..
The Thread specification includes a foundation for adding a border router from any manufacturer to any Thread network, but during CES 2024 Jonathan Hui, VP of technology at Thread Group, said “Thread does not currently specify a protocol for securely sharing Thread credentials between different Thread border routers.” Meaning they don’t necessarily all join together on one network. “The platforms have yet to agree on a standardized way to share Thread credentials amongst each other,” Stefan Bauer-Schwan of smart home device maker Eve Systems sa8d.
I would verify with the Discovery ap0.for iOS, It can show just the Thread network and all the Thread border router networks and edge devices, including devices from, Nanoleaf, Google, Samsung, Apple, and Amazon.
To make it more confusing it also depends on what phone operating system you initially add them from.
when a new Thread device or border router shows up in your home, something has to give it the credentials to the network (besides you typing in a 32-digit alphanumeric code). For a Thread gadget like a plug or light bulb, it should be able to grab those from whatever phone you set it up with. To do this, Apple and Google created keychain APIs for their phone OS, through iOS for an iPhone or Google Play services for Android.
But when a Thread border router wants to join the network, it may not be able to access those credentials, or it may choose not to. Because border routers aren’t Matter devices, Matter doesn’t specify how it joins the network. And because Thread Group hasn’t told manufacturers and platforms how to handle this handshake, they have to figure it out between themselves.
This means Apple has to work with Samsung; Amazon has to work with Google; Google with Samsung, and so on. While this is happening, it’s been very slow. And the current state of play is that the manufacturer can decide if its border router will join the Thread network created by its competitor or go ahead and set up its own network in your home.
Currently, Amazon border routers will only work on a network set up by their devices (some Eero Wi-Fi routers and Echo fourth-gen smart speakers) and won’t join an existing Thread network nor allow devices from other manufacturers to join their networks.
@@AndrewDee Do you have multiple thread border routers? It's only an issue if you have multiple ones. The entire point was A - redundancy, if one thread border router goes down, the second one will take its place and B - entend your thread network like a zigbee repeater.
What currently happens is if you joined an Amazon thread border router it would create a new entirely separate network. Now your device is doing twice the traffic talking to 2 thread border routers. This causes issues and negates any advantages of having multiple ones.
The issue is companies haven't come up with a web API to share the credentials, similar to a WiFi network password. Apple and Google have been the best but currently Amazon won't join another network and has to create its own.
It's caused a lot of headaches for early adopters. Just search the web for "matter has a thread issue" and there is an extremely detailed article by Verge. If you stay in one ecosystem (like Apple) it's a non issue.
OMG. MY EYES! MY EYES! I had to stop at the Titanic "parody". Now when I see Kate Winslet I'll be thinking of you. You monster! (When I stop laughing, of course)
Does this work with Hue Bluetooth stuff? (Lights)
I have friends who want me to do their smart phone same I’ve done with home assistant. No way I’m getting involved with other people’s home with HA, just too much potential headache.
Hi Paul, how is it with Smartthings...
Is there any zwave support?
Ahh, I sit here in a quiet room... and then Home Assistant checks my Aqara temp sensor by my desk and decides it's too hot and fires up my Tuya based aircon... My only question is: with Tuya being in so much stuff, can the Aqara hub M3 do this too?
Does this means you need this on every room ?
Only for controlling infrared devices, and obviously with its expense I would recommend getting one of their other infrared capable devices in other rooms instead 👍🏻
No Z-Wave?!?
@paulhibbert I’ve got the M3 and I have an IR air conditioner setup. How did you get the air conditioner to show up in home assistant like you had in the video? I’d prefer to use the m3 as my bridge device to home assistant and run automations there. I have the m3 connected to HA via Matter and all I can see are the temp sensors I’ve installed. Thanks for the great video, and the coupon code was nice!
Paul, Great Video… I had watched four other videos that were either negative or “ it’s too early to buy”, so I had decided to NOT buy the M3 until I watched your funny video (Don’t change please) .You completely changed my mind with the Local control and failover clustering features and your properly tempered hope that Aqara will fill in the missing support as matter compatibility comes to pass over time. I ordered two M3s this morning, I will do some Internet down testing… This should be fun…. Thanks, keep up the good work mate!
"Bite your tongue heathen! "The home assistant fan reply to the title.
🤣 I hump the air in your general direction
@@paulhibbert Oh behave. 😂
i was looking to buy a hub, but now I am confused between the M3 and the G3 camera hub. I do want a camera as well. But, I also want to solve one other purpose with regards to IR devices such as fans and ACs. Would you know if infrared devices be controlled through Apple HomeKit as well (power toggle, AC temperature, etc.) by exposing scenes from Aqara app to Homekit? I want to control an old Panasonic air conditioner and a Denon AVR mainly. But I want HomeKit to have the temperature control for AC and not just power on off. Similarly, for any remote fans, would homekit have the control to change speed? If this can be done with G3, then that might work best. Any suggestions?
Sensibo have been doing the IR remote trick for almost 10 years now, around 5 of the just like you showed with Home Assistant.
I believe that Tuya has something similar but probably hundreds of times less reliable.
I The real trick here I think is the locality, if the IR blaster an receiver is actually local this is actually a terrific thing.
I'm a bit in doubt regarding this specific thing, because I know quite a bit about how AC codes work.
I have Sensibo and yeah it does that thing, I also have the same AC as shown. But the thing that will never be able to stay in sync is that if your remote is in cooling mode 24C fan high, and you change in home assistant to other settings, your remote is now lying to you. Similar to how if you block the IR on the remote and press buttons it might show different settings to what the unit is actually set to. IR is just bad, so if you are getting a new AC you want to know exactly what the unit is set to and change it you need a "smart AC" on wifi or something.
Getting a bit lost with it all now. I feel like a round up video would be helpful. If you have home assistant you can control this, zigbee gets you interoperability with this. Aqara gets you interoperability with this (and this, and this), all your tuya devices can be added to this etc etc. its all getting a bit confusing for and i dont know what direction to go in