With labels it could be a fabulous addition to the guest room so they can turn lights/tv etc on and off themselves. Just that and a motion sensor down low that lights the way to the bathroom if they get up at night and they can function in your house regardless of what is set up, no matter how much of a technophobe they are (I have my mother in mind here. She does not want to talk to Siri!)
Great review. I’ve ordered one, with the simple intention of it being on the living room table, to be used for setting dimming of the lights in that room, and control of the tv and amplifier smart plugs. eg Lights On 100% / 1% / 20% / 40% / TV on and TV off / lights off. For me, that’ll be the perfect setup, as I get tired of asking Alexa to do those tasks. I’ll be printing very easy to see labels to stick to the cube 😂
Very cool & unique product! Always great content Shane. I could see using this at my desk and agree with others comments, kids would have a blast with it.
This is so nerdy yet, so damn cool. I saw a video on this but I never really knew what it was used for. You did an excellent job giving some really cool examples. I’m gonna check it out and see if I can get it to work out well in my Smart home. One thing though this is cool for Smart home enthusiast I could definitely see my wife throwing this out the back door lol
Great overview Shane. Always quality content. While I'm a fan of Aqara stuff, I can think of (literally) no way that I'd ever use that thing in my Smart Home. :)
I can see this being used as a simple remote. I would probably print out some stickers of every streaming service I use and automate each side to open to that streaming service. Would be nice to use the rotation as volume control though.
Hey Shane. Sorry to bother you. Just thought I’d ask did you have issues with your t1 connecting to HomeKit. Mine will not connect, can’t even be found. It’s working fine in the Aqara app. (Yes I have it set to scene mode) cheers for any help. Liam.
Hey Shane, cool video. Thanks. As you may remember, I am blind. Are these single dots, double dots, etc. tactile on the face of each side? Are they like braille So I would know by feel which side is facing up?
Hey Gregg, thanks for watching. Good question. Unfortunately there is no braille-like surface on them. Maybe there are some sort of braille stickers or something that you could add to them?
I would think a Scene Controller that has push buttons would be easier to use than this. I can see kids having a blast using this. I doubt I'll be getting one. Nice review as always.
I agree. I actually just tested this with the WeMo HomeKit controller, and can confirm that the Signals power automate service does work with it. As a bonus, it allows you to double, meaning you can have the Signal+Siri Shortcuts automation to run PLUS the buttons in HomeKit to run all at once! I haven’t tried Aqara, but this is a great solution in my opinion, a lot less bridges on the home network plus Thread. Thanks Shave for the great video and info on the app. Follow the Sun is awesome too!
Problem is, in scene mode you have to locate the side with certain dots and it will take a few secs. See how Shane is doing that in the video?05:20 In real life it could be pretty annoying compared to smart buttons. 2 smart switches will provide you with 6 different functions with much smaller size and easy access.
Hey man how r u? I’m so nervous lol , I have a aqara vibration sensor and it’s impossible to connect to my mi home app , some sensor r diferents maybe ?
Hi, I just bought a T1pro and I can't switch to SCENE MODE.... :/ when I click Scene Mode, I get this message: "The configuration may take a long time. Please wait. You can also hold the device and shake it, and the Hub will respond with Normal Connection which the speed-up of the configuration process." After this message, Action Mode continues to work and therefore I do not see the cube in the homekit application. I will be grateful for your help. Regards
I got the same message and ended up having to delete the cube and start from pairing it all over again. Now my problem is that it's in scene mode, but can't seem to detect the face up action, which completely defeats the purpose of why I got it! This thing is driving me nuts
LOL, about thirty seconds after watching the video intro i opened the amazon page within the first minute (no more than 60 seconds) i bought three. then i watched the rest of the video.
So you can only select HomeKit scenes and accessories within these 6 "Single Press" "buttons", right? You can't initiate/launch a Siri Shortcut from such a "Single Press", right? 😳
Quick question What would you recommend I am just getting started with my smart home looking to integrate..with new matter standard dropping soon would you recommend hoobs still? If so would you recommend waiting for hoobs pro to be released in March or get current model? Appreciate the content learning a lot
Hi, thanks for watching! Hoobs is great, although I wouldn't recommend the current hoobs if Matter is your main priority. I'd probably wait and see. Hoobs pro may be a good option, but there may also be some other options. "Wait and see" is probably a good strategy if you are prioritizing Matter and just getting started. I think we'll know more in the next few months.
Thanks for watching. This can control anything through homekit. If your Philips hue devices are working in the home app, you can program this to control those lights. This cube does still require an Aqara Hub to work in homekit.
you can also control it with aqara cam G3 or M2 hubs via infrared (if your device support IR), however this is not exposed to homekit but you can use the cube to control it! or just use the Aqara app ( you have to install it in any case and use it to plan scenes, schedules and so on)
You could, but it would be more complicated. You could use it to trigger your Mac into a focus mode, and then have a shortcut on your phone triggered BY that focus mode. I think you would need the Mac always on though
Purchased a T1 Pro and it shows in Home app iOS 16.1.1 "This accessory is not currently supported by the Home app". It is set to scene mode in the Aqara app. Aqara's support site for this product doesn't exist, you can't download the manual nor does it show up in the list of products when opening a support ticket on it. The T1 Pro firmware version is 0.0.0_0025, is there something that needs updated before it is supported with HomeKit?
@@ShaneCreates Yeah I opened a support ticket with Aqara but they only reply once every 24 hours and thus far have just asked questions that I've already answered in my original ticket. Not much help from them yet. I'll post an update to the ticket with your firmware version to see if there is a way to downgrade although I'm not hopeful on 2 fronts, 1. They'll respond with a logical answer and 2. The T1 Pro can be downgraded.
I got it working. I opened the Aqara app and selected Profile --> HomeKit --> HomeKit Devices --> View Sub-devices and saw it showed up as just a regular cube and not a Cube T1 Pro, it does show as Cube T1 Pro on just the Accessories tab. I removed the accessory from the Accessories tab but the list in my profile still showed the "Cube" there. I removed the Cube from that list then added it back in per normal instructions and now the Apple Home app sees it as a compatible home device and I can assign the different buttons. What is odd is that it still shows as a Cube and not Cube T1 Pro under the profile devices but hey, it's working. Silly that Aqara has two places in their app that lists and manages the devices, seems a little clunky but wanted to update in case someone else had this problem.
@@rcoletti1 thanks i do have the eero 6 router but i was able to add the old devices with no problem just turned of the homekit part in the router still have the same problem could it be its the router itself or i have to add the devices in my old internet provider wifi hopebi can get it working again thank for the help
@@jhonsmith2843 be sure you are disabling HSR from the eero app (sounds scary) and make sure you restart the router after turning it off. It’s a recent bug, so no doubt it worked for you previously. Since the bug was introduced in the last couple months I wasn’t able to add any of my new HK devices. Disabling HSR fixed it. Hope it helps.
@@rcoletti1 thank you so much i spent like 5 hours tying to fix it and could not do so i was searching online but does not seem like there is no post about it thank you now i have my nanoleaf mini shapes running and my Meross ambient light the Meross toke a little longer to set up but now its ok thank you hope to find other great Homekit devices to set up now in my smart home
yeah I bought the Cube, not the T1 or the T1 pro last month during the early pre prime black friday early access sale. To my surprise it wont work with anything outside of the Aqara app, and is not on the Matter list to be bridge out. I know read the FFAQs. But I won't dare go another version of this if aqara is abandoning it like this. Just like first gen Nanoleaf Essentials, fool me once with abandonware, you won't get a chance to fool me twice. Best just avoid this thing regardless of any paid or unpaid reviews. Love your Vids otherwise. Go Panthers!
Thanks Lawrence. More of a showcase than a review. But I can see why the original cube wouldn't gain Matter support... probably same reason it doesn't support HomeKit. HomeKit doesn't have any way to interpret those unique gestures, which is why Aqara had to come up with the "scene mode" on this one. Plus that original cube has been around for years. I wouldn't expect all older products to be able to gain Matter support. Nanoleaf is a bit of a different story imo with thread and everything. Go Panthers!
@@ShaneCreates Its not the end points, the bulbs plugs and sensors that are getting matter. Its the Hub. if the hub can create 6 different "sensors" with the T1 Pro, it should just as easily do for the original TI or cube. Aqara chose NOT to. Which means my Black Friday money is going to Hue compatible devices. Or a freakishly overpriced Eve energy.
If you set it up for use in HomeKit and then decide to use it in the Aqara app what happens to the setup in the HomeKit? Can you switch back and forth in the Aqara app?
You can setup automations in both, as long as you are using scene mode. I think if you switch from scene mode to action mode you will loose any homekit configurations.
All my Aqara stuff and VOCOlinc went off line. Homekit now says they aren’t Homekit compatible and Apple support has no clue. Now I lost use of about 30% of my home. Buyer beware these “budget” products could just stop working one day.
@@ShaneCreates rebooted everything, signed out of iCloud, unlinked all my Home hubs, and even installed the public beta in hopes it was an iOS 16.1 problem and iOS 16.2 would fix it. And finally tried creating a new house. All trouble shooting has been unsuccessful. Homekit can see the accessories on the network when I do a manual search for devices, but when I try to connect I get 1 of 3 errors “Accessory not reachable”, “an unknown error occurred”, or “the accessory is not a Homekit accessory”. Apple support (5 reps later) couldn’t figure it out and blamed the manufacturers (Aqara & VOCOlinc)
@@BMar1andonly Sorry to hear that. I do not think it's the manufacturer though. In fact I'm pretty certain that is not the case. iOS16.2 introduces the new HomeKit framework, which could certainly complicate things, especially if you have not updated all of your other devices. Plus it's a beta, so no guarantees. Often network issues or settings are the root cause of problems. I spent over an hour troubleshooting my Twinkly smart lights the other night, for example. They were previously added to homekit last year but since removed. They connected to my network fine but couldn't get them back in homekit. A factory reset of each one, plus rebooting my router did the trick. Some instance was still saved in my network somehow, even after factory resetting the devices. Once I reset the router, they worked and I could add them all to homekit.
This is the most idiotistic accessory that I have ever seen. Try to find the correct dots, place, and sake the cube in the right direction after waking up. A simple remote control would be better with e-ink customizable buttons instead of this “magic” cube
With labels it could be a fabulous addition to the guest room so they can turn lights/tv etc on and off themselves. Just that and a motion sensor down low that lights the way to the bathroom if they get up at night and they can function in your house regardless of what is set up, no matter how much of a technophobe they are (I have my mother in mind here. She does not want to talk to Siri!)
finally! I bought the cube a while back not realizing it initially did not support homekit. so glad it does now! lol
Great review. I’ve ordered one, with the simple intention of it being on the living room table, to be used for setting dimming of the lights in that room, and control of the tv and amplifier smart plugs.
eg Lights On 100% / 1% / 20% / 40% / TV on and TV off / lights off.
For me, that’ll be the perfect setup, as I get tired of asking Alexa to do those tasks.
I’ll be printing very easy to see labels to stick to the cube 😂
Very cool & unique product! Always great content Shane. I could see using this at my desk and agree with others comments, kids would have a blast with it.
Thanks for watching Brad!
This is so nerdy yet, so damn cool. I saw a video on this but I never really knew what it was used for. You did an excellent job giving some really cool examples. I’m gonna check it out and see if I can get it to work out well in my Smart home. One thing though this is cool for Smart home enthusiast I could definitely see my wife throwing this out the back door lol
Haha yea this might be a good device for the home office or man cave.... Somewhere away from windows or the back door! 😅
Great overview Shane. Always quality content.
While I'm a fan of Aqara stuff, I can think of (literally) no way that I'd ever use that thing in my Smart Home. :)
😆 Thanks Brad!
I can see this being used as a simple remote. I would probably print out some stickers of every streaming service I use and automate each side to open to that streaming service. Would be nice to use the rotation as volume control though.
Hey my cube is not showing in homekit. Also, where do i get the option to set presets in actions mode. Please help, much appreciated
Another great video, like always!
Thanks John!
Seems fun but I think I’d forget even with stickers. Lol! Thanks for sharing
Great video Shane. Always love how u demo those devices, cheers!
Thanks Melvin!
Hey Shane. Sorry to bother you. Just thought I’d ask did you have issues with your t1 connecting to HomeKit. Mine will not connect, can’t even be found. It’s working fine in the Aqara app. (Yes I have it set to scene mode) cheers for any help. Liam.
Hey Shane, cool video. Thanks. As you may remember, I am blind. Are these single dots, double dots, etc. tactile on the face of each side? Are they like braille So I would know by feel which side is facing up?
Hey Gregg, thanks for watching. Good question. Unfortunately there is no braille-like surface on them. Maybe there are some sort of braille stickers or something that you could add to them?
Nice Shane! I knew they will sell this within these month as Im asking them before
I would think a Scene Controller that has push buttons would be easier to use than this. I can see kids having a blast using this. I doubt I'll be getting one. Nice review as always.
I agree. I actually just tested this with the WeMo HomeKit controller, and can confirm that the Signals power automate service does work with it. As a bonus, it allows you to double, meaning you can have the Signal+Siri Shortcuts automation to run PLUS the buttons in HomeKit to run all at once! I haven’t tried Aqara, but this is a great solution in my opinion, a lot less bridges on the home network plus Thread. Thanks Shave for the great video and info on the app. Follow the Sun is awesome too!
Love the cube, but it must have the biggest learning curve of any iot device, trying to remember all the actions is mind blowing.
Problem is, in scene mode you have to locate the side with certain dots and it will take a few secs. See how Shane is doing that in the video?05:20 In real life it could be pretty annoying compared to smart buttons. 2 smart switches will provide you with 6 different functions with much smaller size and easy access.
This is cool, I used to use the Nano leaf light controller for this but they stop doing this.
Can't figure out how to get the Cube into HomeKit
Pretty cool…looks like it’s not available in Australia though
Hi, to use Cube T1 with Signals work only in Mac or can i add some actions from iPhone ?
Hey man how r u? I’m so nervous lol , I have a aqara vibration sensor and it’s impossible to connect to my mi home app , some sensor r diferents maybe ?
Hi, I just bought a T1pro and I can't switch to SCENE MODE.... :/ when I click Scene Mode, I get this message:
"The configuration may take a long time. Please wait. You can also hold the device and shake it, and the Hub will respond with Normal Connection which the speed-up of the configuration process."
After this message, Action Mode continues to work and therefore I do not see the cube in the homekit application.
I will be grateful for your help. Regards
I got the same message and ended up having to delete the cube and start from pairing it all over again. Now my problem is that it's in scene mode, but can't seem to detect the face up action, which completely defeats the purpose of why I got it! This thing is driving me nuts
I have the original cube and the double tap gesture sometimes just doesn’t get picked up at all. Is it any better in the new one?
LOL, about thirty seconds after watching the video intro i opened the amazon page within the first minute (no more than 60 seconds) i bought three. then i watched the rest of the video.
LOL dang! Would love to hear how you plan to automate all those cubes! You'll definitely need some labels!
I can see mine in the home app but it is grayed out and says not supported. Any ideas what might cause that?
So you can only select HomeKit scenes and accessories within these 6 "Single Press" "buttons", right? You can't initiate/launch a Siri Shortcut from such a "Single Press", right? 😳
thanks for all your videos. great stuff. I have the aqara cube and the Camera hub G2h pro. Can i use it with apple homekit? i cant figure it out
Yes, as long as you have the new Cube T1 Pro and not the older one.
@@ShaneCreates unfortunately it's the first. Pro was not available in Greece. Any ideas?
Can you use Alexa devices and Apple HomeKit devices together? Like for example one dot turns on a HomeKit light and two dots turns on a Alexa light.
I haven't tried, but it seems like it could be possible if you configure it both in homekit and Alexa.
Quick question
What would you recommend I am just getting started with my smart home looking to integrate..with new matter standard dropping soon would you recommend hoobs still? If so would you recommend waiting for hoobs pro to be released in March or get current model? Appreciate the content learning a lot
Hi, thanks for watching! Hoobs is great, although I wouldn't recommend the current hoobs if Matter is your main priority. I'd probably wait and see. Hoobs pro may be a good option, but there may also be some other options. "Wait and see" is probably a good strategy if you are prioritizing Matter and just getting started. I think we'll know more in the next few months.
That was great, Shane, thanks. A question: does this Cube work with Philips Hue stuff if we use a Apple TV 4k as a hub only? Tnx in advance.
Thanks for watching. This can control anything through homekit. If your Philips hue devices are working in the home app, you can program this to control those lights.
This cube does still require an Aqara Hub to work in homekit.
@@ShaneCreates Thanks, Shane 😀
Does signals only work on an app or could I use it on an iPad Pro to trigger shortcuts?
The automation feature to trigger shortcuts is only available on the Mac version of Signals. It's not possible from the iOS or iPad versions.
Do you think you’ll make a video about HOOBS pro announcement? And how it’s different to the original
I might make a video once it's available for testing or purchase.
@@ShaneCreates cool! Look forward to seeing the video if you make it! The pro version seems pretty crazy with all it supposedly will be able to do
is there any dehumidifier with HomeKit support?
you can also control it with aqara cam G3 or M2 hubs via infrared (if your device support IR), however this is not exposed to homekit but you can use the cube to control it! or just use the Aqara app ( you have to install it in any case and use it to plan scenes, schedules and so on)
Would signals be able to trigger Siri shortcuts on the iPhone too?
No, unfortunately that's a limitation of HomeKit & Shortcuts right now.
You could, but it would be more complicated. You could use it to trigger your Mac into a focus mode, and then have a shortcut on your phone triggered BY that focus mode. I think you would need the Mac always on though
Purchased a T1 Pro and it shows in Home app iOS 16.1.1 "This accessory is not currently supported by the Home app". It is set to scene mode in the Aqara app. Aqara's support site for this product doesn't exist, you can't download the manual nor does it show up in the list of products when opening a support ticket on it. The T1 Pro firmware version is 0.0.0_0025, is there something that needs updated before it is supported with HomeKit?
That is odd. I have not experienced this. And my firmware shows as 0.0.0_0024 in the Aqara app with no firmware updates available.
@@ShaneCreates Yeah I opened a support ticket with Aqara but they only reply once every 24 hours and thus far have just asked questions that I've already answered in my original ticket. Not much help from them yet. I'll post an update to the ticket with your firmware version to see if there is a way to downgrade although I'm not hopeful on 2 fronts, 1. They'll respond with a logical answer and 2. The T1 Pro can be downgraded.
I got it working. I opened the Aqara app and selected Profile --> HomeKit --> HomeKit Devices --> View Sub-devices and saw it showed up as just a regular cube and not a Cube T1 Pro, it does show as Cube T1 Pro on just the Accessories tab. I removed the accessory from the Accessories tab but the list in my profile still showed the "Cube" there. I removed the Cube from that list then added it back in per normal instructions and now the Apple Home app sees it as a compatible home device and I can assign the different buttons. What is odd is that it still shows as a Cube and not Cube T1 Pro under the profile devices but hey, it's working. Silly that Aqara has two places in their app that lists and manages the devices, seems a little clunky but wanted to update in case someone else had this problem.
looks realy good but i cant buy any homekit device untill i can fix my homekit cant add any device no idea why
Shot in the dark - Do you use eero routers by chance, with HomeKit Secure Router? If so, there’s a known issue and you need to turn off HSR.
@@rcoletti1 thanks i do have the eero 6 router but i was able to add the old devices with no problem just turned of the homekit part in the router still have the same problem could it be its the router itself or i have to add the devices in my old internet provider wifi hopebi can get it working again thank for the help
@@jhonsmith2843 be sure you are disabling HSR from the eero app (sounds scary) and make sure you restart the router after turning it off. It’s a recent bug, so no doubt it worked for you previously. Since the bug was introduced in the last couple months I wasn’t able to add any of my new HK devices. Disabling HSR fixed it. Hope it helps.
@@rcoletti1 thank you so much i spent like 5 hours tying to fix it and could not do so i was searching online but does not seem like there is no post about it thank you now i have my nanoleaf mini shapes running and my Meross ambient light the Meross toke a little longer to set up but now its ok thank you hope to find other great Homekit devices to set up now in my smart home
yeah I bought the Cube, not the T1 or the T1 pro last month during the early pre prime black friday early access sale. To my surprise it wont work with anything outside of the Aqara app, and is not on the Matter list to be bridge out. I know read the FFAQs. But I won't dare go another version of this if aqara is abandoning it like this. Just like first gen Nanoleaf Essentials, fool me once with abandonware, you won't get a chance to fool me twice. Best just avoid this thing regardless of any paid or unpaid reviews. Love your Vids otherwise. Go Panthers!
Thanks Lawrence. More of a showcase than a review. But I can see why the original cube wouldn't gain Matter support... probably same reason it doesn't support HomeKit. HomeKit doesn't have any way to interpret those unique gestures, which is why Aqara had to come up with the "scene mode" on this one. Plus that original cube has been around for years. I wouldn't expect all older products to be able to gain Matter support. Nanoleaf is a bit of a different story imo with thread and everything. Go Panthers!
@@ShaneCreates Its not the end points, the bulbs plugs and sensors that are getting matter. Its the Hub. if the hub can create 6 different "sensors" with the T1 Pro, it should just as easily do for the original TI or cube. Aqara chose NOT to. Which means my Black Friday money is going to Hue compatible devices. Or a freakishly overpriced Eve energy.
Remembering what side does what would be nothing but frustrating. This would drive my wife insane.
Yea I'd recommend some sort of labeling system if you plan to have others use it 8:27
If you set it up for use in HomeKit and then decide to use it in the Aqara app what happens to the setup in the HomeKit? Can you switch back and forth in the Aqara app?
You can setup automations in both, as long as you are using scene mode. I think if you switch from scene mode to action mode you will loose any homekit configurations.
All my Aqara stuff and VOCOlinc went off line. Homekit now says they aren’t Homekit compatible and Apple support has no clue. Now I lost use of about 30% of my home. Buyer beware these “budget” products could just stop working one day.
Something is not right. Your HomeKit stuff should not just stop working.
@@ShaneCreates rebooted everything, signed out of iCloud, unlinked all my Home hubs, and even installed the public beta in hopes it was an iOS 16.1 problem and iOS 16.2 would fix it. And finally tried creating a new house. All trouble shooting has been unsuccessful. Homekit can see the accessories on the network when I do a manual search for devices, but when I try to connect I get 1 of 3 errors “Accessory not reachable”, “an unknown error occurred”, or “the accessory is not a Homekit accessory”. Apple support (5 reps later) couldn’t figure it out and blamed the manufacturers (Aqara & VOCOlinc)
@@BMar1andonly Sorry to hear that. I do not think it's the manufacturer though. In fact I'm pretty certain that is not the case.
iOS16.2 introduces the new HomeKit framework, which could certainly complicate things, especially if you have not updated all of your other devices. Plus it's a beta, so no guarantees.
Often network issues or settings are the root cause of problems. I spent over an hour troubleshooting my Twinkly smart lights the other night, for example. They were previously added to homekit last year but since removed. They connected to my network fine but couldn't get them back in homekit. A factory reset of each one, plus rebooting my router did the trick. Some instance was still saved in my network somehow, even after factory resetting the devices. Once I reset the router, they worked and I could add them all to homekit.
Neat but nah
haha.. so.. do you need to find where are one dot, two dots, and three dots surfaces? to run a particular automation?😂😂😅😅😅
You lost me 2 minutes in when you mentioned a hub without mentioning it's approx. price. 🤷♂️
There are various hub options all at different price points. There is a link in the video description to a video that covers them all 😉
Bad experience with Alexa.
Dont buy this Cube if you want to use with Alexa
Hope Earth has enough rare earth minerals for all these toys.
You lsot me at Zigbee. Almost the beginning of 2023- and I want Thread. So I'm out.
This is the most idiotistic accessory that I have ever seen. Try to find the correct dots, place, and sake the cube in the right direction after waking up.
A simple remote control would be better with e-ink customizable buttons instead of this “magic” cube