I'm Losing My Mind Over Aqara's M3 Hub!
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- I'm going to show you why our Aqara M3 Hub review shows just how great this smart home hub could be, but how the M3 just isn't quite ready for all of you. It's so close, and when just a few of the issues or bugs are fixed, this thing is going to be amazing!
But today, I'll show you why I'm losing my mind and how you could be too.
If you want to buy an Aqara M3 Hub, click here: geni.us/AqaraHubM3 (Amazon affiliate link)
---------------------------------------------- My Favorite Aqara Smart Home Gear -----------------------------
Aqara M3 Hub: geni.us/AqaraHubM3 (Amazon affiliate link)
Until May 12, 2024, get 20% off the M3 with these codes!
US - USCAM3KO (20%off)
CA - USCAM3EW (20%off)
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Aqara Motion and Light Sensor P2: geni.us/AqaraP2MotionSensor (Amazon affiliate link) and review here: • Unveiling 10 NEW and E...
---------------------------------------------- Timecodes -----------------------------
00:00 - The New Aqara M3 Hub Review
0:34 - How Aqara Broke The Matter Standard
3:16 - Why This Review Will Hurt Me
4:25 - Our Aqara M3 Hub Breakdown
7:24 - Aqara M3 Hub Reliability Features Aren't All Working
11:00 - I Scored The Hub Out of 7
12:00 - Aqara Hub Migration Feature is Amazing
12:49 - Why Thread is Not Useful To You Today
13:41 - Maybe The Best Air Conditioner Control Of All Time
16:22 - My Recommendation
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Thanks for watching, and Live Smart.
Brian - Наука та технологія
Hey Automaters,
Aqara has provided some discounts for the M3 on launch! Use the following coupon codes on Amazon:
USCAHUB3 (Amazon US & Canada)
HUBM3EU5(Amazon France, Germany, Italy, Spain & UK)
Buy the hub here: geni.us/AqaraHubM3 (Amazon affiliate link)
Btw Brian they have just opened the third party support regardless of the brand! I think this is huge
@@AndrewDee that is big! Lots of additions 😃
Thank you Brian! Can always count on you to give the honest scoop. It's a shame that this is being over hyped by so many even though it's not ready for prime time yet! I actually had it in my Amazon cart, ready to pull the trigger and am thankful that I saw your video first!
Maybe they had all the features working? I don't know Scott! Just maybe hold a bit. I'm sure this one will come out amazing, just...not yet.
Thanks for the honest review!!
Any time! Thanks Bryan!
Great video Brian. Thanks for always keeping us informed!
Thanks Josh!
Wow 😳, an honest review. The number of products in my left over bin that reviewed well, but failed in real world testing, is Massive
:(
Another good review, Brian. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Aqara as their stuff is affordable and works with the platforms I care about, ie. Homekit and Alexa. I don't need other devices to work with Aqara. My Ring Alarm system and my YoLink leak detection/valve shutoff system already work without Internet. I really like the idea of being able to migrate Aqara devices to one hub and would buy it just for that. They're paying the price for trying to lead the way when most are holding back because they know it's a minefield. Anyway, thanks again, Brian!
Definitely great points. They push the boundaries and they do it for a lot less money usually. This one just needs some more baking time
Hi Brian superb video as always and certainly bursts the Marketing blurb !!! However can I ask you advice on a particular use case - do you have a separate method for members queries ?
Hey Roger! Go through our About Link here on YT and send in an email. Just let out team know you're a member and I'll get the email. :)
Hey Brian I did as you suggested but haven’t received either a reply or confirmation of receipt of my query yet
Aqara & SwitchBot are the only device makers keeping me interested in the smart home space at the moment
They are the innovators!
Thanks for the review Brian, very well done. Any update to third party Zigbee support on the M3? I checked the website, but information there is limited at best.
No updates as of today! Sorry!
Thank you sir.
Thank you Ron!
Great review, it's so sad that home automation is in this state at the moment. - My Rant - This video is really a sums it up, somethings work, somethings work sometimes, some talk to each other as they should, some don't and it seams like none of these companies really care outside of their ecosystem, but yet they don't offer every device in there eco system. Not to mention, you need to be a pretty knowledgeable person in tech or have a patience of a saint to get these devices setup at times. Very few things I would consider "user friendly" in home automation right now.
Great work at trying to help us figure all this new technology out - keep it up.
I really wish we'd get finished products out the door the first time. :( I'm with ya! We'll get it figured out.
I think aqara is getting there, they have excellent mmWave sensors and now there is a hub. I think the moment they gonna integrate the 2 together they have a winner.
I would love to see a Poe version of the fp2 sensor that can operate as an edge hub and make it based on a floorplan of the house which will result in having a digital twin of the house.
Imagine your lights turning on and aircon or heating turning on once you walk in the room.
My M3 hub just arrived right now cuz last night I was on Amazon bored and looking for something to buy to give me something to do and I just happened to see that the M3 was released so I bought it and I can't wait to play with it.
Enjoy!
"... I was on Amazon bored and looking for something to buy to give me something to do ..."
LOL. It's not just me then. I wonder how much money Amazon makes from people like you and me. The pandemic in particular was a very expensive time for me!
Lol that's hilarious I also went a bit berserk on Amazon during the pandemic, but like they say great minds think alike lol lmao. 😂
@@AutomateYourLifehey there and thanks, but I kind of wished I watched your video first before I bought the m3 hub because I'm very disappointed with hub because like you said in ur vid there's so much potential in this hub but it just feels like it was rushed out to the market. they should have just delayed the release until they got everything working because Aqara matter devices will not stay connected to the m3 hub, I had to reconnect them 5 times yesterday and so I finally just got tired of it and took them off the m3 and put them back smartthings only.
So, since it has a Zigbee radio, will it work with other products the use Zigbee, other than Aquara? Brian, as always, great honest coverage on a not quite ready for prime time device.
Sorry Dan, it doesn't do that today. I don't know that it will ever be opened up that way or at least not in the near future
I think what you will see is more matter devices able to come in and I think that will be just as beneficial with some of the newer products
Great video, i wondee how many others UA-camrs will give similar reviews....
I'm looking for local Zigbee controller with HA support and the potential to expand as thread / Matter improves.
Does it support other Thread devices?
It doesn't support other thread devices, but I assume it will at some point
And we will see! I might be the odd one out ;)
Hi Brian, this was the Smart Home Product I was most looking forward to this year. Disappointed in what I have just seen it seems to be an Early Access Product which is not as ready as I would have liked. Especially when you consider it costs twice the price of the Previous HUB and does not offer twice the value currently. I saw yesterday it is now listed on Amazon here in Europe but no stock to order, but having just seen this video I am going to wait until the features I expected are actually ready to roll. Feels a bit Deja vu with the recent Alexa HUB which also did not feel ready to launch.
Hey Gary,
Everything I've seen from Aqara tells me most of this will be dealt with in a few months. Maybe just treat it as a launch in June 😜
Great review. ❤ This will be my first hub. I’ve had a bad smart home experience with lots of wifi bulbs, probably because I foolishly didn’t use a dedicated hub. They were constantly failing, and dragged my wifi network to a crawl. (I think). What bulbs do you recommend with this hub? I’ve got both Apple and Alexa devices now. THANKS!!!
Right now, bulbs would be difficult. It's only Aqara gear (they sell switches, not bulbs), and now that Hue option. So right now if you want bulbs with Aqara...Hue and a Hue Bridge
Thanks!! I’m also considering Nanoleaf, which are Thread. I’ve also got a HomePod mini.
Hey Brian, thanks for the review. But for the failover function, did you try waiting 3-5 minutes or maybe even longer? I think because the accessories do not communicate in real time, they won’t failover immediately. They need time to figure out a hub has gone down and the accessory should take over the function of the hub or an accessory should listen to instruction from another accessory instead of the hub.
I did! Good question though!
I left one overnight.
I was considering an Aqara hub. Specifically the G3 Camera hub. Wondering if all their hubs are like mentioned in this review??
This has some specific new features that we're waiting on and unsure of. However, the basis of Aqara gear is great. The G3 is a great camera hub.
Still have it :)
Question-Is there native support for the M3 to connect to the SmartThings platform using its Thread Border Router?
There isn't, sorry...
Does the M3 Hub allow you to use Aqara Switches to control (including dimming) Philips Hue lights?
Right now I can't get the Hue lights to do anything...but I assume that's coming. In my opinion, it will shortly
Is there a way for the IR receiver function to trigger an automation when an IR Remote button is pushed?
Hmmmmmmmm...I don't think so Frank. Sorry.
I'd just suggest the use of maybe a Wireless Aqara Button?
After spending 6 hours trying to get a Sonos beam to register and into my network I was so happy to have the hub set up in seconds for real seconds. Fastest setup ever.
Through the Aqara app?
@@AutomateYourLife no brother am talking about on the Sonos app setup my new Sonos.
Can you use other third-party Zigbee devices on the M3 hub?
No you can't. Sorry
I was thinking "hold off until black friday". I'm glad all the youtubers are pointing out the deficiencies.
I think it was just all the excitement...it'll come around. :)
How did you create the custom welcome home message?
I recorded it on my computer, sent it to my phone, and then added a custom ringtone in the app
Is there any reason (other than price) to get this instead of the Homey Pro?
I think Aqara is a very clear and simple offering. They also have great camera integration.
Apple Homekit is integrated a little better too for sure
My main question is about Thread.
I have a single thread network consisting of my EERO router, 3 Alexas and 1 Apple HomePod Mini. I have two matter over thread Eve devices and four HomeKit over thread devices that some day will get a matter firmware update. For the time being though I use HomeKit and/or the Eve app for control.
Anyway, my question is this. Will the M3 hub join my existing Thread network or create its own thread network that would be useless to me?
That's a great question and something I didn't talk about.
The M3 was smart enough to join my Nest Thread Network. I was impressed. But I can't guarantee it will join yours. It should
Not perfect but certainly got loads of promise and local control is a very smart move on their part.
Yep!
in a follow up with your "The BEST Ways To Integrate Aqara And SmartThings!" video, do you think that this hub gives you something new on that integration, that people that only have smartthings has their hub will gain something buying this and using both?
It doesn't change much yet.
However, it will in the long run as more Matter products get integrated. You'll then have easy ways to have devices in both systems that can be automated on.
Till then, no not really! The AC unit is a nice add to ST
Can the Bluetooth feature in M3 be used with the GoVee Bluetooth LED strip?
It cannot
@@AutomateYourLife Thank You Brian
I have a Homey Pro, when I got the P2 sensor the aqara app said that i needed that hub, I instead used Homey Pro to use it but when the sensor detects movement it takes a while to notice no movement, do i need the aqara hub to change the settings when its available?
Nope! There is nowhere you can get settings for the P2 at the moment. Every hub is the same
@@AutomateYourLife ok good to know, thank you, hopefully they'll add it to homey pro soon 🤞
In the bigger picture I actually find this sort of positive. After watching this video I'm finding myself, while disappointed by all the issues right now, also impressed by Aqara's ambition as far as the intended feature set is concerned. Aqara seem like a good company with, as I understand it, a mostly very solid product line-up. Hopefully these issues will get ironed out in the not too distant future and this will become a product that is as good in reality as it looks on paper. (I currently use Hubitat BTW and don't have any issues with it so it's probably going to be boredom and wanting to try something new that might one day make me switch so I have plenty of time to watch from the sidelines.)
Yeah I love that they're pushing! It's fantastic to see
Ohhh yeees been waiting for this Hub since we saw it at the CES. Also i do not understand why they need to all make there device work with etch and every product work with matter. why isnt there just make there device matter complying and every Matter device work with it. So they could just download a list or some "drivers" from matter standard website and it would work as long as a hub is Matter ready. ( Yes iam not a dev person ) but it have to be possible to make that work way easier then its now.
I actually really like that idea Finn. Would make it a non-company specific resource too
Looking for a new hub to replace my Smartthing v2, however, i have a 35+ Zwave devices. this does not seem to support it directly, but if i bought an older hub it "Might" bridge in to the new hub?
Aqara isn't handling anything like that today. They have no Z-wave at all annnnnnd I can't think of a hub doing z-wave as a Matter Bridge.
And one more...this can't bring it in anyway. Only those 3 sets of products I showed at the start
I see it works with Smart things any idea what you can/can't do?
Yep!
ua-cam.com/video/8GAs4bLWPyI/v-deo.html
@@AutomateYourLife TY for the video is there any way to import items from smart things into the M3 so we can get full local control? Or would i have to re-add every device I have in smart things into the M3?
Any thoughts on this vs smarthings hub?
We gotta do some comparisons. Working on my first!
@@AutomateYourLife looking forward to it, I'm currently on ST so hoping that is still the best option lol
1:40 I'm curious, is the Philips Hue lights not working with automations an Aqara issue or a Hue issue? Is the Hue firmware not recognizing automation commands?
Entirely unsure, but it doesn't "Matter" to us as consumers. That's my take anyways TJ :)
@@AutomateYourLife Very true
Got mine already on early release…we’ll see how it goes…
🤞🤞
Question - Sorry, im still confuse,! With the M3 Hub, can or can´t control Philips Hue Lights with Aqara Sensor like the Sensor P2 or Presence Sensor FP2! Thank you
Totally get it. It's confusing!
Today I can:
1. Connect Hue through it's Bridge to the M3 using Matter.
2. Control the lights in the app
3. Use my Hue Sensors to start an Automation in Aqara's App
Today I cannot:
1. Get an automation to control the lights from Hue
That's it! :)
@@AutomateYourLife But with a sensor like P2 or FP2, can we turn on/off the ligths? You enter in a room, and lights turn on ( with a aqara sensor ) or rigth now only aqara ligths are working with that?
@JoaoLuis no matter how I do it, Hue lights will not turn on or off with the Aqara app, hub, etc.
@@AutomateYourLife Thank you!! Lets hope that update, doens´t take to much time
Decisions, decisions. Tl;dr: is it worth the hassle just to get all our child devices back into one (hopefully more reliable on our network) hub.
Considering all the asterisks, my immediate interest is simple: moving all child devices to a single, wired hub. Right now they are spread across a few camera hubs… and that hasn’t worked out great. But migration hasn’t been possible until now.
Still, if I understand correctly, then setting up through Matter will will still require re-naming and setting up all devices in HomeKit. Is that the case if I set up using Aqara’s HomeKit setup instead? And if I do that, do I run the Matter setup anyway to get it into Alexa? I assume so, but then won’t it force me to re-add duplicates into HomeKit?
I hope that’s not the case. It might still be worth it just to improve reliability of two doorbells and a camera that have behaved underwhelmingly. It’s just that the duplication of effort, the clutter, and the “promise” that this might allow non-Aqara matter devices to have access to Aqara features not supported in Alexa (our most reliable source of routines)… it’s a little “first world problems” exhausting. And with actual problems, I’m not sure that taking on these optional ones is a net benefit.
Migration from the camera hubs isn't possible either. Didn't even get to that one!
As for the Aqara HomeKit setup and Alexa Setup, you can do each a different way! I think that's one of the really great things about this. Both have their benefits and I think the big question is: Do you want scenes from Aqara?
@@AutomateYourLife Thanks for the tip about the camera hubs. That’s disappointing but at least I’m freed from the temptation to buy this and find that out the hard way.
Please clarify how the Aqara M3 uses Matter - over Thread only.
How do we understand if a device is "on Matter", but over a Zigbe or Zwave antenna as opposed to the Thread antenna?
Please clarify how Aqara M3 slow rollout of compatable devices "breaks the meaning of the logo entirely"
Is'nt Matter over Thread, the meaning of the logo?
How about a Matter over Thread (only) hub side by side comparison? Like the Aqara M3 VS. Homey Pro?
"Please clarify how the Aqara M3 uses Matter - over Thread only. "
The ONLY Thread devices currently available to use with Aqara's Hub are the 2 P2 Sensors. Both of those are Matter Over Thread, not "Thread". No other Thread devices work with the Hub. In fact, no other Thread OR Matter Over Thread devices work. That's it. Just those 2 products from Aqara.
"How do we understand if a device is "on Matter", but over a Zigbe or Zwave antenna as opposed to the Thread antenna?"
Matter does not include Zigbee or Z-Wave in its specification. A Matter Bridge is the only method and currently there are no Matter Bridges that allow Z-Wave devices anyways.
"Please clarify how Aqara M3 slow rollout of compatable devices "breaks the meaning of the logo entirely""
The entire point of Matter for the consumer is this: If you see the Matter Logo on a product, it works with ANY Matter Controller. That's safety for you, the consumer. In the case of the M3, other than the 3 specific product lines I showed, no other Matter products can be controlled. Therefore, for you as the consumer, the entire point of Matter is broken. It means the same as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, WiFi....it might not work with the system you're using.
We're getting to comparisons. :)
Hope that helps.
Thanks again, O'Tech Master!
LOL another emoji!
@@AutomateYourLife I'm loving my new fan!!!
@@c849243 yessss
Can this wake pc with wol ?
Nope
The M3 hub is designed to support various protocols, including Thread, which implies that a majority of users will possess some form of OTBR (OpenThread Border Routers). Given that a mesh connection is an inherent feature of Thread, the necessity of two M3 hubs for identical functionality is puzzling. It could be that Aqara is employing a marketing strategy.
I think that's more about existing Zigbee products and the automations running on their platform, then it is in connectivity to Thread gear. :)
Outside Thread Border routers can maintain connection, but do not currently have the ability to pull in automations and other aspects of smart home settings, etc.. I think it's still an important feature! :)
Holy shit, is this the first honest review on UA-cam???
I don't think so! I try to tell the truth always!
No, lol.
AWESOME VIDEO !!! HONEST...Thank you !!! Aqara will be the next Tik Tok ..Not that we care...LOL Aqara is owned by Lumi United Technology, which is founded in 2009 and is currently one of the LARGEST smart home providers in China.
Thanks for watching!
Can m3 hub bridge FP2 to smartthings or homey pro?
Nope. It only bridges some zigbee gear
If you are new to Aqara and want to buy a hub today, should you buy the new M3 hub (deal w/ current cons) or buy an older hub and wait (potentially buy 2 hubs in 6 months)...?
Buy the M3, 100%. Still the best option, you'll just have to wait for a few new features to get worked out
@@AutomateYourLife Thank you so much! Ordered the M3.
So if I migrate all my automations and devices from my M2 hub to the M3 ( bought one and it'll be here in a couple days ) can I just unplug the M2 and move it to another location in my house, plug it back in and add it as a device on the M3? Or if I move the M2, plug it back in and then use it just as a backup or however it was you explained it?
It won't be a backup, but it will be a useful hub! And IR Blaster!
@@AutomateYourLife Thanks! Looking forward to playing with the new M3 next week.
The problem you describe are probably based on Matter. this feature is probably MAtter Binding which came in 1.2 but most devices arent running on matter 1.2 based firmware since the most controller are stuck on 1.0 or 1.1 . so its less a aqara issue but an industry issue.
Correct. They did the best they can!
One thing no one is talking about is the WiFi standard this supports its only WiFi 5. The recent camera had WiFi 6 which they made clear on their page. This HUB I could only find reference in the .pdf User Manual which states its a 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac which translates to WiFi 5. I want to use Matter over thread plus Zigbee for my smart home, but my whole network is going to WiFi 7 this summer, this is disappointing that a new HUB is two generations behind in its Protocol support.
Hey Gary, I'm pretty sure we stuck a little title somewhere in this video with the spec, but to be honest...I think Wifi 5 is great for any hub today.
The cameras end up there or higher because of the bandwidth requirements. These hubs barely use any bandwidth so it's just fine, in my opinion, to use Wifi 5. :)
@@AutomateYourLife Hey Brian, yes you did show on screen the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac tag. I can never remember which is which in this system and find WiFi 5, 6 or 7 easier to instantly know. The E1 camera when released had on the HP the following "The E1 supports stable and secure Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. This ensures optimal performance even in congested network environments, while also implementing the WPA3 standard for maximum security.
I agree Bandwidth for routines is fine, but when watching the camera feed via the app, I assume this has gone via the HUB which is the bottleneck with reduced security compared to the native camera. No idea why they have decided to do this.
Oh and BTW its seems that the Homey Hub Frenzy is over already ? Not only you, but most reviewers seems to have stop posting anything about it. Is there a major issue with it ?
Nope! All is good!
@@AutomateYourLife all right then. I'll wait to have more videos. At 600 $ plus, its not an easy purchase !
I wonder if it will ever work appropriately…they announced it about one and a half years ago…seems not so easy
Some of the failover stuff is really tough to implement...
So yeah...nothing's gonna replace Home Assistant anytime soon.
Can't migrate camera hub g3 yet, only cluster.
Yes that's true too. Something I didn't talk about was which hubs can be migrated. Just seems like some of the basic newer ones. I imagine the cameras are hard to do since there's a dual feature there with the video.
Actually the Hue Sensor is a weird unit by itself. It sometimes just does not pair in Hue App, while pairing in ST or Mrs A ! And vice versa ! I dont keep count of how many times I had to do full reset on my hue motion sensors ! Thats bad because when they work they do are one of the best motion sensor. I love the Aqara sensor, but it does not have a very long range of detection compared to Hue or Zooz. I am still to dig further on the Aqara "cat" camera/hub to see what I can do with it, but it seems to not talk very well neither with ST hub or Mrs A. It does, but not very well. May be its me and my setup, but anyway the result is what it is.
Generally, Aqara's hubs only work with Google, Amazon, and Apple. There's not a lot of other compatibility, but that's fairly common!
As for Hue, I've had good luck with that sensor and this was through a Matter Bridge so it's still connected through the Hue Bridge. That helps keep that one working!
Is it better than the smartthings hub?
That's impossible to answer with just a reply. Different and better in some ways, but ST is better in some ways too. Huge comparison to do there. And that's in planning stages!
@AutomateYourLife it feels like a smart things competitor. The specs sound similar and there the same price on Amazon.
Use it with Home Assistant.
How would that help with the new features?
Again Aqara makes a good product. I really like Aqara products. Matter on the other hand…………
🤦 ohhh Matter
Where is my Z-wave 800 series hub!?
Not with Aqara! ;) They've always done Zigbee, and now Thread
At least it's local, unlike Google hubs...
Truth
$130 for future software features? Hard pass
Let's hope we see it all get taken care of quickly. Then it'll be something to talk about.
As with all past history, "Matter still doesn't Matter".
sigh...
I think I wanted to use some of the Aqara sensors with my Alexa ecosystem. So, I bought the M1S hub. I guess I misunderstood. It looks from the install process it wants to use Apple and Apple lock chain stuff or whatever. After 10 minutes of sitting sync-ing to something Apple related. Finally, I gave up. I don't want to be using Home pod and stuff, so I cancelled it, and put the hub back in a box. Frustrating mess as I have seen.
Oh it's not that way at all. You use the Aqara app! The M1S was a while ago too.
@@AutomateYourLife Come on, Brian. Was that necessary? You've seen my comments and reportings before. Do I sound like someone that didn't know I needed to use the Aqara app? The Aqara app took me to these screen for Apple. Not going to reproduce them to convince someone. I know what I saw. I stopped trying to set it up, because of these issues. I didn't bother to do any screen shots because I was not predicting there would be the perfect video to bounce those M1S issue off of. M1S is still an in production and sale product isn't it?
My own curiosity got the best of me. So, I went back and tried to add the M1S again. Should not need to say, but, yes, I started with the Aqara app. Two-three screens in, it wants displays the "Choose a home" screen. I gave it a name, a comment reports"the device will be added to the home in the Apple Home app. The "Next step" at the bottom does nothing. Can't select anything else, nothing happens. Then it just sits. It transitions from yellow ring to solid white. Still can not move forward in the app, no instructions or alerts. So, tried to check in the Apple Home app, but it informs me its setting up Keychain and forces me to the section to create a Passcode. No sidestepping that this time. Not going to put a passcode on my phone. So, can't proceed. Back to the Aqara app, after sitting all night, on same screen
@@obijuan- :(
I tried my M1S and had similar issues just now. I wonder if they need a firmware update. Maybe chat with their support
@@AutomateYourLife Thank you. At least, I can believe that I am not yet crazy.
As someone with like $2k+ Aqara stuff, Aqara app needs a lot of work imo:
First off - why cant they just detect ANY zigbee signal regardless of brand to attempt adding to the hub/network and let people customize stuff with other brands like IKEA buttons to toggle my lights or otherwise? (Yeah yeah this is what matter is for, but obviously people do home assistant stuff with zigbee and zwave and make things work, is there something blocking it on the device side?)
2. Very limited automation decisions and they limit what you can or can't do with certain devices.
Ie: vibration sensor - can't set a 'While vibration detected..' (for more than x time or detected more or less continuously after initial vibration such as an appliance running).
Also they have power monitoring on their plugs, but you literally can't automate anything off of that information??
3. Signal integrity view - Why do I need to go through multiple menus to see individual device signal? There should just be a menu off the home screen or options to see the actual zigbee network layout with each device shown 2D or 3D.. bare minimum a list of all devices to at least see all signal conditions at a glance.
4. No way to view power consumption of devices or rather the things connected to the devices all at a glance as charts or current consumption numvers.. would be nice to also filter & sort devices by current/avg/total power etc. automations based on power are also non existent as prev mentioned (AC or dehumidifier connected to smart plug - pretty obvious I'd want to check basement humidity and if it goes too high but there's no typical power ramp from a humidifier turning on itld want an alarm to tell me before I have a moldy disaster)
4. Need a more obvious feature request and bug reporting area within the app - we're only here to help you with fixing stuff and flushing put your system.
5. Some automation things of mine just don't work sometimes and it's not like its complicated: turn on greenhouse light at 10a, wait 10 hours, turn it off..
Very often its still just on as if connection dropped and it stopped counting or something? I shouldn't need to build another automation to explicitly check at another time to turn something of 'hey its midnight, turn off the damn light if you forgot'
6. Certain thing ask for weird permissions - why does my door lock need local storage access to my phone pictures? How about NO and stop asking. Why does it need to ask for Bluetooth every single time if it knows its on a hub? Further, why can't i disable certain things like Bluetooth across all my devices if I have certain things hardwired? If i believe its a security issue or unnecessary then just let me turn it off.. and allow for an alarm or alert if its turned back on .. kinda like weird email sign in locations 'did you sign on from X device?' Oh and why cant you set the name of the person who set things up? Every other user is Named but im stuck as "ME"?? Lol
Good suggestions here! Wow, I'm sure Aqara will read this too
@@AutomateYourLife yeah that's the reason I did a quick brain dump, I assumed since they sponsored they'd check back in the short term.. if they want to capture the market they need to look at what people are able to do in Home Assistant or other brands
The PROBLEM is switching hubs is a complete NIGHTMARE when using Alexa! Now you will have DOUBLE/TRIPPLE devices that show up and have to go in and delete all the obsolete ones! BIG pain in the ass! This is WHY I've stuck with the Smart-things platform at this point! Plus deleting and reconnecting everything is a MAJOR hassle and could take DAYS! I am not willing to go through the grief of doing this. If if ain't broke WHY fix it???
This hub totally eliminates that issue. It's a one-press migration. It was fantastic John :)
Of course, yep...you have that first move to do from ST! I think Matter will also help with this, so there's SOME light on the horizon!
@@AutomateYourLife ; So maybe I'll wait a little longer before I take this "plunge".
This seems to me the bleeding edge of technology. Just be patient and it will become what you expect it to be. All new technologies need time to evolve, so be patient. Dismissing these potential solutions right now is contra productive. Again, be patient.
Who dismissed it?
This release is so disappointing. Been waiting for this and to find its release puts the lie to matter is awful. It’s like all the manufacturers walling off Zigbee back in the day (yes hue and zemismart and so the others looking at you)
It's a lot like that again. I can't believe it's going on again. Worse this time because we don't have any settings or extra features coming with the standard.
It seems extra irksome since Aqara does not have smart bulb choices for North American market, so a big selling point for me was the belief I could finally get matter bulbs into the Aqara app and finally be able to have the majority of my automations done on the Aqara platform
matter seems to have completely failed and in no way lives up to the hype
Not even close yet. There are glimmers...
There's nothing wrong with the matter standard (and it was a bit irritating that the video said there were problems with matter, but didn't explain what the problems were). The problem is that companies have been shipping products built on early generation matter SDKs - so they are not up to the current matter standard. For example, a whole load of us were in a nanoleaf beta programme from December until last month, because the nanoleaf essential with matter line-up was incredibly flaky and crashed a lot. It turned out the lights were originally running on the matter v1 SDK, and additionally there was not enough RAM being allocated to the matter processing part of things. Throughout the beta we progressed to matter 1.1 and then matter 1.2 - on matter 1.2, there was significant increases in speed and reliability, and the bulbs don't seem to crash multiple times a day. The headache for nanoleaf was that they were having to prod the supplier of the chip on a daily basis to get matter fixes in. Essentially nanoleaf are shipped a chip that has the matter firmware and they build their own proprietary nanoleaf stack on top of that. If other OEMs are going down this route too, which is quite likely - then they are at the mercy of the chip supplier not shipping them buggy matter firmware. People often say but ZWave, but Zigbee - and yes it's true those technologies are very reliable, but they are also not TWO years old. People like to write matter off because it hasn't lived up to their expectations - overlooking how new it actually is. Here I am with 3 Nanoleaf Matter over Thread bulbs, a Nanoleaf Matter over Thread light strip, 2 Onvis Matter over Thread sockets. A switchbot hub 2 exposing a switchbot lock and a switchbot blind tilt over matter. All fully controllable via Home Assistant and Google Home. Matter is definitely doing what it set out to do.
The reasons don't Matter anymore. The standard isn't positioned to fix the problems of this industry. It's not dead, but it needs serious work.
The problems it needs to solve are connectivity and compatibility. By your own example, connectivity is still a problem (Nanoleaf is not an isolated case). Compatibility is fixed in some cases for sure!
But I would challenge... if "compatibility" means I get basic controls, no settings, no specialized features, and an overall worse experience in apps not made by the manufacturer. Is that what we are after?
@@AutomateYourLifeBingo! The watered down features that we get from manufacturers using the matter standard is abysmal and shameful. While some features and functions are held back by the majority of the standards available through the protocol itself, it doesn't look like manufacturers within the industry are really pushing hard to give the end users the best experience using their products via matter.
@@AutomateYourLife there is absolutely no reason that there can't be settings though, that's on Aqara not matter. Matter supports custom clusters just like ZigBee, and that's how Eve are doing energy reporting for now until energy monitoring is part of the standard (hopefully it will be next month).
Thanks for this. I’ve been looking for a reason to get into Aqara and this Hub seems like it could be it…but these limitations make me want to hold off (at least for a little bit). I already have Philips HueBridge, Eve Thread Plugs, Echo Hub, SwitchBot Hub 2s, HomePod 2s & Apple TV, Govee…did I miss something? 😅
Looking for something like SwitchBot’s Matter release…but more reliable and stable. And with more automations. I probably should have used Homebridge Raspberry Pi but…effort and cost…I’m stuck deep in the sunk cost fallacy right now 🫠
The Matter Bridge side of the M3 is excellent Jay! It's just like the M2 but adds the AC Unit option I show at the end of the video
so .. if you have lots of hubs you are .,. what .. hastening Skynet? And if they all fail, you could always get off your lazy arse and turn the light on yourself.. bow did we ever survive before we could sit and shout at a box?! All you have ahieved is turn me away from Aqara
I need one of those meme response options where it shows something going over your head and then it stays "misses the point entirely"
I’m tired of these clearly sponsored videos with the exact same talking points with no information on whether or not it can integrate with third party zigbee devices.
It can't. Aqara never has been able to
And how many talking points you expect to find a on a Simpele hub?