like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....
Update: So I got the Aqara D&W sensors, combined with the Sonoff USB Zigbee dongle, and I must say: wow. The delay is non-existent and I haven't lost a single update yet. I'm so glad I waited all those months for you to finish this test, absolutely worth it.
Do the have any compatibility issue with other sistem repeaters from different brands? Can you specify your sensor model as there are 3 of them? Thanks.
Hello, Not super familiar with these things, but you only needed the 1. Sonoff USB Zigbee and 2. Aqara sensor and you have a working system that notifies your phone when the sensor goes off?
I already use ring and don't plan on changing sensors, but since you included the result in the title I sat through this entire video, subscribed to the channel, liked the video, and am now commenting. Hopefully that helps the channel metrics!
I just bought a Moes contact sensor from Amazon a few weeks ago. It appears similar to the Aqara. It is Zigbee and works with my new Amazon speaker. This replaces my Wyze Sense sensor which went belly up after 2.5 years. I have a plastic mailbox about 50 feet (16m) from my house. I didn't know what I was doing, but the Alexa app worked fine. When the mailbox is opened, my smart speaker announces that I have mail and two of my home lights change to red. I use my Google Home routine to reset the lights. I could have used Alexa for that too, but the Google Home was already set up. Nice review.
Opposite results here. I bought a bunch of those Aqara sensors a while ago for my doors and windows and after some usage I noticed they are very unreliable, mostly when opening or closing the door/window very slowly, they won't update the state. I would say that about 50% of the time they don't update. It's not a defective unit because I bought 6 of them and they all failed similarly. Then I replaced them all with the ones from BlitzWolf and they work a lot more reliably. Not perfect, but they fail to update their state very rarely. If you hear the "click" of the magnet from both devices, the Aqara one sounds more "loose", like a spring and the BlitzWolf one sounds more "smooth", like a car's signals/blinkers sound. Also, the BlitzWolf one have a red LED that blinks once everytime it opens or closes, which gives us extra confidence that the magnet toggled. Anyway, I use them mostly for the alarm system, which requires all windows and doors to be closed. While I used the Aqara ones, I found myself going downstairs constantly just to go open and close a random window to make the sensor update its state. Like, almost everyday, sometimes for more than one sensor. Since I'm using the BlitzWolf ones, it doesn't happen for several weeks in a row! Huge difference. The battery life has been great aswell, I've installed them in march/april and they're still at 75%. Your workbench is very cool, but it has one flaw: the open/close movement is always the same, at the same angle and at the same speed, so the results are very limited to those factors.
Can confirm! Was in the market about 2 months ago for 20+ sensors for my new home and was looking for the most affordable Zigbee-compatible contact sensor. Bought an Aqara sensor to test, and at the time Amazon had them for 15 dollars. I already had a few z wave sensors and these came out to be half the size at half the price. I ended up purchasing all Aqara sensors after that.
Mr Yamaha. How is it going over 1 year? Do the sensors somehow report battery life? I am in the same boat. Want to put a contact on every window. Have circa 20 openings in the house. Need a solution that will last! And are you using HA by any chance? Thanks
Man, I dropped some serious money on a houseful of 5800MINIs (SDR to receive signal) because I thought they were the smallest around. Any future openings are getting the Aqaras! Small, easy to pair/use (ConBee dongle -> hass -> Node-RED)... thanks for going through all this testing labor for our benefit! You're so concise with your videos... much appreciated.
I'm almost done switching out all my Wifi sensors and switches to Yo-link. It's been super dependable and could not be easier to setup. And my internet "fiber" has only went out twice in 5 years, so I don't sweat the "lost internet" issue. All the serious sensors like "water leak detectors" are D2D with the water shut off valve and don't need internet or grid power to operate, its all automated.
GREAT Video. Aqara has been my device of choice as I liked the combination of size, cost and reliability with HomeAssistant. It is good to know how well it stacks up against the competiion. The only other one I have used is the Sonoff device and whilst slightly larger it is lower in cost. I think people underestimate the utility of these devices if you are prepared to do a little surgery on them by removing the magnetic reed switch and extending the terminals outside of the device using wires I have turning my devices into rain monitors, liquid level sensors and door lock sensors.
Been using these for over a year now and have to second the recommendation. Lowest battery is at 44% because it is in my garage in the cold. They are also small enough to put on some mouse traps! Alexa announces a successful kill and I get a push notification to my phone...got the @#!%&
I agree. I have been using all of the Aqara sensors (PIRs, contact, leak, button) for 3 years now and most of them are on the same battery. They are incredible.
So much time went into making this video. Incredible! I really like your setup for thoroughly testing these sensors and loved the battery power over time animation. Thanks so much! 😃
your videos never seize to amaze me. the selfless act of purchasing a series of products to test and recommend is not only generous, but extremely knowledegable. and though i don't have a zigbee network myself because i've been on the fence about it.. i am definitely going to move that to the top of the list because accurate affordable contact sensors have been something i've been wanting to add to my home assistant network. thanks again for an amazingly helpful video review!
I've got several of the aqara contact sensors embedded behind the strike plate for each of my doors, with a magnets added into the end of the deadbolt, so I get a nightly notification it's any of my doors are not locked, or if they open after 10pm. Batteries going on 2 years now on all of them.
I'd love to see a video on how you did that and what you learned. Like how you drilled/chiseled out the space, how you change batteries (eventually!), did you just glue a magnet at the end or drill a hole in the deadbolt and insert a cylinder magnet, magnetic orientation, etc. Just knowing that a door or window is closed (or nearly closed) does not tell us whether the lock is set - and your approach would!
I have been pleased with all of the Aqara equipment that I have. They haven't steered me wrong yet. I just wish they had outdoor versions of the motion sensors, although I might be able to get my Reolink cameras to fill that duty once I get the wires run.
Great, I made the right choice about a month ago :) Only the built in temperature sensors are completely useless showing 26 and 27C on a pair that are sitting on my desk in a
It would have been great to see a Thread based sensor like the one from Eve in this comparison. Love the rig, who would’ve thought it could use an automatic lubricator!
Great review and thank you for putting in the time and effort to make these videos! Just picked up a few of these using your link. Would love to see a similar one for motion sensors.
@@audreywy1743 I guess it’s purpose is up to you. You can use it as a measure of the temperature in the room. You could use it to see if the temperature is dropping or increasing while the window or door is open. It may be useful for battery compensation too. If the temp is low, the battery voltage can be lower too… just a couple of ideas.
Nice work, I had purchased 4 of the Aqaras and was quite happy with them. I’m using these with HA and love that there’s also a temperature entity presented from them.
Never heard of or considered Aqara but I’m definitely interested now, as I currently use Smarthings! Thanks for a well put together comparison and breakdown!🙌🏾
this is exactly what i needed, thanks! My Wyze contact sensors are great but lately have been starting to fail, plus they discontinued the ones i have so it’s only a matter of time before they all stop working. These Aqara sensors look like they’ll fit nicely into my Home Assistant setup!
The key reason that the Aqara contact sensor is so battery efficient is because it does NOT broadcast a Zigbee message at the standard Zigbee intervals. A custom device driver (like the one in Home Assistant) takes this into account. However, a standard Zigbee device driver will NOT. Therefore, these devices constantly "fall off" a standard Zigbee mesh. Buyer Beware.
On home assistant this is only an issue with certain routers. If you direct connect to the USB stick or you research and are careful which routers it connects to then these are solid.
Slowly changing my sensors over to Ring (from Samsung multipurpose). What I like about Ring is how easily it is to remove the sensor to replace the batteries. For your next updated video on this subject, maybe add the distance to register the change event as windows and doors are seldom flush. I'm sure the Ring sensor's battery life can be improved by changing the heartbeat interval but this video is about the OOB experience.
I've been using a ring door sensor for some time, but this week I got an Ecolink ZWave sensor. The cool thing about is it has two terminals, when closed will report. So I added it to a dry contact relay to monitor my power outlet Sump Pump, which has a separate circuit breaker, and recently I found out it was out of power.
Hmm, nice video, but Sonoff SNZB-04 is notably missing and is half the price of Aqara. Also, Aqara zigbee devices tend to "stick" to a single zigbee router or coordinator, so there might be connection issues if you move devices around the house.
I just installed an aqara contact sensor a few weeks ago - glad I made the right choice 🤠 ….but that eco link zwave tilt sensor (I know not contact) has been using the same battery for 3+ years and still at 99%
Got 9 of them around the house and haven't had any issues with them. All original batteries over 3 years later. Looks like the prices have jumped up a bit but still good value.
@The Hook Up - Really enjoy your videos, they are informative and saves us lots of time. Please keep doing them !!! Are you planning doing the same for MOTION sensors ? I am pretty sure many users would appreciate that too !
Thank you for this video, I've been patiently waiting for it after seeing you were testing these. Thanks to you, now I'll also have the option to use Zigbee devices from now on ;).
Excellent channel- you get right to the point, and your prep and production quality is perfect. I think battery life is important, but for someone with an existing system, the compatibility factor may win out over outright battery performance and price. Please keep the comparison videos coming, especially about home automation products.
Rob - Great video. I have played with the Sonoff Zigbee and the Shelly WiFi contact sensors, with rather poor results... I have had good luck with the one aqara contact sensor I bough; seeing your video gave me the confidence to order a bunch more for a whole slew of automations I have planned. Keep up the great work!
@@DanielSchoonover Totally agree. I was really disappointed. I'd rather pay 2X for the Aqara sensors and get something that is more solidly built, and works reliably.
I found that 433MHz sensors are cheaper and have quite a bit of range. You just need to convert the Sonoff 433 MHz box to Tasmota and add it to MQTT Home Assistant.
Great video!! Can you do a video on how to start with Zigbeee and Home Assistant? That will be interesting and will help me to understand what I need to get started there!
Really wish you highlighted some of the non zigbee and WiFi options. With matter coming out it makes no sense in investing into an aquara hub or zigbee if you’re not in that direction already
Can confirm - have all my windows and doors, bed occupancy sensors and more equipped with these Aqara/Xiaomi sensors and I did't change any batteries in almost 3 years. Shelly Door/Window 2, on the other hand, has been a disappointment. All 3 of them I bought died within a month. And CR123A batteries are more expensive than CR1632
Great video, but I think you could mention that Aqara devices are not fully ZigBee compliant, so you'll have problems pairing with hubitat hubs, for example. Some people manage to pair them and they run well (with a driver), but most complain about loss of connectivity and unreliability. I think that should factor heavily on the ratings for the Aqara sensors. I'm returning the two I bought right now.
@@TheHookUp Hi, I did not, and the reason is that people using these sensors with hubitat say they while they may work with the drivers, they're still not fully ZigBee compatible, so they only work well with "Aqara friendly" ZigBee devices in the mesh. Also, the predominant opinion in the forums is that these devices disconnect frequently. TL;DR I could probably hammer them into working by installing the driver, but that still won't solve the ZigBee compatibility and reliability issues.
That's fair. The main reason that the Aqara devices perform so much better than the rest is that they have a slightly different protocol that reduces the frequencies of keep alives and check ins. I've been using Aqara contact sensors since this video and haven't had any issues (home assistant with an iTead zigbee USB stick).
@@TheHookUpI also tried the customer driver.. still issues with lost connectivity with hubitat… might be worth video update since a few of us purchased based on your recommendation.
What would the update say? The number of people reporting no problems is 100x more than those reporting problems. Those problems could be from bad units, bad meshes, competing meshes, or improper device handler information. All I'm able to do is test and report my data.
I like the idea of the Switchbot's contact sensor. It has a contact sensor and motion sensor combined. So it actually knows whether you are getting in or out.
I really want to like the Aqara sensors. These door sensors are tiny, respond quickly and pair up with Home Assistant readily (I have trouble with them pairing with Hubitat). Aqara sensors in general have a great aesthetic. I have 45 Zigbee in my mesh, including 10 mains powerd outlets/routers and three dedicated routers. The Aqara sensors (these door contacts, temperature sensors, buttons, vibration sensor) all periodically drop out of the mesh and become unavailable. They are the only Zigbee devices I have that do this. And it happens every month or so. As soon as I pair up one of them, they all reconnect, but the drop outs are really bothersome.
I have some homeseer Z-Wave ones that take 2x AAA batteries and I've had to replace the batteries a few times, but I have never had to replace the batteries in my Aqara sensors. I may replace my Z-Wave sensors with these Zigbee ones at some point. I also upgraded to Z-WaveJS and Zigbee to MQTT and I like the Zigbee map better lol.
The original Wyze sensors were incredible using their own 900 MHz RF but since Wyze abandoned them, the Aquara look like the next best thing. Would be interesting to see a head to head on motion sensors, since motion sensors are the real deal for true automation of the home.
I’m super impressed all around. You made a test rig, and it wore out before the sensor lol. I’d actually love a video on exactly how you went about capturing and displaying the data! I was using really cheap 433 mhz contact sensors with the RF bridge, setup with tasmota and (forget the name) that other software that unlocks more in the other chip, they worked well, but had to make a sensor in the yaml for each one, took quite a bit of effort and more than once a typo caused me issues. I got the usb dongle, and once I figured out it needed to be on an USB extension, it worked super easily, and the far away sensors that would occasionally fail to work(mailbox and far away garage), the Aqara sensors have had zero issues. Now I wish I hadn’t put in 60+ WiFi devices, mostly plugs and switches, because my internet seems to be lagging, though only the Alexa voice commands, all else is great. Ubiquity stuff is amazing for the price too.
I'm also using cheap RF (2.5$) door sensors with a RFXCom antenna attached to my home assistant raspberry pi for simple routines. They take a bit of work to install as you say, but the battery lasts quite nicely (AAA batteries). I must admit they are less reliable though, especially when they are on the other side of the house. So for serious security systems they might not be the best choice. Still better than nothing though.
I personally like the Homematic IP window/door sensors. They use their own radio standard so you need the bridge (called CCU) but there are integrations for HA, NodeRed, OpenHAB, etc. They are optical sensors (not magnetic) so they only need one part and the battery lasts 2-3 years. in my experience. There is even one model that can be placed inside the window frame and therefore is not visible (model HmIP-SWDO-I)
Great video. Thanks. There's always something new to learn. I have Philips Hue bridge which I believe is Zigbee. Will Aqara work with the Hue bridge? How do i set it up?
If only this video had released sooner, I just bought some of the Shelly ones recently and there’s about a 1-2 second delay with the sensors being open/closed (therefore my automations that are scheduled to turn a light on/off when the sensor is open/closed are very slow)
I'm glad that I just bought the right sensor by "luck". :-) I tried the Wyze ones (1st gen) before. They were okay until battery drained and the device can't start again after a new battery is installed (talk about a weird problem!!!)
Aquara is really the best. Have this since years and it works perfect. What i m messing is that they dont have a really hold sensor for window. I want to Check if the window is really opened or just in an other Position. For this they should make a sensor for the handle. This would be awesome.
These are ok if you do not need confirmation that items are closed. Inside doors there are most of the time an electric switch to provide permanent charging of a li-io and an esp8266 w/micro switch will easaly fit in between the door frame and stud, behind the door framing/coaming. Same space for windows and for power the solar cell in a cheap 1$ garden lamp will provide adequate power
Hi! Have you considered to test the 'Eve Window Guard' or the 'Eve Door & Window' and who they compare to the other sensors? I like the fact that they are already 'Thread' compatible which could or will be the future communication technology for smart home.
You didn't mention the fact that the Aqara devices don't actually support the Zigbee 3.0 or ZHA standard and therefore have trouble working with many brands of Zigbee repeaters. One of the only brands of repeaters that work well with them are IKEA.
Nope, they don't. I've got a solid ZigBee mesh built around 7 thermostats, and I can't get Aqara devices to stay connected to my Hubitat for more than a few minutes. There is a newer version of this sensor, MCCGQ12LM that is ZigBee 3.0, shame it wasn't included in the test.
Hey Rob, any chance you'll do a video like this about PIRs in the future? Those things are hard to love even if they work great, which isn't very often.
For those of us that don't use Zigbee or ZWave, which is the best wifi sensor? I already have a lot of Shelly devices, and don't want anything that requires something in the cloud like Tuya. Great video, thank for sharing.
like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....
I have no idea what else you even review/cover, but I'm subscribing purely because of the effort of this video.
Update: So I got the Aqara D&W sensors, combined with the Sonoff USB Zigbee dongle, and I must say: wow. The delay is non-existent and I haven't lost a single update yet. I'm so glad I waited all those months for you to finish this test, absolutely worth it.
Glad to hear it Tim. Hope they continue to perform perfectly!
So do you use this with eWelink, since I see you mention Sonoff.
Sonoff sensors are not so good quality.
Do the have any compatibility issue with other sistem repeaters from different brands? Can you specify your sensor model as there are 3 of them? Thanks.
Hello,
Not super familiar with these things, but you only needed the 1. Sonoff USB Zigbee and 2. Aqara sensor and you have a working system that notifies your phone when the sensor goes off?
@@JayWind111 there are reports of aqara devices not Being 100% zigbee compilant, causing problems thats why I ask
OMG you built a testing rig that ran for FOUR months???! You're my hero! :)
Seriously, what a badass
I already use ring and don't plan on changing sensors, but since you included the result in the title I sat through this entire video, subscribed to the channel, liked the video, and am now commenting. Hopefully that helps the channel metrics!
Engagement!
You are a legend Rob! That test rig is amazing! As always your comparison is excellent and it’s crazy how much better the Aqara is!
I just bought a Moes contact sensor from Amazon a few weeks ago. It appears similar to the Aqara. It is Zigbee and works with my new Amazon speaker. This replaces my Wyze Sense sensor which went belly up after 2.5 years. I have a plastic mailbox about 50 feet (16m) from my house. I didn't know what I was doing, but the Alexa app worked fine.
When the mailbox is opened, my smart speaker announces that I have mail and two of my home lights change to red. I use my Google Home routine to reset the lights. I could have used Alexa for that too, but the Google Home was already set up.
Nice review.
Opposite results here. I bought a bunch of those Aqara sensors a while ago for my doors and windows and after some usage I noticed they are very unreliable, mostly when opening or closing the door/window very slowly, they won't update the state. I would say that about 50% of the time they don't update.
It's not a defective unit because I bought 6 of them and they all failed similarly.
Then I replaced them all with the ones from BlitzWolf and they work a lot more reliably. Not perfect, but they fail to update their state very rarely.
If you hear the "click" of the magnet from both devices, the Aqara one sounds more "loose", like a spring and the BlitzWolf one sounds more "smooth", like a car's signals/blinkers sound.
Also, the BlitzWolf one have a red LED that blinks once everytime it opens or closes, which gives us extra confidence that the magnet toggled.
Anyway, I use them mostly for the alarm system, which requires all windows and doors to be closed. While I used the Aqara ones, I found myself going downstairs constantly just to go open and close a random window to make the sensor update its state. Like, almost everyday, sometimes for more than one sensor.
Since I'm using the BlitzWolf ones, it doesn't happen for several weeks in a row! Huge difference. The battery life has been great aswell, I've installed them in march/april and they're still at 75%.
Your workbench is very cool, but it has one flaw: the open/close movement is always the same, at the same angle and at the same speed, so the results are very limited to those factors.
Do you have metal Frome's in your windows , because that does affect the function of the magnetic switch .
@@supernova1976 Apart from the glass, they're entirely made of aluminium, which is not magnetic.
@@pdcmoreira Thanks for the feedback , I also have aluminium frame windows , I think I will have to test this before I buy the system.
Impressive job, love the test rig. I'm picking up some of these Aqara sensors now! Thanks for your work compiling all the data.
Can confirm! Was in the market about 2 months ago for 20+ sensors for my new home and was looking for the most affordable Zigbee-compatible contact sensor. Bought an Aqara sensor to test, and at the time Amazon had them for 15 dollars. I already had a few z wave sensors and these came out to be half the size at half the price. I ended up purchasing all Aqara sensors after that.
Mr Yamaha. How is it going over 1 year? Do the sensors somehow report battery life? I am in the same boat. Want to put a contact on every window. Have circa 20 openings in the house. Need a solution that will last! And are you using HA by any chance? Thanks
Were you able to add them even without an aqara hub?
Ok - instant follow on the animated battery graph. Well done sir!
Man, I dropped some serious money on a houseful of 5800MINIs (SDR to receive signal) because I thought they were the smallest around. Any future openings are getting the Aqaras! Small, easy to pair/use (ConBee dongle -> hass -> Node-RED)... thanks for going through all this testing labor for our benefit! You're so concise with your videos... much appreciated.
I'm almost done switching out all my Wifi sensors and switches to Yo-link. It's been super dependable and could not be easier to setup. And my internet "fiber" has only went out twice in 5 years, so I don't sweat the "lost internet" issue. All the serious sensors like "water leak detectors" are D2D with the water shut off valve and don't need internet or grid power to operate, its all automated.
I’m with you! YoLink is great. Fast to install, great app, no delay, inexpensive, works with Amazon out of the box. 👍👏
GREAT Video. Aqara has been my device of choice as I liked the combination of size, cost and reliability with HomeAssistant. It is good to know how well it stacks up against the competiion. The only other one I have used is the Sonoff device and whilst slightly larger it is lower in cost. I think people underestimate the utility of these devices if you are prepared to do a little surgery on them by removing the magnetic reed switch and extending the terminals outside of the device using wires I have turning my devices into rain monitors, liquid level sensors and door lock sensors.
Been using these for over a year now and have to second the recommendation. Lowest battery is at 44% because it is in my garage in the cold. They are also small enough to put on some mouse traps! Alexa announces a successful kill and I get a push notification to my phone...got the @#!%&
Lol
@@TheHookUp What battery percentage did it cut out at? I'd like to send myself a notification to change it out before that happens. Thanks!
I agree. I have been using all of the Aqara sensors (PIRs, contact, leak, button) for 3 years now and most of them are on the same battery. They are incredible.
So much time went into making this video. Incredible! I really like your setup for thoroughly testing these sensors and loved the battery power over time animation. Thanks so much! 😃
your videos never seize to amaze me. the selfless act of purchasing a series of products to test and recommend is not only generous, but extremely knowledegable. and though i don't have a zigbee network myself because i've been on the fence about it.. i am definitely going to move that to the top of the list because accurate affordable contact sensors have been something i've been wanting to add to my home assistant network. thanks again for an amazingly helpful video review!
Unreal. I was JUST looking for this for the first time and hoping you had a video on it. And here you are having posted one TODAY! Thank you sir!
I've got several of the aqara contact sensors embedded behind the strike plate for each of my doors, with a magnets added into the end of the deadbolt, so I get a nightly notification it's any of my doors are not locked, or if they open after 10pm. Batteries going on 2 years now on all of them.
Clever!
I'd love to see a video on how you did that and what you learned. Like how you drilled/chiseled out the space, how you change batteries (eventually!), did you just glue a magnet at the end or drill a hole in the deadbolt and insert a cylinder magnet, magnetic orientation, etc.
Just knowing that a door or window is closed (or nearly closed) does not tell us whether the lock is set - and your approach would!
I smashed subscribe by knowing the fact that you tested it for 4 months with a diy rig, content is all bonus for me at this point.
Thank you for immediately providing the answer on not wasting time. Subscribed, liked, watched the full video.
I have been pleased with all of the Aqara equipment that I have. They haven't steered me wrong yet. I just wish they had outdoor versions of the motion sensors, although I might be able to get my Reolink cameras to fill that duty once I get the wires run.
Great, I made the right choice about a month ago :) Only the built in temperature sensors are completely useless showing 26 and 27C on a pair that are sitting on my desk in a
Another great video, and thanks for somehow being both thorough and concise!
I loved that you skipped the BS and told us the result. And I still stayed to watch the entire video. Thank you.
It would have been great to see a Thread based sensor like the one from Eve in this comparison. Love the rig, who would’ve thought it could use an automatic lubricator!
That testing rig is next level commitment.
Great review and thank you for putting in the time and effort to make these videos! Just picked up a few of these using your link. Would love to see a similar one for motion sensors.
This remains the definitive test to this day!
I second your recommendation. I’ve a few of these on doors and the batteries last for ever it seems. They read temperature too - which is handy.
What is the purpose for a temperature read?
@@audreywy1743 I guess it’s purpose is up to you. You can use it as a measure of the temperature in the room. You could use it to see if the temperature is dropping or increasing while the window or door is open. It may be useful for battery compensation too. If the temp is low, the battery voltage can be lower too… just a couple of ideas.
Nice work, I had purchased 4 of the Aqaras and was quite happy with them. I’m using these with HA and love that there’s also a temperature entity presented from them.
Thanks for being on point and not wasting anyone's time.
Never heard of or considered Aqara but I’m definitely interested now, as I currently use Smarthings! Thanks for a well put together comparison and breakdown!🙌🏾
Literally yesterday I was wondering where is your new video and I though "this guy's probably doing some big comparison video" and there it is haha 😁
Took quite a bit longer than expected, it's been in the works for a while.
this is exactly what i needed, thanks! My Wyze contact sensors are great but lately have been starting to fail, plus they discontinued the ones i have so it’s only a matter of time before they all stop working. These Aqara sensors look like they’ll fit nicely into my Home Assistant setup!
1:58 - wow that is an awesome test rig. Love it!
The key reason that the Aqara contact sensor is so battery efficient is because it does NOT broadcast a Zigbee message at the standard Zigbee intervals. A custom device driver (like the one in Home Assistant) takes this into account. However, a standard Zigbee device driver will NOT. Therefore, these devices constantly "fall off" a standard Zigbee mesh.
Buyer Beware.
Hmm, I didn't have any issues like that with the Aqara sensor. The Singled and Linkind sensors did have that issue though. I am using home assistant.
On home assistant this is only an issue with certain routers. If you direct connect to the USB stick or you research and are careful which routers it connects to then these are solid.
Slowly changing my sensors over to Ring (from Samsung multipurpose). What I like about Ring is how easily it is to remove the sensor to replace the batteries. For your next updated video on this subject, maybe add the distance to register the change event as windows and doors are seldom flush. I'm sure the Ring sensor's battery life can be improved by changing the heartbeat interval but this video is about the OOB experience.
OMG. This review redefined committed
I've been using a ring door sensor for some time, but this week I got an Ecolink ZWave sensor. The cool thing about is it has two terminals, when closed will report. So I added it to a dry contact relay to monitor my power outlet Sump Pump, which has a separate circuit breaker, and recently I found out it was out of power.
Can't help but agree the aqara sensor is by far the best contact sensor I have used
Hmm, nice video, but Sonoff SNZB-04 is notably missing and is half the price of Aqara. Also, Aqara zigbee devices tend to "stick" to a single zigbee router or coordinator, so there might be connection issues if you move devices around the house.
Thanks. So much time invested and summarized in 6 minutes. Awesome work.
The real winner here? Your testing table!
I just installed an aqara contact sensor a few weeks ago - glad I made the right choice 🤠 ….but that eco link zwave tilt sensor (I know not contact) has been using the same battery for 3+ years and still at 99%
My favourite sensor is Eve and aqara. 2 months in the testing phase.
Got 9 of them around the house and haven't had any issues with them. All original batteries over 3 years later. Looks like the prices have jumped up a bit but still good value.
@The Hook Up - Really enjoy your videos, they are informative and saves us lots of time. Please keep doing them !!!
Are you planning doing the same for MOTION sensors ? I am pretty sure many users would appreciate that too !
Nice, short and to the point :) Really appreciated this video and for discovering your channel! Wish you an awesome new year!
Love these, and agree completely about the Aqara, best by far.
Thank you for this video, I've been patiently waiting for it after seeing you were testing these. Thanks to you, now I'll also have the option to use Zigbee devices from now on ;).
Great video as always. I have just one of these running on Home Assistant and its been flawless since I put in on my door.
I have tried all of these and I think that the Ring open close sensor v1 and v2 are the best. I suppose my criteria is different.
Great work! I´m not even looking for door sensors, but it is plainly brilliant. Thanks!
Have the host and everybody here a great 2022 start!
Thanks for the extensive test and comparison. I ordered me one thru your link. I will probably order more.
Excellent channel- you get right to the point, and your prep and production quality is perfect. I think battery life is important, but for someone with an existing system, the compatibility factor may win out over outright battery performance and price. Please keep the comparison videos coming, especially about home automation products.
Rob - Great video. I have played with the Sonoff Zigbee and the Shelly WiFi contact sensors, with rather poor results... I have had good luck with the one aqara contact sensor I bough; seeing your video gave me the confidence to order a bunch more for a whole slew of automations I have planned. Keep up the great work!
The sonoff ones suck. The battery contacts are very hit or miss from my experience.
@@DanielSchoonover Totally agree. I was really disappointed. I'd rather pay 2X for the Aqara sensors and get something that is more solidly built, and works reliably.
Great vid, and right on time for my system. Room occupancy sensors next?
Huge thanks for the video, you do save a lot of time for many people. Keep up the good work!
I found that 433MHz sensors are cheaper and have quite a bit of range. You just need to convert the Sonoff 433 MHz box to Tasmota and add it to MQTT Home Assistant.
Great video Rob! You got right to the point!
Great video!! Can you do a video on how to start with Zigbeee and Home Assistant? That will be interesting and will help me to understand what I need to get started there!
Great videos as always. Bought a half dozen of the Aqara sensors from Amazon via your affiliate link.
What about SONOFF Zigbee contact sensors? 🙁
From my experience with the Sonoff SNZB 04 stay away. The battery contacts are terrible.
Nice comparison!
A shame you missed the Xiaomi sensor though, it is close to identical to the Aqara, but only about 7 dollars
Wow! What a review. I loved the testing rig!
Really wish you highlighted some of the non zigbee and WiFi options. With matter coming out it makes no sense in investing into an aquara hub or zigbee if you’re not in that direction already
Can confirm - have all my windows and doors, bed occupancy sensors and more equipped with these Aqara/Xiaomi sensors and I did't change any batteries in almost 3 years.
Shelly Door/Window 2, on the other hand, has been a disappointment. All 3 of them I bought died within a month. And CR123A batteries are more expensive than CR1632
Great video, but I think you could mention that Aqara devices are not fully ZigBee compliant, so you'll have problems pairing with hubitat hubs, for example. Some people manage to pair them and they run well (with a driver), but most complain about loss of connectivity and unreliability. I think that should factor heavily on the ratings for the Aqara sensors. I'm returning the two I bought right now.
Did you install the device handler?
@@TheHookUp Hi, I did not, and the reason is that people using these sensors with hubitat say they while they may work with the drivers, they're still not fully ZigBee compatible, so they only work well with "Aqara friendly" ZigBee devices in the mesh. Also, the predominant opinion in the forums is that these devices disconnect frequently.
TL;DR I could probably hammer them into working by installing the driver, but that still won't solve the ZigBee compatibility and reliability issues.
That's fair. The main reason that the Aqara devices perform so much better than the rest is that they have a slightly different protocol that reduces the frequencies of keep alives and check ins. I've been using Aqara contact sensors since this video and haven't had any issues (home assistant with an iTead zigbee USB stick).
@@TheHookUpI also tried the customer driver.. still issues with lost connectivity with hubitat… might be worth video update since a few of us purchased based on your recommendation.
What would the update say? The number of people reporting no problems is 100x more than those reporting problems. Those problems could be from bad units, bad meshes, competing meshes, or improper device handler information. All I'm able to do is test and report my data.
Just got 3 aqara ones on monday, along with a temperature/humidity sensor. Glad I didn't end up with something else
You ran the test for 4 months 👏👏👏👏
I like the idea of the Switchbot's contact sensor. It has a contact sensor and motion sensor combined. So it actually knows whether you are getting in or out.
The downfall of the switchbot sensor for me was range. I had to have the hub less than 20ft from the contact sensor or I got really unreliable signal.
That really is a downfall, 20ft is not much. Thanks for noting that.
would have been good to see the comparison to Sonoff Zigbee
Great video. I need an outdoor sensor and dont want to use a cloud based Lora device.
Amazing video mate!
best video of the year. Thanks rob.
Thanks Frank, happy new year!
I really want to like the Aqara sensors. These door sensors are tiny, respond quickly and pair up with Home Assistant readily (I have trouble with them pairing with Hubitat). Aqara sensors in general have a great aesthetic. I have 45 Zigbee in my mesh, including 10 mains powerd outlets/routers and three dedicated routers. The Aqara sensors (these door contacts, temperature sensors, buttons, vibration sensor) all periodically drop out of the mesh and become unavailable. They are the only Zigbee devices I have that do this. And it happens every month or so. As soon as I pair up one of them, they all reconnect, but the drop outs are really bothersome.
I have made maybe 3 comments on you tube. NICE job
I have some homeseer Z-Wave ones that take 2x AAA batteries and I've had to replace the batteries a few times, but I have never had to replace the batteries in my Aqara sensors. I may replace my Z-Wave sensors with these Zigbee ones at some point. I also upgraded to Z-WaveJS and Zigbee to MQTT and I like the Zigbee map better lol.
The original Wyze sensors were incredible using their own 900 MHz RF but since Wyze abandoned them, the Aquara look like the next best thing. Would be interesting to see a head to head on motion sensors, since motion sensors are the real deal for true automation of the home.
I am shocked that it’s the one I already have. Guess I should install it.
I’m super impressed all around. You made a test rig, and it wore out before the sensor lol. I’d actually love a video on exactly how you went about capturing and displaying the data! I was using really cheap 433 mhz contact sensors with the RF bridge, setup with tasmota and (forget the name) that other software that unlocks more in the other chip, they worked well, but had to make a sensor in the yaml for each one, took quite a bit of effort and more than once a typo caused me issues. I got the usb dongle, and once I figured out it needed to be on an USB extension, it worked super easily, and the far away sensors that would occasionally fail to work(mailbox and far away garage), the Aqara sensors have had zero issues. Now I wish I hadn’t put in 60+ WiFi devices, mostly plugs and switches, because my internet seems to be lagging, though only the Alexa voice commands, all else is great. Ubiquity stuff is amazing for the price too.
I'm also using cheap RF (2.5$) door sensors with a RFXCom antenna attached to my home assistant raspberry pi for simple routines. They take a bit of work to install as you say, but the battery lasts quite nicely (AAA batteries). I must admit they are less reliable though, especially when they are on the other side of the house. So for serious security systems they might not be the best choice. Still better than nothing though.
Very informative and ty for being transparent about the affiliate link. Cheers
I personally like the Homematic IP window/door sensors. They use their own radio standard so you need the bridge (called CCU) but there are integrations for HA, NodeRed, OpenHAB, etc.
They are optical sensors (not magnetic) so they only need one part and the battery lasts 2-3 years. in my experience. There is even one model that can be placed inside the window frame and therefore is not visible (model HmIP-SWDO-I)
Great video. Thanks. There's always something new to learn.
I have Philips Hue bridge which I believe is Zigbee. Will Aqara work with the Hue bridge? How do i set it up?
I'd love to know this as well!
If only this video had released sooner, I just bought some of the Shelly ones recently and there’s about a 1-2 second delay with the sensors being open/closed (therefore my automations that are scheduled to turn a light on/off when the sensor is open/closed are very slow)
Thanks for this tips! how about the Sonoff contact zigbee sensor? wish it was included in the test!
I use the Aqara…for my closet door to turn on/off lights. Sounds like I won’t be changing batteries maybe ever.
Great test! Please test motion sensors as well.
Excellent video. Thank you for the research sir.
I'm glad that I just bought the right sensor by "luck". :-) I tried the Wyze ones (1st gen) before. They were okay until battery drained and the device can't start again after a new battery is installed (talk about a weird problem!!!)
Aquara is really the best. Have this since years and it works perfect. What i m messing is that they dont have a really hold sensor for window. I want to Check if the window is really opened or just in an other Position. For this they should make a sensor for the handle. This would be awesome.
Do a video on sound bars next if possible haha. I bought the nexigo pj20 projector because of you🤜🏽🤛🏾
These are ok if you do not need confirmation that items are closed. Inside doors there are most of the time an electric switch to provide permanent charging of a li-io and an esp8266 w/micro switch will easaly fit in between the door frame and stud, behind the door framing/coaming. Same space for windows and for power the solar cell in a cheap 1$ garden lamp will provide adequate power
What?
Hi! Have you considered to test the 'Eve Window Guard' or the 'Eve Door & Window' and who they compare to the other sensors? I like the fact that they are already 'Thread' compatible which could or will be the future communication technology for smart home.
You didn't mention the fact that the Aqara devices don't actually support the Zigbee 3.0 or ZHA standard and therefore have trouble working with many brands of Zigbee repeaters. One of the only brands of repeaters that work well with them are IKEA.
ZHA supports Aqara just fine
Nope, they don't. I've got a solid ZigBee mesh built around 7 thermostats, and I can't get Aqara devices to stay connected to my Hubitat for more than a few minutes.
There is a newer version of this sensor, MCCGQ12LM that is ZigBee 3.0, shame it wasn't included in the test.
@@gwydionjhr not my experience, I have C-5 and mesh is stable
Hey Rob, any chance you'll do a video like this about PIRs in the future? Those things are hard to love even if they work great, which isn't very often.
Great video! Really great. I have sonoff and is very weak. Not recommended
Great job testing!! Interesting results
For those of us that don't use Zigbee or ZWave, which is the best wifi sensor? I already have a lot of Shelly devices, and don't want anything that requires something in the cloud like Tuya. Great video, thank for sharing.